So Many Kinds to Love…
Dear sweet tater lovers, we know you may already know all types of sweet taters, but just in case, keep reading so you can impress your friends and family this Thanksgiving.
After the recent Ellen DeGeneres Show debacle where she tried to explain the difference between our beloved spud and yams, we want to set the record straight – not only on this, but on the wide variety of sweet taters too. So let’s get into it! Yams and sweetpotatoes are botanically two different vegetables. We are #NotAYam. The truth is what you’ve been calling a yam is most likely one of the many varieties of sweetpotatoes. Even more, it’s possible that you’ve never even tasted a yam! Learn more about the history of the two here.
Photo Courtesy of @colinpurrington
So yes, there is some truth in Ellen’s comments, but then things took a bad turn when she showed the photo of a white sweetpotato and an orange yam and said, “How many people thought that sweetpotatoes were orange? FOOLS! You’re all fools. Sweetpotatoes are not orange, they’re white and they look like regular potatoes. Yams are orange.”
Sorry y’all, but this is simply not true. The sweetest part is that there are so many kinds of sweet taters – from a drier variety to a soft, moist variety. There’s a range of colors, textures and flavors to consider. Not all are offered at grocery stores, but the main ones include O’Henry, Covington and Japanese.
Photo Courtesy of Nomsmcgee Blog
Take a peek at Saveur’s 16 Shades of Sweet: A Sweetpotato Guide that will help you when choosing the right spud for your Thanksgiving menu.
We hope this clears up any confusion and don’t forget to snap a pic of whatever kind you choose to enter into our #sweetsides Instagram contest. Through December 1st, Instagram a picture of your sweetpotato dish using our hashtag #sweetsides and tag our handle @sweet_taters. You could win a beautiful orange 14-piece Rachael Ray cookware set, plus a swag bag from yours truly!