SWEET POTATOES
VS. YAMS

Let’s clear up the confusion! We’re willing to bet you’ve heard the beloved sweet potato referenced as a “yam” before, but at Bako Sweet®, we are all about Living the Sweet Life. 

The confusion surrounding yams and sweet potatoes was sparked by a marketing campaign launched by a few sweet potato growers in Louisiana who set out to make their crops stand out by referring to them as “yams.” Despite the common mix-up among the many fans of the popular root veg, sweet potatoes and yams are very different, from physical appearance down to taste and history. Read on to discover the true sweet potato difference.
Sweet potato versus yam growing regions.

WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE THEY GROWN?

Sweet potatoes are grown in California and North Carolina, yams are grown in Africa and Asia.

Sliced orange sweet potato.

SWEET POTATOES

  • Sweet potatoes are what most Americans mean when they say “yams.”

  • The traditional sweet potato has smooth, orange skin. The skin itself is much thinner than a yam and tastes delicious when cooked. (This is the sweet potato most people confuse with a yam!)

  • Sweet potatoes can be fat and short or thin and long, but they always taper at the end.

  • Sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) originate from the morning glory family, which is a type of vine that grows beautiful flowers.

Sweet potato flower.
Sliced Yam

YAMS

  • Yams have fibrous, bumpy skin which looks a lot like tree bark. The skin of the yam is so thick that it often requires a knife to cut it away.

  • The inside of yams are white and starchy and do not taste very sweet unless cooked a certain way.

  • Yams (Dioscorea alata) come from the Dioscoreaceae family, which are known for tuberous plants.

  • Yams are not often sold in the U.S., but when they are, they are typically offered in chunks wrapped in plastic wrap.

  • Unlike sweet potatoes, yams can grow to over 150 pounds.

Image of Africa and yams.

There are multiple sweet potato varieties, explore all their sweetness!