Thesweet potato orsweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas) is adicotyledonous plant that belongs to thebindweed or morning glory family,Convolvulaceae. Its large,starchy, sweet-tastingtuberous roots are used as aroot vegetable.[3][4] The young shoots and leaves are sometimes eaten asgreens.Cultivars of the sweet potato have been bred to bear tubers with flesh and skin of various colors. Sweet potato is only distantly related to the commonpotato (Solanum tuberosum), both being in the orderSolanales. Although darker sweet potatoes are often referred to as "yams" in parts of North America, the species is even more distant from thetrue yams, which aremonocots in the orderDioscoreales.[5]
The sweet potato isnative to the tropical regions of South America in what is present-dayEcuador.[6][7] Of the approximately 50genera and more than 1,000 species of Convolvulaceae,I. batatas is the only crop plant of major importance—some others are used locally (e.g.,I. aquatica "kangkong" as a green vegetable), but many are poisonous. The genusIpomoea that contains the sweet potato also includes several garden flowers calledmorning glories, but that term is not usually extended toI. batatas. Somecultivars ofI. batatas are grown asornamental plants under the nametuberous morning glory, and used in a horticultural context. Sweet potatoes can also be called yams in North America. When soft varieties were first grown commercially there, there was a need to differentiate between the two. Enslaved Africans had already been calling the 'soft' sweet potatoes 'yams' because they resembled the unrelated yams in Africa.[8] Thus, 'soft' sweet potatoes were referred to as 'yams' to distinguish them from the 'firm' varieties.
The flowers, buds, and leaves of the sweet potato, which resemble those of themorning glorySeeds
The plant is aherbaceousperennialvine, bearing alternate triangle-shaped or palmately lobedleaves and medium-sizedsympetalousflowers. The stems are usually crawling on the ground and formadventitious roots at thenodes. The leaves are screwed along the stems. Theleaf stalk is 13 to 51 centimetres (5 to 20 inches) long. The leaf blades are very variable, 5 to 13 cm (2 to 5 in) long, the shape is heart-, kidney- to egg-shaped, rounded or triangular and spear-shaped, the edge can be entire, toothed or often three to seven times lobed, cut or divided. Most of the leaf surfaces are bare, rarely hairy, and the tip is rounded to pointed. The leaves are mostly green in color, but the accumulation ofanthocyanins, especially along the leaf veins, can make them purple. Depending on the variety, the total length of a stem can be between 0.5 and 4 metres (1+1⁄2 and 13 feet). Some cultivars also formshoots up to 16 m (52 ft) in length. However, these do not form underground storage organs.[citation needed]
Thehermaphrodite, five-fold and short-stalked flowers are single or few in stalked, zymous inflorescences that arise from the leaf axils and stand upright. It produces flowers when theday is short. The smallsepals are elongated and tapering to a point and spiky and (rarely only 7)10 to 15 millimetres (3⁄8 to5⁄8 in) long, usually finely haired orciliate. The inner three are a little longer. The4 to 7 cm (1+1⁄2 to2+3⁄4 in) long, overgrown and funnel-shaped, folded crown, with a shorter hem, can be lavender to purple-lavender in color, the throat is usually darker in color, but whitecrowns can also appear. The enclosed stamens are of unequal length with glandular filaments. The two-chamber ovary is upper constant with a relatively short stylus.[citation needed] Seeds are only produced from cross-pollination.[9]
The flowers open before sunrise and stay open for a few hours. They close again in the morning and begin to wither. The edibletuberous root is long and tapered, with a smooth skin whose color ranges between yellow, orange, red, brown, purple, and beige. Its flesh ranges from beige through white, red, pink, violet, yellow, orange, and purple. Sweet potatocultivars with white or pale yellow flesh are less sweet and moist than those with red, pink or orange flesh.[10]
Roots of the Taizhong6 cultivar compared to those of its two closest wild relatives:I. trifida andI. triloba[11]
The sweet potatooriginates in South America in what is present-dayEcuador.[6][7] The domestication of sweet potato occurred in eitherCentral or South America.[12] In Central America, domesticated sweet potatoes were present at least 5,000 years ago,[13] with the origin ofI. batatas possibly between theYucatán Peninsula of Mexico and the mouth of theOrinoco River inVenezuela.[14] Thecultigen was most likely spread by local people to theCaribbean and South America by 2500 BCE.[15]
I. trifida, adiploid, is the closest wild relative of the sweet potato, which originated with an initial cross between atetraploid and another diploid parent, followed by a second completegenome duplication event.[16] The oldestradiocarbon dating remains of the sweet potato known today were discovered in caves from the Chilca Canyon, in the south-central zone ofPeru, and yield an age of 8080 ± 170 BC.[17][18]
