Dioscorea (Yam)
Yams
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Liliopsida Order: Dioscoreales Family: Dioscoreaceae Genus: Dioscorea

For the Levantine god of the untamed sea, see Yaw.

Yam is the common name for members of the genus Dioscorea (family Dioscoreaceae). Some species are cultivated for the consumption of their starchy tubers in Africa and Asia. The word "yam" is derived from Portuguese inhame or Spanish ñame, which are ultimately from the West African nyami, meaning "to eat". They are used in a similar fashion to potatoes, and are sometimes called a potato substitute, though in those areas where yams are grown, potatoes are the newer vegetable.

In the Philippines, a variety of yam (known as "ube") is eaten as a sweetened dessert (called "halaya"), and often with other fruits and milk as part of halo-halo.

Yam tubers can grow 7 feet in length and weigh up to 150 pounds.

The sweeter varieties of sweet potato (Ipomoea) are often called "yams", causing much confusion. In the United States, for example, these sweet potato "yams" can be purchased at any store while the true yams are rarely seen except in specialty (largely Asian) markets.

External links

See also the United States Department of Agriculture's Plant Profile (http://plants.usda.gov/cgi_bin/plant_profile.cgi?symbol=DIOSC) for a complete list of 28 yam species.