I found out Americans call golden kumara sweet potato, and normal kumara yams..but yams is a totally different food, so what do they call that?

1

1 Answers

Aria Broeka Profile
Aria Broeka answered

I had to research this to see what you were calling a 'yam'.  I dont think we have that specific veggie in the US except maybe as an import.  It looks like a funny potato.    An alternative name for it in New Zealand is the oca.  But New Zealand Yam is a colloquial name.  Ive never seen it for sale in the US places  i have been so i dont know what local distributers would label it. 

Further research shows its a common South American tuber as well so i am surprised we dont see them here in the US.  However potatoes are a huge cash crop in the US and the agriculture lobby for potato farmers may limit the import of foreign potatos.  We have seven main 'white' potato species with 25 subspecies among them.    Then there are specialized heirloom varieties.  We probably just dont import many foreign varieties. 

Also in the US we dont always differentiate between sweet potatos and yams.  Most folks dont know the difference and use both names interchangeably for both types. In my area especially no one really uses the term 'yam'.  If it looks like a sweet potato thats what its called, technicalities are unimportant. 

Answer Question

Anonymous