When Only Homegrown Sweet Potatoes Will Do
By Nicole Taylor
The New York Times
Sweet potatoes are the humble man’s currency. They don’t need a thing to dazzle, their slightly crumpled skins pull away easily, revealing tender flesh, hot out of the roasting pan.
Although yams and sweet potatoes are interchangeable to many Americans, yams belong to another plant group; most African diaspora yams are large, with fibrous skin and pale white flesh. (During the 1930s, the U.S. Department of Agriculture allowed Louisiana farmers to market the Puerto Rican sweet potato variety as yams, according to Ms. McGreger’s book.)