The sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the familyConvolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting, tuberous roots are an important root vegetable. The young leaves and shoots are sometimes eaten as greens. Of the approximately 50 genera and more than 1,000 species of Convolvulaceae, I. batatas is the only crop plant of major importance—some others are used locally, but many are actually poisonous. The sweet potato is only distantly related to the potato(Solanum tuberosum).
Although the softer, orange variety is often called a yam in parts of North America, the sweet potato is botanically very distinct from the other vegetable called a yam, which is native to Africa and Asia and belongs to the monocot family Dioscoreaceae. To prevent confusion, the United States Department of Agriculture requires sweet potatoes labeled as “yams” to be labeled also as “sweet potatoes”. In New Zealand English, the Māori term kūmara is commonly used.
The genus Ipomoea that contains the sweet potato also includes several garden flowers called morning glories, though that term is not usually extended to Ipomoea batatas. Some cultivars of Ipomoea batatas are grown as ornamental plants; the name “tuberous morning glory” may be used in a horticulturalcontext.
The edible tuberous 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 potato varieties with white or pale yellow flesh are less sweet and moist than those with red, pink or orange flesh.
In certain parts of the world, sweet potatoes are locally known as camote, kamote, man thet, ubi jalar, ubi keladi, shakarkand, satsuma imo, batata or el boniato.
Nutrient content
Besides simple starches, sweet potatoes are rich in complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber, beta carotene(a vitamin A equivalent nutrient), vitamin C, and vitamin B6. Pink, yellow and green varieties are high in carotene, the precursor of vitamin A.
In 1992, the Center for Science in the Public Interest compared the nutritional value of sweet potatoes to other vegetables. Considering fiber content, complex carbohydrates, protein, vitamins A and C, iron, and calcium, the sweet potato ranked highest in nutritional value. According to these criteria, sweet potatoes earned 184 points, 100 points over the next on the list, the common potato.
Sweet potato varieties with dark orange flesh have more beta carotene than those with light-colored flesh, and their increased cultivation is being encouraged in Africa, where vitamin A deficiency is a serious health problem. Despite the name “sweet”, it may be a beneficial food for diabetics, as preliminary studies on animals have revealed it helps to stabilize blood sugar levels and to lower insulin resistance.
History
The center of origin and domestication of sweet potato is thought to be either in Central America or South America. In Central America, sweet potatoes were domesticated at least 5,000 years ago. In South America, Peruvian sweet potato remnants dating as far back as 8000 BC have been found.
The first Europeans to taste sweet potatoes were members of Columbus’ expedition in 1492. Later explorers found many varieties under an assortment of local names, but the name which stayed was the indigenous Taino name of ‘batata’. This name was later transmuted to the similar name for a different vegetable, the ordinary potato, causing confusion from which it never recovered. The first record of the name “sweet potato” is found in the Oxford English Dictionary of 1775.
The Portuguese took the Taino name batata directly, while the Spanish also combined it with theQuechua word for potato, papa, to create the word patata for the common potato. In Mexico and Central America, the sweet potato is called by the Nahuatl-derived name camote. In Peru, the Quechua name for a type of sweet potato is kumar, strikingly similar to the Polynesian name kumara and its regional Oceanic cognates (“kumala,” “umala,” ” ‘uala,” etc.). Boniato is another name widely used in mainland Spain. In Uruguay, the sweet potato is referred to as el boniato. In Argentina it is called Batata. In the Philippines, like in Central America, the sweet potato is known as camote (alternatively spelled as kamote). The name is derived from the original Nahuatl word camotli.
In some regions of India, fasts of religious nature are an occasion for a change in normal diet, and a total absence from cooking or eating is held as elective while a normal diet for a fasting day is a light feast consisting of different foods from usual, amongst which sweet potato is one of the prime sources of sustenance. Sweet potato – shakarkand, – is eaten otherwise, too, and a popular variety of preparation in most parts is roasted slow over kitchen coals at night and eaten with some dressing—primarily salt, possibly yogurt—while the easier way in the south is simply boiling or pressure-cooking before peeling, cubing and seasoning for a vegetable dish as part of the meal. 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 into chapattis (bread). Between 15 to 20 percent of 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.
The sweet potato is a treasure trove of nutrients
The sweet potato is a large, starchy and sweet-tasting tuberous root which is considered as one of the most nutritious root vegetable. Depending on variety, the sweet potato flesh comes in colors of white, yellow, orange and purple. The orange-fleshed ones are among the top sources of beta-carotene. It has many culinary uses in different parts of the world; it is also a staple food crop in some countries including in rural areas in the Philippines where the tubers are usually boiled or baked in coals.
For every cup (328 g) of cooked, boiled without skin and mashed sweet potato, here’s how healthy it is.
1. Promotes healthy vision (Vitamin A – 1033% DV)
The color of the flesh of fruits and vegetables says something about their nutrients. The orange-fleshedvarieties like the sweet potato indicate that they are blushing with vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene. Bake or make into potato fries and serve as snacks to promote healthy eyesight.
2. Keeps teeth and gums healthy (Vitamin C – 70% DV)
Fruits, particularly acerola and guava are nature’s top sources of vitamin C. But did you know that sweet potatoes are also loaded with this very important vitamin? Every cup can deliver 70% of the daily value of the nutrient known to prevent loose teeth and bleeding gums.
3. Make bones strong and healthy (Manganese – 44% DV)
Are you looking for another supporter in preventing osteoporosis? The sweet potato is one of the perfect foods to be had. It contains almost half of the DV of manganese, a mineral which plays an important role in bone metabolism.
4. Helps reduce cholesterol levels (Fiber – 33% DV)
It is also rich in fiber, a carbohydrate which has shown to be an effective helper in lowering blood cholesterol levels. Fruits, vegetables, beans and legumes are all important sources of fiber.
5. Keeps heart healthy (Vitamin B6 – 27% DV)
Sweet potatoes help prevent homocysteine build-up in the blood by providing vitamin B6. High homocyteine levels in the blood are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke.
6. Helps control blood pressure levels (Potassium -22% DV)
Potassium-rich foods are hypertension-fighting foods. If you want to prevent abnormal blood pressure levels, reach for potassium-rich fruits and enjoy a delicious sweet potato pie.
7. Helps fight stress (Pantothenic Acid – 19% DV)
It is a good source of pantothenic acid, a B vitamin which plays an important part in the body’s ability to produce stress hormones. It is believed that when a person becomes stressed, the pantothenic acid in the body is used up that is why there is a need to stock up for more.
8. Helps prevent wrinkles (Vitamin E – 15% DV)
It can deliver a good amount of vitamin E, a nutrient known for its benefits in skin aging. Avocados and kiwifruits are among the must-eat fruits if you want a natural source of vitamin E.
9. Helps control blood sugar levels (Magnesium – 15% DV)
Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in the body, yet few people are aware of its benefits. Study participants have shown that those who consume a high magnesium diet were less likely to develop type 2 diabetes. Tamarinds, prickly pears and jackfruit are among the highest sources of manganese in fruits.
10. Helps the body produce energy (Iron – 13% DV)
If you have been feeling fatigue and weak, your body may be calling for more iron. Have some sweet potato to boost oxygen distribution throughout your body with the help of its rich iron supply.