Thegenome of cultivated sweet potatoes contains sequences ofDNA fromAgrobacterium (sensu lato; specifically, one related toRhizobium rhizogenes), with genes actively expressed by the plants.[19] The T-DNAtransgenes were not observed in closely related wild relatives of the sweet potato.[19] Studies indicated that the sweet potato genomeevolved overmillennia, with eventual domestication of the crop taking advantage of natural genetic modifications.[19] These observations make sweet potatoes the first known example of a naturally transgenic food crop.[19][20][21][22]: 141 [23][24]
Before the arrival of Europeans to the Americas, sweet potato was grown inPolynesia, generally spread by vine cuttings rather than by seeds.[25] Sweet potato has beenradiocarbon-dated in theCook Islands to 1210–1400 CE.[26] A common hypothesis is that a vine cutting wasbrought to central Polynesia byPolynesians who had traveled to South America and back, and spread from there across Polynesia to Easter Island, Hawaii and New Zealand.[27][28] Genetic similarities have been found between Polynesian peoples and indigenous Americans including theZenú, a people inhabiting the Pacific coast of present-dayColombia, indicating that Polynesians could have visited South America and taken sweet potatoes prior to European contact.[29] Dutch linguists and specialists inAmerindian languagesWillem Adelaar and Pieter Muysken have suggested that the word for sweet potato is shared by Polynesian languages and languages of South America:Proto-Polynesian *kumala[30] (compareRapa Nuikumara,Hawaiianʻuala,Māorikūmara) may be connected withQuechua andAymarak'umar ~k'umara. Adelaar and Muysken assert that the similarity in the word for sweet potato is proof of either incidental contact or sporadic contact between the CentralAndes and Polynesia.[31]
Some researchers, citing divergence time estimates, suggest that sweet potatoes might have been present in Polynesia thousands of years before humans arrived there.[32][33] However, the present scholarly consensus favours the pre-Columbian contact model.[34][35]
Sweet potatoes were first introduced to thePhilippines during theSpanish colonial period (1521–1898) via theManila galleons, along with otherNew World crops.[38] It was introduced to theFujian of China in about 1594 fromLuzon, in response to a major crop failure. The growing of sweet potatoes was encouraged by the Governor Chin Hsüeh-tseng (Jin Xuezeng).[39]
Sweet potatoes were also introduced to theRyukyu Kingdom, present-dayOkinawa, Japan, in the early 1600s by thePortuguese.[40][41][42] Sweet potatoes became a staple in Japan because they were important in preventing famine when rice harvests were poor.[42][43]Aoki Konyō helped popularize the cultivation of the sweet potato in Japan, and theTokugawa bakufu sponsored, published, and disseminated a vernacular Japanese translation of his research monograph on sweet potatoes to encourage their growth more broadly.[44] Sweet potatoes were planted in ShōgunTokugawa Yoshimune's private garden.[45] It was first introduced toKorea in 1764.[46] Kang P'il-ri and Yi Kwang-ryŏ embarked on a project to grow sweet potatoes inSeoul in 1766, using the knowledge of Japanese cultivators they learned inTongnae starting in 1764. The project succeeded for a year but ultimately failed in winter 1767 after Kang's unexpected death.[47]
Although the soft, orange sweet potato is often called a "yam" in parts of North America, the sweet potato is very distinct from the botanicalyam (Dioscorea), which has a cosmopolitan distribution,[48] and belongs to themonocot familyDioscoreaceae. A different crop plant, theoca (Oxalis tuberosa, a species of wood sorrel), is called a "yam" in many parts of the world.[49]
Although the sweet potato is not closely related botanically to the common potato, they have a shared etymology. The first Europeans to taste sweet potatoes were members ofChristopher Columbus's expedition in 1492. Later explorers found many cultivars under an assortment of local names, but the name which stayed was the indigenousTaíno name ofbatata. The Spanish combined this with theQuechua word for potato,papa, to create the wordpatata for the common potato.[50]
Though the sweet potato is also calledbatata (בטטה) inHebrew, this is not a direct loan of the Taíno word. Rather, the Spanishpatata was loaned intoArabic asbatata (بطاطا), owing to the lack of a/p/ sound in Arabic, while the sweet potato was calledbatata ḥilwa (بطاطا حلوة); literally ('sweet potato'). The Arabicbatata was loaned into Hebrew as designating the sweet potato only, as Hebrew had its own word for the common potato,תפוח אדמה (tapuakh adama, literally 'earth apple'; compare Frenchpomme de terre).
