White yam?

[jschof]

I was at whole foods and I bought a yam because I read that yams are ok on whole 30, but this one was white inside and it does not smell sweet and I tasted a small peice of it raw and it does not taste sweet, so I spot it out lol...but I'm wondering is this type of yam ok? It seemed to much like a reg potato with it not being sweet and all.

[Tom Denham]

The flesh of yams or sweet potatoes may be white, yellow, orange, or maybe other colors. As long as they are not white potatoes, they are okay during a Whole30. 

[jschof]

The potato is a tan color on the outside, but the potato it's self inside is white inside , but it said it was a yam at the store.

[missmary]

names for foods can be confusing sometimes. What matters for the whole30 is the botanical vegetable, not the color, so: white colored (or purple or orange or yellow) sweet potatoes or yams are ok. White (or purple or orange or yellow) colored potatoes are not.

[jschof]

Is it ok that it's not thy sweet? Ate all yams supposed to be sweet?

[missmary]

the level of sweetness will vary depending on variety. -not tasting sweet to you does not mean it is not a sweet potato.

[Vian]

"white" Potato is a nightshade, in the same botanical family as eggplant, peppers, and tomatoes. Both white potatoes and sweet potatoes belong to the order Solanales, but then they diverge, with white potatoes and other nightshades belong to the family Solanaceae, whereas sweet potatoes belong to the family Convolvulaceae. Yams are actually totally unrelated to both and are an enormous tuber from Africa, but americans have adopted the name yam to refer to sweet potatoes.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potato

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_potato

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yam_(vegetable)

 

Sweet potatoes are not necessarily sweet when tasted raw. They have to be cooked for the sweetness to develop. I personally love the japanese yams that have white flesh and a dark purple/maroon skin. There are also purple japanese sweet potatoes that have purple flesh and white skin, but I dislike the flavor - they are much, much sweeter than the white-fleshed ones and I just don't like the taste of them.

[GlennR]

White (or yellow) yams are not as sweet as other types, which in some ways makes them better substitutes for potatoes. I make them into french fries, or mashed "fauxtatoes," or hash, or will add them in most any recipe that calls for potatoes. But hands down my favorite yam (or sweet potato) is the Okinawan purple yam.