What Is The Sweetest Sweet Potato?

Sweet potatoes are tubers native to South America that are present in cuisines all around the world. Although they have a similar background and appearance as regular potatoes, the two are only distantly related. In this post, I’ll tell you all you need to know about the most common sweet potato varieties! Beauregard sweet potatoes are the most common variety in the U.S.

1. If you see potatoes labeled only “sweet potatoes,” they are likely Beauregards.
2. These potatoes have dark reddish-purple skin and deep orange flesh and tend to be quite large.
3. They are the sweetest orange sweet potato on this list and are plenty juicy, making them a great all-purpose sweet potato.
4. Like Beauregards, Jewel sweet potatoes are v popular in the U.S.

Jewels have smoother, lighter copper skin and are slightly less sweet than Beauregards. They have the same juicy, bright orange interior and will work well in any recipe calling for orange sweet potatoes. After Beauregards and Jewels, Garnet sweet potatoes are the third most popular sweet potato in U.S.

1. Grocery stores.
2. You can easily identify these potatoes by their reddish-purple skin and orange flesh.
3. They are less sweet than both Beauregards and Jewels but noticeably juicier.
4. This moisture makes Garnets perfect for baked goods and mashing and less well suited for salad or soups.
5. Unlike the orange sweet potatoes above, Hannah sweet potatoes have light tan skin and a white interior.

They are also denser, drier and less sweet than the previous potatoes, with a texture similar to Yukon Gold potatoes. These characteristics make Hannahs perfect for roasting in chunks, adding to soups and salad or making fries! Satsuma-Imo have similar reddish-purple skin to Garnets but have a light yellow interior.

1. Their dry, russet potato-like flesh is incredibly sweet and more starchy than other sweet potatoes.
2. They taste amazing simply roasted or sauteed.
3. Since their texture differs from other sweet potatoes, they don’t work well as an orange sweet potato replacement in most recipes.
4. Okinawan sweet potatoes have whiteish-purple skin and bright purple interiors.

They are only mildly sweet and have a dry, starchy texture similar to Satsuma-Imo. Okinawan sweet potatoes are known for their incredible antioxidant benefits. Eat to your heart’s content after slowly roasting, simmering or adding to soups or stews! Stokes purple sweet potatoes are another variety of (you guessed it) purple sweet potatoes.

Which color sweet potato is sweetest?

What does purple sweet potato taste like? – The purple-fleshed sweet potato has a slightly sweeter flavour than the regular variety. However you can use it in all the same ways you use regular sweet potatoes – it just adds that extra pop of colour!

Which is sweeter yams or sweet potatoes?

Yam vs. Sweetpotato: – A true yam is a starchy edible root of the Dioscorea genus, and is generally imported to America from Africa. It is rough and scaly and very low in beta carotene. Depending on the variety, sweetpotato flesh can vary from white to orange and even purple.

1. The orange-fleshed variety was introduced to the United States several decades ago.
2. In order to distinguish it from the white variety everyone was accustomed to, producers and shippers chose the English form of the African word “nyami” and labeled them “yams.” Today the U.S.
3. Department of Agriculture requires labels with the term ‘yam’ to be accompanied by the term ‘sweetpotato.’ Despite the label regulations, most people still think of sweetpotatoes as yams regardless of their true identity.

Think you know the differences between yams and sweetpotatoes? Take our quiz and test your root knowledge! Taste Sweetpotatoes are almost always sweeter than yams. They have versatile flavor easily altered by cooking methods. Starchier and more potato-like, usually not very sweet.

Rose color skin with orange fleshPale copper/tan skin with white fleshRed skin, dry white fleshPurple skin and flesh

All are more slender in appearance than a potato and have tapered ends; however each of these does have a different flavor profile. Varies considerably. Some yams are the size and shape of small potatoes; others can grow up to 1.5m (5ft) in length and weigh over 100lbs (70kg).