Some organizations and researchers advocate for the styling of the name as one word—sweetpotato—instead of two, to emphasize the plant's genetic uniqueness from both common potatoes and yams and to avoid confusion of it being classified as a type of common potato.[51][52][53] In its current usage inAmerican English, the styling of the name as two words is still preferred.[54]
InArgentina,Colombia,Venezuela,Puerto Rico, and theDominican Republic, the sweet potato is calledbatata. In Brazil, the sweet potato is calledbatata doce. In Mexico,Bolivia,Peru, Chile, Central America, and thePhilippines, the sweet potato is known ascamote (alternatively spelledkamote in the Philippines), derived from theNahuatl wordcamotli.[55][56]In Peru andBolivia, the general word in Quechua for the sweet potato isapichu, but there are variants used such askhumara,kumar (Ayacucho Quechua), andkumara (Bolivian Quechua),[57] strikingly similar to the Polynesian namekumara and its regional Oceanic cognates (kumala,umala,ʻuala, etc.[58]), which has led some scholars to suspect an instance ofpre-Columbian trans-oceanic contact.[59] This theory is also supported by genetic evidence.[60]
In New Zealand, theMāori varieties bore elongated tubers with white skin and a whitish flesh,[65] which points to pre-European cross-Pacific travel.[66] Known askumara (from theMāori languagekūmara), the most common cultivar now is the red 'Owairaka', but orange ('Beauregard'), gold, purple and other cultivars are also grown.[67][68]
The plant does not toleratefrost. It grows best at an average temperature of 24 °C (75 °F), with abundant sunshine and warm nights. Annual rainfalls of 750–1,000 mm (30–39 in) are considered most suitable, with a minimum of 500 mm (20 in) in the growing season. The crop is sensitive to drought at the tuber initiation stage 50–60 days after planting, and it is not tolerant to waterlogging, which may cause tuber rots and reduce the growth of storage roots if aeration is poor.[69]
Depending on the cultivar and conditions, tuberous roots mature in two to nine months. With care, early-maturing cultivars can be grown as anannual summer crop in warmtemperate areas, such as the Eastern United States and China. Sweet potatoes rarelyflower when the daylight is longer than 11 hours, as is normal outside of the tropics. They are mostly propagated by stem or root cuttings or by adventitious shoots called "slips" that grow out from the tuberous roots during storage. True seeds are used for breeding only.[9]
They grow well in many farming conditions and have few natural enemies; pesticides are rarely needed. Sweet potatoes are grown on a variety of soils, but well-drained, light- and medium-textured soils with a pH range of 4.5–7.0 are more favorable for the plant.[4] They can be grown in poor soils with little fertilizer. However, sweet potatoes are very sensitive to aluminium toxicity and will die about six weeks after planting iflime is not applied at planting in this type of soil.[4] As they are sown by vine cuttings rather than seeds, sweet potatoes are relatively easy to plant. As the rapidly growing vines shade out weeds, little weeding is needed. A commonly used herbicide to rid the soil of any unwelcome plants that may interfere with growth isDCPA, also known as Dacthal. In the tropics, the crop can be maintained in the ground and harvested as needed for market or home consumption. In temperate regions, sweet potatoes are most often grown on larger farms and are harvested before first frosts.[citation needed]
Sweet potatoes are cultivated throughout tropical and warm temperate regions wherever there is sufficient water to support their growth.[70] Sweet potatoes became common as a food crop in the islands of the Pacific Ocean, South India,Uganda and other African countries.[71]
Acultivar of the sweet potato called theboniato is grown in theCaribbean; its flesh is cream-colored, unlike the more common orange hue seen in other cultivars.Boniatos are not as sweet and moist as other sweet potatoes, but their consistency and delicate flavor are different from the common orange-colored sweet potato.[citation needed]
Sweet potatoes have been a part of the diet in the U.S. for most of its history, especially in the Southeast. The average per capita consumption of sweet potatoes in the United States is only about 1.5–2 kg (3.3–4.4 lb) per year, down from 13 kg (29 lb) in 1920. "Orange sweet potatoes (the most common type encountered in the US) received higher appearance liking scores compared with yellow or purple cultivars."[73] Purple and yellow sweet potatoes were not as well liked by consumers compared to orange sweet potatoes "possibly because of the familiarity of orange color that is associated with sweet potatoes."[73]
