There Will be No Yams for Thanksgiving This Year

Well, we’re a few weeks away from Thanksgiving, and if you think you’re going to be eating candied yams this year, think again. We can’t say definitively, but chances are there are no yams to be had in west Texas. Sorry to burst your bubble on that.

On the upside, there are bins and bins of sweet potatoes in neighborhood supermarkets, and you’ll probably find that those “yams” you’ve been eating all these years appear curiously identical to the sweet potatoes in your grocer’s produce section.

The confusion of the two is generally supposed to stem from the days of slavery, when enslaved individuals identified sweet potatoes as the African “nyami”. An article on the Straight Dope website explains the difference between the two vegetables:

Contrary to what even some grocery store produce guys think, yams and sweet potatoes are unrelated vegetables, though in both cases you're eating the root of a tropical vine. Sweet potatoes, Ipomoea batatas ("batata" is the original Taino name, whence potato), are an American plant of the morning glory family, whereas yams are of the genus Dioscorea. Yams, which are rarely seen in the U.S. and Canada but are a staple in tropical regions, can grow up to seven feet in length.

Yams and sweet potatoes look similar, if only a bit different in color, thus adding to the Thanksgiving side dish misnomer. The vegetable, which isn’t even actually considered a potato, has numerous health benefits, including being a rich source of vitamins A, C, B6 and D, as well as iron, fiber and magnesium.

The vegetable is hailed as one of the healthiest on earth, and is said to help prevent diabetes, heart attack, stroke, Alzheimer’s and even cancer. Despite the benefits nutritionists warn that when ordering your starchy sides, the word “sweet potato” is not enough to guarantee a healthier option.

Sweet potato fries are popping up on the menus of numerous restaurants, and many patrons assume they’re a healthy alternative to traditional French fries. However, the cooking method is the most important thing to consider. Should the fries be cooked in that seem oil as their white counterparts, chances are the healthy advantage is slim to none.

As with any recipe, it is suggested that sweet potato fries be baked or roasted if you’re seeking a real healthier alternative to regular tubers, and a number of recipes are available online to add some spice and variety. As for those “candied yams,” well, no one really thought that pile of orange mush dripping with butter, sugar and marshmallows was really healthy, did they?