A common misconception is that sweet potatoes and yams are the same thing. It is very amusing when it causes a polite disagreement at the supper table which then degrades to a slightly louder and less polite dissent, followed by an all out food fight. (I do recommend that at these times, just sit back in your chair and watch, never ever get involved, always record the evidence)

So talking to a friend about food, naturally, her mother says “pass the yams” to a sibling. The sibling, a teacher, politely dissents that the bowl of mashed orange stuff on the table are in fact sweet potato. The conversation rapidly degrades into name calling and eventually flung “yam”.

So. What IS the difference, and why is everyone so very confused?

Way back in the day, before your grandparents were “young”, farmers and produce peddlers had the original, white fleshed, harder sweet potato. Then some brilliant person introduced the now popular brown skinned, orange coloured, sweet tasting and soft, sweet potato. They felt that this would be very confusing for the consumer and the cultivator alike and wanted to make it easy to tell the two apart. So the name Yam was adopted due to the similarities.

In my research no one ever identified who “they” were that decided these things, nor do I understand how anyone thought that there was any form of similarity between the yam and popular orange sweet potato. Also, no one thought that eventually someone would start to bring produce into the markets from other places, like the yam from its native home in Africa, and try to sell it?

The sweet potato you would see in a supermarket		Yam, shaggy, long, and not orange
Characteristics: Sweet Potato Comes in a couple varieties, colours and firmnesses. Colours range from white to purple Can be firm and starchy or soft and almost creamy when cooked Lower in calories and glycemic load (especially the orange variety) Usually has thin, brown, rough skin with tapered ends Relative of the Morning Glory flower		Characteristics: Yam Long and can grow very large Has rounded ends Shaggy skin with whitish–yellow flesh Starchy and dry when cooked High in vitamin C Related to the Lilly and some grasses

So there you have it folks. The reason that sweet potatoes and yams are confused, and how to tell the difference between them, and even a way to make a stuffy family dinner more entertaining. But wait! Recipe blog! Hello! Here is a great recipe for Sweet Potatoes on the grill.

Sweet Potato Packets
with Fennel and Feta

METHOD

1. Wash, peel and cut your sweet potato into wedges. Slice up your fennel bulb.
2. Preheat your grill to medium.
3. Toss your sweet potato and fennel onto the center of a double layer of tin foil, then bring the sides of the foil up to make a sort of bowl so that you can safely pour the 1 tsp. of both the orange juice and the olive oil inside, then  mix thoroughly. Pull the loose ends of the foil together, pinching and folding them to create a packet. If you have too much to fit in one packet, divide the mix in half and make two. (or more)
4. Put your packets on the grill, close the lid and let them bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until, when tested with a fork, they are soft.
5. Meanwhile whisk together the remaining orange juice, oil, with the vinegar, honey, parsley, and walnuts.
6. When the potato is ready, carefully open the packet (still on the grill) and pour the dressing over top, along with most of the feta cheese. Allow the dressing and feta to warm, about 5 minutes, and then serve with the remaining feta crumbled over top.

Happy Grilling!