Yams - question(s)

[Anonymous]

Are yams the same as sweet potatoes?

I bought a bunch of yams at Safeway since they were on sale, but then when I got home I realized that all my recipes (sweet potato bread/casserole/pie) were for sweet potatoes. Are yams and sweet potatoes interchangable?

Also, are you suppose to eat the skin too? Or is it like a baked potato where you peel it and just use/eat the inside?

[Anonymous]

What's labeled as Yams in most grocery stores (probably not in international markets) are really sweet potatoes. Are they orange inside?
http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/sweetpotato.html


I think the peels are tougher than regular potatoes. I do eat the peel of regular potatoes--lots of nutrients there. But not sweet potatoes.

[Anonymous]

OP here,
Thanks.

Yes, it's orange inside.

[Anonymous]

Lots of nutrients in the peel and just under the peel of sweet potatoes and yams - I eat them all and love them - great with a little butter and cinammon.

[Anonymous]

http://homecooking.about.com/od/howtocookvegetables/a/sweetpotatodiff.htm