In the Southeastern U.S., sweet potatoes are traditionallycured to improvestorage, flavor, and nutrition, and to allow wounds on the periderm of the harvested root to heal.[74] Proper curing requires drying the freshly dug roots on the ground for two to three hours, then storage at 29–32 °C (85–90 °F) with 90 to 95%relative humidity from five to fourteen days. Cured sweet potatoes can keep for thirteen months when stored at 13–15 °C (55–59 °F) with >90% relative humidity. Colder temperatures injure the roots.[75][76]
In 2020, global production of sweet potatoes was 89 milliontonnes, led by China with 55% of the world total (table). Secondary producers wereMalawi,Tanzania, andNigeria.[72] It is the fifth most important food crop in developing countries.[77] Studies are being done to develop a salt tolerant variety to combat the effects ofclimate change.[77][78]
Cooked sweet potato (baked in skin) is 76% water, 21%carbohydrates, 2%protein, and contains negligible fat (table). In a 100 gram reference amount, baked sweet potato provides 90calories, and rich contents (20% or more of theDaily Value, DV) ofvitamin A (120% DV),vitamin C (24% DV),manganese (24% DV), andvitamin B6 (20% DV). It is a moderate source (10–19% DV) of someB vitamins andpotassium. Between 50% and 90% of the sugar content issucrose.[83]Maltose content is very low, but baking can increase the maltose content from between 10% and 20%.[83]
Sweet potato cultivars with dark orange flesh have more beta-carotene (converted to a higher vitamin A content once digested) than those with light-colored flesh, and their increased cultivation is being encouraged in Africa where vitamin A deficiency is a serious health problem.[84] Sweet potato leaves are edible and can be prepared likespinach orturnip greens.[85]
The table below presents the relative performance of sweet potato (in column)[G] to otherstaple foods on adry weight basis to account for their different water contents. While sweet potato provides less edible energy and protein per unit weight than cereals, it has higher nutrient density than cereals.[86]
According to a study by the United NationsFood and Agriculture Organization, sweet potatoes are the most efficient staple food to grow in terms of farmland, yielding approximately 70,000kcal per hectare (28,000/acre) / day.[87]
Nutrient content of 10 majorstaple foods per 100 g dry weight[88]
A raw yellow dent corn B raw unenriched long-grain white rice C raw hard red winter wheat D raw potato with flesh and skin E raw cassava F raw green soybeans G raw sweet potato H raw sorghum Y raw yam Z raw plantains /* unofficial
Thestarchy tuberous roots of the sweet potato are by far the most important product of the plant. In some tropical areas, the tubers are astaple food crop. The tuber is often cooked before consumption as this increases its nutrition and digestibility, although the American colonists in theSoutheast ate raw sweet potatoes as a staple food.[89]
The vines' tips and young leaves are edible as agreen vegetable with a characteristic flavor. Older growths may be used as animalfodder.[90]
Amukeke (sun-dried slices of root) andinginyo (sun-dried crushed root) are a staple food for people in northeastern Uganda.[90]Amukeke is mainly served for breakfast, eaten with peanut sauce.Inginyo is mixed with cassava flour andtamarind to makeatapa. People eatatapa with smoked fish cooked in peanut sauce or with driedcowpea leaves cooked in peanut sauce.Emukaru (earth-baked root) is eaten as a snack anytime and is mostly served with tea or with peanut sauce. Similar uses are also found inSouth Sudan.
The young leaves and vine tips of sweet potato leaves are widely consumed as a vegetable in West African countries (Guinea,Sierra Leone andLiberia, for example), as well as in northeastern Uganda, East Africa.[90] According to FAO leaflet No. 13 – 1990, sweet potato leaves and shoots are a good source of vitamins A, C, and B2 (riboflavin), and according to research done by A. Khachatryan, are an excellent source oflutein.
InKenya, Rhoda Nungo of the home economics department of theMinistry of Agriculture has written a guide to using sweet potatoes in modern recipes.[91] This includes uses both in the mashed form and as flour from the dried tubers to replace part of the wheat flour and sugar in baked products such as cakes, chapatis, mandazis, bread, buns and cookies. A nutritious juice drink is made from the orange-fleshed cultivars, and deep-fried snacks are also included.
