There are many people who wonder what is the difference between sweet potato and sweet potatoSince there are so many varieties, the taste of one and the other can vary a lot. So of course, it is not surprising that each of them is thought to belong to a different species.
So if you also have this question and would like me to solve it, in this article I will reveal the mystery to you .
What difference there are?
The answer is… no. Both the sweet potato and the sweet potato are two of the many other common names for the Ipomoea batatas species plant. What happens is that each people, each country, calls plant beings in a way, something that is completely normal because each one of them has its own history, its own language or dialect, its own customs and others.
But this is a problem when studying plant beings, since common or popular names tend to create a lot of confusion. That is why scientific names were invented. These are universal, so anyone in any part of the world who wants to find information about a plant in question will only have to know its scientific name to find what they are looking for.
How is the sweet potato or sweet potato?
The morning glory potatoes it is a perennial climbing plant native to South America and Central America. In Latin American countries such as Venezuela and Colombia, it is better known as sweet potato or chaco (the name varies by region). It develops thin and herbaceous stems, with roots at the nodes. The leaves are whole or toothed, about 5-10cm long and wide, glabrous or pubescent. The flowers are grouped in cyymos to cymosy-umbellate inflorescences of white-pink color with a lilac center. The fruit is ovoid, measures 4-5cm long and wide, and inside we will find round seeds 3-4mm long.
Sweet potato characteristics
What we know as a sweet potato is actually a tuber, which has been cultivated for many years in the history of mankind. A curious aspect of sweet potatoes is that they will not always have the same shape or color. In other words, the sweet potatoes grown in Europe will not be the same as those grown in Latin America and this is possibly the problem of the great confusion that we mentioned in the opening paragraphs.
So that you understand it better, there is no single class of sweet potatoes but there are a variety of them. For this reason, you can find white or yellow sweet potatoes, even orange sweet potatoes since they are variations of it. And what is more, this variation in its pigmentation can be seen both in the meat of the tuber and in its skin.
Regarding its texture and flavor, we can say that cooked it has a sweet taste and that it tends to be confused or somewhat difficult to identify, since its flavor looks like a mix between pumpkin and potato.
Sweet potato identification is highly dependent on your knowledge of it. That is, if you do not know what the sweet potato itself is like, you will not be able to know what tuber you are buying or eating and for this, you need to know its characteristics.
We have already mentioned the main ones, such as their color, texture and flavor. But beyond that, there are some nutritional characteristics that you should also know. Some of them are:
- It only has about 3% sugars, which is a fairly low level considering that it has a sweet taste.
- The name that has been given comes from the Greek meaning “similar to the potato.” A super useful fact since potato and sweet potato are different tubers.
- It does not contain a trace of cholesterol and its fat percentage is 0%.
- Regarding the caloric value, it has just over 90 calories for every 100 grams of sweet potato consumed.
- Among the nutrients that the sweet potato has, the most important is vitamin C. The daily intake of sweet potato implies an increase in vitamin C levels by 70%, this translates to twice the nutrients that the potato offers.
- Both the tuber (sweet potato) and the leaves of the plant itself are edible, as well as the shoots and stems. As for the latter, some claim that the flavor is similar to that of spinach.
- This last characteristic is perhaps the most remarkable, since the edible part of the plant (leaves, bud and stems) is called sweet potato.
So if you hear someone say that they are different things, they are right, but know that they are talking about the same plant.
Types of sweet potatoes
There are more than 400 varietiesthe most common being the following:
- Californian, red meat
- Violet, with smooth violet skin and pink flesh
- Georgia, orange meat
- Eland, reddish-yellow flesh
- Centennial, reddish flesh
- Jasper, reddish flesh
- Red
- Rose of Malaga
It does not resist cold or frostso that in temperate regions it is grown as an annual. And if those are the most common, there are others that we want you to know as well:
Yellow sweet potato
It is also known as orange sweet potato, since its bark is yellow, while the inside of the tuber is orange. Of all the options on this list, it is considered the sweetest and the one with the highest sales worldwide.
Purple sweet potato
The name is due to the purple hue that can be seen both internally and externally in the tuber. Its cultivation and sale is popular in countries such as China and Mexico, although China is the one that has the largest production of purple sweet potato to date.
White Sweet Potato
This tends to be confused with the potato as it has similar characteristics. However, it can be differentiated thanks to the fact that has a slightly fainter yellow color than potatoes and on a nutritional level, it is rich in starch.
Red Sweet Potato
Here we enter a field where sweet potato or sweet potato is rare, mainly in Spanish-speaking countries. However, it has enormous popularity in Japan since it is the main country that is responsible for its cultivation and production.
It is worth mentioning that the flavor of this sweet potato is sweet and the skin has reddish tones. On the other hand, once the interior is seen, it can be noticed that its color is a creamy shade between yellow and orange.
Hill sweet potato
You have to know that this sweet potato it is completely white on the inside and the skin has shades similar to wood. It is widely consumed in Mexico as well as in much of the Caribbean and Central American countries.
Wild sweet potato
This is another of the few cases that falls into the same condition as the sweet potato from the hill. Wild sweet potatoes do not belong to the sweet potato family. It’s more of a yam variation It tends to grow wild in North America, Much of the Caribbean, and South America.
In terms of appearance, it is quite similar to any other yam except that the skin is dark brown and the flesh is completely white. It can be consumed like any other sweet potato but it has an additional use which is to deal with certain health conditions.
Some nutritional properties of sweet potato or sweet potato
It has already become quite clear how nutritious it is to consume sweet potato or sweet potato. Depending on your tastes and needs, you can either consume the tuber itself or certain parts of the plant. Either way, you will be taking advantage of a great variety of nutrients such as:
- You’ll get just over 100 calories for every 130 grams of sweet potato.
- You will only consume just under 0.1 grams for the same serving.
- You will not consume any cholesterol.
- It contains about 73 mg of sodium and 448 mg of potassium.
- Contains almost 30 grams of carbohydrates.
- Contains 4 g of dietary fiber
- Sugar levels are extremely low.
- You will have iron, calcium, magnesium and vitamin B-6
- Rich source of vitamin A and C.
In short, you have everything you need to be healthy. Of course, by itself it does not meet the nutritional value of a standard person, but if you combine it with other foods, your health will be improved.
Reasons and benefits of consuming sweet potato
Now in case you wonder what is the importance or benefits of consuming sweet potato or sweet potatohere we will offer you some before saying goodbye.
- Perfect for dealing with constipation thanks to its high fiber content.
- It can help to lose weight or give a person a gain at the muscular level.
- Perfect for those who play sports and require a natural energy generator.
- Helps improve digestion.
- Strengthens the immune system.
- It is effective in treating asthma and bronchitis.
The benefits are numerous and the reasons abound. So you should go buy sweet potatoes right now and start eating them.
If you want to know how to grow sweet potatoes, Click here.
