When you go to the store to buy a yam, or a sweet potato, the confusion is real. Some people call the orange beloved tuber that you love so much a yam, and others call it a sweet potato. What is the difference?
The truth be told that a true yam has a starchy and chalky texture on the inside with a rough and scaly peel on the outside that doesn’t contain the beta carotene that is so healthfully desired. Sweet potatoes were originally imported from the Caribbean many years ago and were named a yam from the African word “nyami” which translates to yam in English. For this reason, s sweet potato is only called a yam because of the regulations imposed by US Department of Agriculture from back in the day. That is the true reason on why sweet potatoes are labeled as yams when they are really should be identified simply as a sweet potato.
We eat sweet potatoes in my house all the time and I will be adding sweet potato recipes from time to time. They have wonderful health benefits with less calories and carbohydrates that normal russet or Yukon gold potatoes, so that is why we choose sweet potatoes more often. Here is a recipe for Beef Stew with Sweet Potatoes that is a true comfort food for winter. Enjoy! 
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