What is the difference between a sweet potato and a yam?

Answer by  Fulkron (79)

In most parts of the world, "sweet potato" and "yam" are two different names for the same sweet, orange-colored tuber. There is a plant native to Africa called a yam (which eventually lent it's name to the sweet potato), but those are very large and white in color.

Answer by  lolson39 (206)

The sweet potato and yam look and taste very similar. Both are widely available in supermarkets and shoppers view them as interchangeable vegetables. However, the sweet potato is sweeter than the yam.

Answer by  Roland27 (16334)

Nothing. They are the exact same thing. Most of the time you will find these orange colored potatoes in the store as a Yam. They come into season around Thanksgiving and stick around until after Christmas but you can find them in the canned good section year round. What people call them seems to vary from Region to Region.

Answer by  pieface (273)

Yams are monocot (one embryonic seed leaf), they are starchier and drier then sweet potatoes and are usually grown in Africa. Sweet Potatoes are dicot (two embryonic seed leaves).