Many of us often use the words “yam” and “sweet potato” interchangeably, but the truth is, sweet potatoes and yams are not one and the same! They’re two different plants. With fall coming up, it’s the perfect time to settle this issue once and for all and explain the main differences between the two.
Botanical Family
Even though yams and sweet potatoes look a bit similar, they don’t belong in the same botanical family. While sweet potatoes belong in the bindweed or morning glory family, yams belong in a different family called Dioscoreaceae.
Looks
Yams and sweet potatoes differentiate in their skin color, too. Yams have a rather rough, brown skin, and sweet potatoes have a thinner, commonly-orange skin. Other than the orange sweet potatoes we all know and love, there are also white and purple sweet potatoes.
Texture
Well, the two plants are not too different in texture, actually. However, yams tend to be a bit starchier than sweet potatoes.
Taste
This one probably won’t be a big surprise, since one of them actually has the word sweet in its name: while sweet potatoes have that signature sweet taste that we all know and love, yams aren’t particularly sweet and have a taste similar to the one of a regular potato.
