Five Food Facts about Sweet Potatoes
1. Sweet potatoes are the 6th most important food crop in the world.
2. Asia accounts for 90% of the world consumption of sweet potatoes.
3. George Washington Carver helped to develop the primary adhesive used for postage stamps from the mucilage(sticky film) of sweet potatoes.
4. Sweet potatoes are actually tuberous roots which are considered one of the worlds most nutritious foods in the vegetable kingdom.
5. Despite the physical similarities of yams and sweet potatoes. They actually are not even closely related. Yams are actually closely related to grasses and lilies.
Daily Quote:
“A man who can cook a baked sweet potato is the kind of man you should keep around“~Maya Angelou
Events of February 22
Today’s Food History
on this day in…
- 1630 Supposedly, Quadequina, an American Indian, introduced English colonists to popcorn.
- 1879 Woolworths, the first chain store, opened in 1879 in Utica, New York. Woolworth’s diners were the first to introduce the Frito Chili Pies and helped to popularize grilled cheese sandwiches and BLT’s,bacon ,lettuce, and tomato sandwiches.
- 1920 The first artificial rabbit is used at a dog racing trace in Emeryville, California.
- 1925 RIP Sir Thomas Clifford Allbutt, English physician, he invented the short (6 inch) clinical thermometer, before then they averaged over 18″ in length.
- 1987 RIP Andy Warhol,American painter of the pop art movement. In the 1960s he made paintings of Campbell’s Soup cans.
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Categories: February Food Holidays, Food Holidays
Sweet potatoes are even part of nursery rhymes. One potato, two potato, three potato, four, five potato six potato, seven potato more, eight potato, nine potato, ten potato high. Now let’s go and bake some sweet potato pie!
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I had no idea Asia consumes the most sweet potatoes! For some reason I thought they ate mostly yams.
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Just lurrvvvvve sweet potatoes and yams! And add a little Plantain…ummmm ;)
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How interesting! I better keep my wits about me in Louisiana. I didn’t know that yams were usually canned and went bad quickly. I’m learning so much.
Thanks for all the great info!
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I love sweet potatoes! Does anyone have any more recipes?!
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We do oven fried sweet potatoes that are out of this world!!!! http://hotcheapeasy.com/2011/11/12/crispy-oven-fried-sweet-potatoes-new-and-improved/
I love this blog!!!!
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Sweet potatoes are a regular veggie on our dinner plates.
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Sweet potatoes – one of my favorite foods. Yum!
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it’s sort of weird about Yams and Sweet Potatoes. Legally, Yams ARE called Sweet potatoes in Louisiana. Most yams are canned because they do not age well in grocery stores, while sweet potatoes get better as they age and do not rot as quickly.
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I liked what Maya Angelou said! The dish look deliciou! Love those sweet potatoes!
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Sweet potatoes RULE. I bake a few each Sunday for eating all week. Check out my Sweet Potato Protein Pudding – sounds weird, but it’s delicious. http://makingfithappen.wordpress.com/2012/02/17/sweet-potato-pudding-delicious-nutritious-and-better-than-it-sounds/
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Ah ha! I knew it. The grocery store had it wrong when they wrote “Yams (also known as sweet potatoes).” I was standing there wondering if I’d been wrong all along, but this post proves that yams and sweet potatoes are indeed different! I love all the great facts. I’m also not entirely surprised about the Asian consumption of most of the world’s sweet potatoes. They’re even made into crackers. I think the only time I hear about sweet potatoes in the US is during Thanksgiving.
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I just luuuurrrrve sweet potatoes! Maybe a sweet potato pie mixed with Maris Pipers, Cheddar cheese and a dash of Worcestershire sauce! Mmmmmm… delicious.
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Let’s not forget baked sweet potato fries! Cut them thick like steak fries lightly spray with veggie oil spray, bake and season to your liking. Yummy finger food! Cindy
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Since sweet potatoes were native of the tropical Americas and yams (in Africa, “nyami”) of West Africa and Asia, were the Mexican yams from which Percy Lavon Julian claims he derived the female hormone, progesterone, actually sweet potatoes?
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This is one day I can definitely celebrate! I have probably three or four sweet potatoes a week. Great post-workout food. So easy to even just microwave. I sometimes add plain greek yogurt to them too.
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Its a good thing I LOVE sweet potatoes! :)
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Love sweet potatoes! You motivated me to post a great sweet potato recipe! Its really yummy! Thanks Love the food of the month!!!
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I love sweet potatoes and yams. They are the perfect food and can be prepared so many ways, each beimg delicious. Maya is a smart woman. Thanks for the info!
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If they’re that good for you, no wonder I hate them.
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SWEET POTATOES AND YAM ARE NOT RELATED??? Well I never.
See this best ever Middle School sweet potato science project: http://holdouts.wordpress.com/2012/01/25/sweet-potato/
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I didn’t realize the difference between sweet potatoes & yams :-0
I’ve found that I like them both, and didn’t used to. I think it’s an acquired taste. I like them just baked with a little butter & S&P. Nice and simple.
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I do love sweet potatoes especially with a little brown sugar. Yum yum looks good.. Blessings.. Bro Pat.
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Love sweet potato mash !!!
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Fascinating fact about postage stamp gum!
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Sweet potatoes are fabulous. I try to mash them, add some honey or brown sugar, cinnamon and butter. Delish!
I always thought that I hated them but it turns out that I just hate the yams from a can… or basically anything else in a can. :)
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