InEgypt, sweet potato tubers are known asbatata (بطاطا) and are a common street food in winter, when street vendors with carts fitted with ovens sell them to people passing time by theNile or the sea.[92] The cultivars used are an orange-fleshed one as well as a white/cream-fleshed one. They are also baked at home as a snack or dessert, drenched withhoney.
InEthiopia, the commonly found cultivars are black-skinned, cream-fleshed and calledbitatis ormitatis. They are cultivated in the eastern and southern lower highlands and harvested during the rainy season (June/July). In recent years,[when?] better yielding orange-fleshed cultivars were released for cultivation byHaramaya University as a less sugary sweet potato with higher vitamin A content.[93] Sweet potatoes are widely eaten boiled as a favored snack.
In South Africa, sweet potatoes are often eaten as a side dish such assoetpatats.
In East Asia,roasted sweet potatoes are popularstreet food. In China, sweet potatoes, typically yellow cultivars, are baked in a large iron drum and sold as street food during winter. In Korea, sweet potatoes, known asgoguma, are roasted in a drum can, baked in foil or on an open fire, typically during winter. In Japan, a dish similar to the Korean preparation is calledyaki-imo (roasted sweet potato), which typically uses either the yellow-fleshed "Japanese sweet potato" or the purple-fleshed "Okinawan sweet potato", which is known asbeni-imo.
Sweet potato soup, served during winter, consists of sweet potato boiled in water with rock sugar and ginger. InFujian cuisine andTaiwanese cuisine, sweet potato is often cooked with rice to make congee. Steamed and dried sweet potato is a specialty ofLiancheng County. Sweet potato greens are a common side dish in Taiwanese cuisine, often boiled or sautéed and served with a garlic and soy sauce mixture, or simply salted before serving. They, as well as dishes featuring the sweet potato root, are commonly found atbento (Pe̍h-ōe-jī:piān-tong) restaurants. Innortheastern Chinese cuisine, sweet potatoes are often cut into chunks and fried, before being drenched into a pan of boiling syrup.[94]
In some regions of India, sweet potato is roasted slowly over kitchen coals at night and eaten with some dressing, while the easier way in the south is simply boiling orpressure cooking before peeling, cubing and seasoning for a vegetable dish as part of the meal. In the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, it is known assakkara valli kilangu. It is boiled and consumed as evening snack. In some parts of India, fresh sweet potato is chipped, dried and then ground into flour; this is then mixed with wheat flour and baked intochapatti (bread). Between 15 and 20 percent of the sweet potato harvest is converted by some Indian communities into pickles and snack chips. A part of the tuber harvest is used in India as cattle fodder.[10]
InPakistan, sweet potato is known asshakarqandi and is cooked as a vegetable dish and also with meat dishes (chicken,mutton or beef). The ash-roasted sweet potatoes are sold as asnack andstreet food in Pakistanibazaars especially during the winter months.[95]
In Sri Lanka, it is calledbathala, and tubers are used mainly for breakfast (boiled sweet potato is commonly served with sambal or grated coconut) or as a supplementary curry dish for rice.
The tubers of this plant, known askattala inDhivehi, have been used in the traditional diet of theMaldives. The leaves were finely chopped and used in dishes such asmas huni.[96]
In Japan, both sweet potatoes (calledsatsuma-imo) andtrue purple yams (calleddaijo orbeni-imo) are grown. Boiling, roasting and steaming are the most common cooking methods. Also, the use in vegetabletempura is common.Daigaku-imo (ja:大学芋) is a baked and caramel-syruped sweet potato dessert. As it is sweet and starchy, it is used inimo-kinton and some othertraditional sweets, such asofukuimo. What is commonly called "sweet potato" (ja:スイートポテト) in Japan is a cake made by baking mashed sweet potatoes.Shōchū, a Japanese spirit normally made from the fermentation of rice, can also be made from sweet potato, in which case it is calledimo-jōchū.Imo-gohan, sweet potato cooked with rice, is popular in Guangdong, Taiwan and Japan. It is also served innimono ornitsuke, boiled and typically flavored withsoy sauce,mirin anddashi.
