Sweet potatoes have beautiful flowers and are in the same family as morning glories.
The white/orange swollen storage root is used as a source of starch and alcohol, and eaten as a vegetable.
The young leaves and shoots of the sweet potato are sometimes eaten as greens.
The sweet potato differs from the Irish potato, which are underground stems known as tubers. It does not belong to the nightshade family, Solanaceae, but both families belong to the same taxonomic order, the Solanales.
Sweet potatoes are thought to have been first domesticated in Central America at least 5,000 years ago.
The first Europeans to taste sweet potatoes were members of Christopher Columbus' expedition in 1492. After that, many explorers had discovered a wide variety of local names for different cultivars for the sweet potato.
The sweet potato was introduced to Okinawa, Japan in the early 1600s and became a staple in the country because they were important in preventing famine when rice harvests were poor. They were later planted in Shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune's private garden.
Sweet potatoes have helped reveal that Polynesians may have traveled to the Americas in pre-columbian times. Sweet potatoes originated from the Americas were found in the Pacific islands when Captain James Cook discovered them.
The Maori word for sweet potato "kumala" is almost the same as the Quechuan (indigenous South American people)'s word "k'umara" for sweet potato.
In Argentina, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Venezuela, the sweet potato is called batata. In Chile, Central America, Mexico, Peru and the Philippines, the sweet potato is known as camote, which comes from the Nahuatl word camot.
In New Zealand, the most common cultivar is the red sweet potato called kumara, which is very popular as a roasted food, often served with sour cream and sweet chili sauce.
In 2016, global production of sweet potatoes was 105 million tonnes, led by China with 67% of the world total.
Sweet potatoes are referred to as “dry-fleshed” or “moist-fleshed.” This refers to how they feel in your mouth, not the moisture present in the root.
Sweet potato cultivars with white or pale yellow flesh are less sweet and moist than those with red, pink or orange flesh.
Moist-fleshed convert more of their starch to sugars during cooking, becoming softer and sweeter than the dry-fleshed types.
Although the soft, orange sweet potato is often called a "yam" in parts of North America, the sweet potato is botanically very distinct from a genuine yam (Dioscorea), which is an entirely different plant species, grown only in tropical climates.
Sweet potatoes are high in nutrients, especially vitamins A and C.
Unlike other potatoes, sweet potatoes like long, hot growing seasons.
Sweet potatoes are recognized as the state vegetable of North Carolina, where 1.2 billion pounds a year are produced.
National Cook A Sweet Potato Day is celebrated on February 22nd each year.
Source Msue
The white/orange swollen storage root is used as a source of starch and alcohol, and eaten as a vegetable.
 |
| Pixiebay |
The young leaves and shoots of the sweet potato are sometimes eaten as greens.
The sweet potato differs from the Irish potato, which are underground stems known as tubers. It does not belong to the nightshade family, Solanaceae, but both families belong to the same taxonomic order, the Solanales.
HISTORY
Sweet potatoes are thought to have been first domesticated in Central America at least 5,000 years ago.
The first Europeans to taste sweet potatoes were members of Christopher Columbus' expedition in 1492. After that, many explorers had discovered a wide variety of local names for different cultivars for the sweet potato.
 |
| Sweet potato, Moche culture, 300 AD, Larco Museum Collection |
The sweet potato was introduced to Okinawa, Japan in the early 1600s and became a staple in the country because they were important in preventing famine when rice harvests were poor. They were later planted in Shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune's private garden.
Sweet potatoes have helped reveal that Polynesians may have traveled to the Americas in pre-columbian times. Sweet potatoes originated from the Americas were found in the Pacific islands when Captain James Cook discovered them.
The Maori word for sweet potato "kumala" is almost the same as the Quechuan (indigenous South American people)'s word "k'umara" for sweet potato.
In Argentina, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Venezuela, the sweet potato is called batata. In Chile, Central America, Mexico, Peru and the Philippines, the sweet potato is known as camote, which comes from the Nahuatl word camot.
 |
| Pixiebay |
In New Zealand, the most common cultivar is the red sweet potato called kumara, which is very popular as a roasted food, often served with sour cream and sweet chili sauce.
In 2016, global production of sweet potatoes was 105 million tonnes, led by China with 67% of the world total.
FUN SWEET POTATO FACTS
Sweet potatoes are referred to as “dry-fleshed” or “moist-fleshed.” This refers to how they feel in your mouth, not the moisture present in the root.
Sweet potato cultivars with white or pale yellow flesh are less sweet and moist than those with red, pink or orange flesh.
 |
| Sweet potatoes with different skin colors. By Pdemchick - Own work |
Moist-fleshed convert more of their starch to sugars during cooking, becoming softer and sweeter than the dry-fleshed types.
Although the soft, orange sweet potato is often called a "yam" in parts of North America, the sweet potato is botanically very distinct from a genuine yam (Dioscorea), which is an entirely different plant species, grown only in tropical climates.
Sweet potatoes are high in nutrients, especially vitamins A and C.
Unlike other potatoes, sweet potatoes like long, hot growing seasons.
Sweet potatoes are recognized as the state vegetable of North Carolina, where 1.2 billion pounds a year are produced.
National Cook A Sweet Potato Day is celebrated on February 22nd each year.
Source Msue
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