Skins may be dark brown or light pink; insides white, yellow, purple, or pink. Nutrition Very nutritious. Has more sugar, protein, calcium, iron, sodium, vitamin A, beta-carotene, and water than yams do. Very nutritious. Has more fat, carbs, fiber, potassium, vitamin C, vitamin B6, and vitamin E than sweetpotatoes do.

Production In the U.S., over 50% of the country’s sweetpotatoes are grown in North Carolina. Today, yams are grown around the world, but West Africa is still where most yam crops — nearly 95% — are grown.

Which is better garnet or jewel sweet potato?

By the editors of Cook’s Illustrated –

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Not all sweet potatoes are alike—they vary in texture and taste, for starters. Sweet potatoes are a great alternative to traditional potatoes, especially around the holidays. Their sweet, nutty flavor and beautiful orange color add a luscious touch to a big spread.

1. But are all varieties the same? No, far from it.
2. Many grocery stores carry three varieties of sweet potatoes: Beauregards, Jewels, and Red Garnets.
3. To see if we could detect any differences among the three, we tasted them in a simple mash as well as in a recipe for sweet potato biscuits.
4. Beauregards, the most common variety, made great biscuits—buttery-sweet and fluffy—and were tasty, albeit one-dimensionally sweet, as a plain mash.

The flesh of the Jewels was less sweet than the Beauregards but with an equally firm texture. Red Garnets, decidedly more savory than the others, had an earthiness that tasters appreciated in the mash. Their loose, watery texture, however, made the biscuits slightly gummy.

Which sweet potato is healthiest?

Sweet Potatoes and Health –

• Sweet potatoes with orange flesh are richest in beta-carotene. Sweet potatoes with purple flesh are richer in anthocyanins. Beta-carotene and anthocyanins are naturally occurring plant “phyto” chemicals that give vegetables their bright colors. These phytochemicals are researched for their potential role in human health and disease prevention.
• If swapping sweet potatoes for white potatoes, you’ll still want to go easy on the portions: Though sweet potatoes are a rich source of beta carotene, they have a high glycemic index and glycemic load —almost as high as that of a white potato. Most people don’t eat sweet potatoes in the same over-sized quantities as they do white potatoes, which is perhaps why research studies haven’t found sweet potatoes to be a major culprit for weight gain and diabetes,

How can you tell if a sweet potato is sweet?

Selecting Sweet Potatoes – There are two main types of sweet potatoes available in U.S. supermarkets: the Jewel, which has orange skin and orange flesh, and the Red Garnet, which has a darker red skin and also orange flesh. These two are what are most commonly used in preparing traditional sweet potato dishes.

1. Other varieties feature tan or purple skin and tend to be starchier and less sweet.
2. They have whiter flesh and tend to cook up a lot like ordinary Russet potatoes.
3. One specimen you’re not likely to see in the typical produce department is a true yam, which is a long, pale tuber with skin that resembles tree bark, and which is not even related to the sweet potato.

The confusion stems from the fact that some growers use the word “yam” to describe their sweet potatoes, even though they are not that vegetable at all. If you see a tuber with orange flesh, it’s a sweet potato, regardless of how it’s been labeled. When buying sweet potatoes, look for small to medium sized ones that are firm and smooth with no cuts or cracks.

Does baking sweet potatoes make them sweeter?

Why Are Sweet Potatoes Sweet? – When you heat a sweet potato, an enzyme starts breaking down it’s starch into a sugar called maltose. Maltose is made up of two glucose molecules bound together, and tastes about a third as sweet as regular table sugar, also known as sucrose.

Are yams and sweet potatoes the same thing?

Sweet Potatoes, often called ‘yams’, are a dicot (a plant having two embryonic seed leaves) and are from the Convolvulacea or morning glory family.

What are the two types of sweet potatoes?

Among the numerous varieties of sweet potatoes grown in the U.S., there are two major types. Firm sweet potatoes, which have golden skin and paler flesh. Soft sweet potatoes, which have copper skin and orange flesh.