Koreanjapchae, or stir-fried cellophane noodles made of sweet potato starch
InKorean cuisine, sweet potato starch is used to producedangmyeon (cellophane noodles). Sweet potatoes are also boiled, steamed, or roasted, and young stems are eaten asnamul. Pizza restaurants such as Pizza Hut and Domino's in Korea are using sweet potatoes as a popular topping. Sweet potatoes are also used in the distillation of a variety of Soju. A popular Korean side dish or snack,goguma-mattang, also known as Korean candied sweet potato, is made by deep-frying sweet potatoes that were cut into big chunks and coating them with caramelized sugar.
InMalaysia and Singapore, sweet potato is often cut into small cubes and cooked withtaro and coconut milk (santan) to make a sweet dessert calledbubur cha cha. A favorite way of cooking sweet potato is deep-frying slices of sweet potato in batter, served as a tea-time snack. In homes, sweet potatoes are usually boiled. The leaves of sweet potatoes are usually stir-fried with only garlic or withsambal belacan and dried shrimp by Malaysians.
In thePhilippines, sweet potatoes (locally known ascamote orkamote) are an important food crop in rural areas. They are often a staple among impoverished families in provinces, as they are easier to cultivate and cost less than rice.[97] The tubers are boiled or baked in coals and may be dipped in sugar or syrup. Young leaves and shoots (locally known astalbos ng kamote orcamote tops) are eaten fresh in salads withshrimp paste (bagoong alamang) orfish sauce. They can be cooked in vinegar and soy sauce and served with fried fish (a dish known asadobong talbos ng kamote), or with recipes such assinigang.[97] The stew obtained from boilingcamote tops is purple-colored, and is often mixed with lemon as juice. Sweet potatoes are also sold as street food in suburban and rural areas. Fried sweet potatoes coated with caramelized sugar and served in skewers (camote cue) or as French fries are popular afternoon snacks.[98] Sweet potatoes are also used in a variant ofhalo-halo calledginatan, where they are cooked in coconut milk and sugar and mixed with a variety of rootcrops,sago,jackfruit, andbilu-bilo (glutinous rice balls).[99] Bread made from sweet potato flour is also gaining popularity. Sweet potato is relatively easy to propagate, and in rural areas can be seen abundantly at canals and dikes. The uncultivated plant is usually fed to pigs.
InIndonesia, sweet potatoes are locally known asubi jalar (lit: "spreading tuber") or simplyubi and are frequently fried with batter and served as snacks with spicy condiments, along with other kinds of fritters such as fried bananas, tempeh,tahu, breadfruit, or cassava. In the mountainous regions ofWest Papua, sweet potatoes are the staple food among the natives there. Using thebakar batu method of cooking, rocks that have been burned in a nearby bonfire are thrown into a pit lined with leaves. Layers of sweet potatoes, an assortment of vegetables, and pork are piled on top of the rocks. The top of the pile then is insulated with more leaves, creating a pressure of heat and steam inside which cooks all food within the pile after several hours.
Young sweet potato leaves are also used asbaby food, particularly in Southeast Asia and East Asia.[101][102] Mashed sweet potato tubers are used similarly throughout the world.[103]
Jjin-goguma (steamed sweet potatoes)
Gungoguma, roasted sweet potatoes
"Gungoguma drum" for roasting sweet potatoes
Goguma-mattang (candied sweet potatoes)
Fried, sweetened sweet potato, India
Taiwanese pastry
Imo Jōchū (Japanese spirits made with sweet potato)
Sweet potato fries served at aMcDonald's restaurant
The fried sweet potatoes tradition dates to the early nineteenth century in the United States.[109][better source needed] Sweet potato fries or chips are a common preparation and are made byjulienning anddeep-frying sweet potatoes in the fashion ofFrench fried potatoes. Roasting sliced or chopped sweet potatoes lightly coated in animal or vegetable oil at high heat became common in the United States at the start of the 21st century, a dish called "sweet potato fries". Sweet potato mash is served as a side dish, often atThanksgiving dinner or withbarbecue.
John Buttencourt Avila is called the "father of the sweet potato industry" in North America.[110][111]
Māori grew several varieties of small, yellow-skinned, finger-sized kūmara (with names includingtaputini,[112]taroamahoe,pehu,hutihuti, andrekamaroa[113]) that they had brought with them from eastPolynesia. Modern trials have shown that these smaller varieties were capable of producing well,[114] but whenAmerican whalers, sealers and trading vessels introduced larger cultivars in the early 19th century, they quickly predominated.[115][116][117][118]
Prior to 2021, archaeologists believed that the sweet potato failed to flourish in New Zealand south ofChristchurch due to the colder climate, forcing Māori in those latitudes to become (along with theMoriori of theChatham Islands) the only Polynesian people who subsisted solely onhunting and gathering. However, a 2021 analysis of material excavated from a site nearDunedin, some 250 km (160 mi) further south, revealed that sweet potatoes were grown and stored there during the 15th century, before the industry was disrupted by factors speculated to be due to theLittle Ice Age.[34]
Māori traditionally cooked kūmara in ahāngī (earth oven). This is still a common practice when there are large gatherings onmarae.
In 1947, black rot (Ceratocystis fimbriata) appeared in kūmara around Auckland and increased in severity through the 1950s.[119] A disease-free strain was developed byJoe andFay Gock. They gave the strain to the nation, earning them the Bledisloe Cup in 2013.[120][121]
There are three main cultivars of kūmara sold in New Zealand: 'Owairaka Red' ("red"), 'Toka Toka Gold' ("gold"), and 'Beauregard' ("orange"). The country grows around 24,000 metric tons of kūmara annually,[122] with nearly all of it (97%) grown in theNorthland Region.[123] Kūmara are widely available throughout New Zealand year-round, where they are a popular alternative to potatoes.[124]
Kūmara are often included in roast meals, and served withsour cream andsweet chili sauce.[citation needed] They are served alongside such vegetables as potatoes and pumpkin and as such, are generally prepared in a savory manner. They are ubiquitous in supermarkets, roast meal takeaway shops and hāngī.
Among theUrapmin people of Papua New Guinea,taro (known inUrap asima) and the sweet potato (Urap:wan) are the main sources of sustenance, and in fact the word for 'food' in Urap is acompound of these two words.[125]
In theVeneto (northeast Italy), sweet potato is known aspatata mericana in theVenetian language (patata americana in Italian, meaning "American potato"), and it is cultivated above all in the southern area of the region;.[126][127]
In Spain, sweet potato is calledboniato. On the evening ofAll Souls' Day, inCatalonia (northeastern Spain) it is traditional to serve roasted sweet potato and chestnuts,panellets and sweet wine. The occasion is calledLa Castanyada.[128][129] As of 2023 Spain is the largest sweet potato producer in Europe.[130]
InPeru, sweet potatoes are calledcamote and are frequently served alongsideceviche. Sweet potato chips are also a commonly sold snack, be it on the street or in packaged foods.[citation needed]
Dulce de batata is a traditionalArgentine, Paraguayan and Uruguayan dessert, which is made of sweet potatoes. It is a sweetjelly, which resembles a marmalade because of its color and sweetness but it has a harder texture, and has to be sliced in thin portions with a knife as if it was a pie.
Globally, sweet potatoes are now a staple ingredient of modernsushi cuisine, specifically used inmaki rolls. The advent of sweet potato as a sushi ingredient is credited to chefBun Lai ofMiya's Sushi, who first introduced sweet potato rolls in the 1990s as a plant-based alternative to traditional fish-based sushi rolls.[131][132][133]
Freezing a sweet potato until solid, baking at a low temperature, then increasing to a high temperature brings out the sweetness by caramelizing converted sugars.[134][135][136][137]
In South America, the juice of red sweet potatoes is combined withlime juice to make adye for cloth. By varying the proportions of the juices, every shade from pink to black can be obtained.[139]Purple sweet potato color is also used as a naturalfood coloring.[140]
Cuttings of sweet potato vine, either edible or ornamental cultivars, will rapidly form roots in water and will grow in it, indefinitely, in good lighting with a steady supply of nutrients. For this reason, sweet potato vine is ideal for use in homeaquariums, trailing out of the water with its roots submerged, as its rapid growth is fueled by toxicammonia andnitrates, a waste product of aquatic life, which it removes from the water. This improves the living conditions for fish, which also find refuge in the extensive root systems.[citation needed]
Ornamental sweet potatoes are popular landscape, container, and bedding plants. Grown as an annual in zones up toUSDA hardiness Zone 9, they grow rapidly and spread quickly. Cultivars are available in many colors, such as green, yellow, and purple.[141] Some ornamental varieties, like 'Blackie', flower more than others.[142] These ornamental cultivars are not poisonous, and although the leaves are edible, the tubers do not have a good taste.[143][144]
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