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Yams are African potatoes, which many often confuse with sweet potatoes. Some people do not see any difference between two products that are different in their properties due to their similar appearance.
Are yams beneficial for the body and how to cook them properly?
The Story
The history of the breeding of the perennial Yam plant directly relates to African history. The ancient peoples of Africa came up with many legends related to yams.
In these legends, the root vegetable has always been present on the table of noble people along with meat. In modern times, the main importers of yams are Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Nigeria is the largest yams-producing country today. As in ancient times, farmers collect it manually.
The appearance of yams resembles sweet potatoes. Mass of tubers can reach from 300 grams to 15 kilograms. Shape is rounded, the color resembles purple, flesh can be pink or orange in color. The peel is quite dense, difficult to clean. The plant itself can reach 2 meters in height.
Even a little yam plantation gives a fertile harvest.
Yams Contents
Yam tubers can be an excellent nutritional supplement to your diet. It is rich in nutritious starch and protein and contains beneficial vitamins and minerals with significant medicinal properties.
Nutritionists are skeptical about the product since the carbon content in it is too high. To lose weight, you need to maintain a balance of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Yams do not have this ratio.
Experts also found many valuable nutrients in the root crop: beta-carotene, folic acid, ascorbic acid, choline, potassium, calcium, magnesium, manganese, sodium, and phosphorus. Yams are also rich in vitamins: A, B, C, and D. The energy value of the product is about 119 kcal per 100 grams.
Health benefits
Due to its rich vitamin and mineral composition and nutrients, yams can be valuable for the body in the following:
- lowering cholesterol levels in the blood
- strengthening the walls of blood vessels
- blocking the formation of atherosclerotic plaques
- normalization of blood pressure
- normalization of hormonal balance
- relief of menstrual pain
- improvement of the menstrual cycle
- reduction of pain with intestinal bloating
- prevention after heart attacks and strokes
- strengthening of immunity
- relieves headache and dizziness
Experts believe that yams are the most widely used medicinal plant in the world. According to statistics, annually more than 200 million medicines containing derivatives of this plant are sold in the world.
Possible contraindications
An overdose of root vegetables can cause nausea, vomiting, disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, and allergic reactions. The phytoestrogens contained in yams are contraindicated for use in oncological diseases: breast cancer, uterine and ovarian cancer.
Experts do not recommend using yam-based medications for gastritis, liver, and kidney diseases.
Do not eat yams raw. Substances that make up the plant can cause diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, liver, and kidneys. The alcoholic tincture of yams raises many questions.
Active substances found in the roots of the plant can irritate the gastrointestinal tract. It is necessary to limit the use of tinctures for stomach or intestinal ulcers, cholelithiasis, acute pancreatitis, cholecystitis, and hepatitis.
Are sweet potatoes and yams the same thing?
Many people confuse yams and sweet potatoes. There are indeed some similarities between them:
- form
- size
- fiber level
- mineral composition
- cooking methods
However, experts distinguish more differences between the two root crops:
- color (yams inside orange, sweet potato white)
- the density of the peel
- taste
- vitamin composition
- sugar content (yams – 0.5 grams, sweet potatoes – 4 grams)
Yams have a unique starch taste, other root vegetables are sweeter and less friable. Manufacturers appreciate both products for their long shelf life and convenience in transportation.
Yams preparation options
You can cook yams in various ways:
- bake in the oven
- bake in the microwave
- boil and puree
- fry in slices
- boil in the peel
- cook soup
- make chips
- add as a filling to dumplings
- marinate
- add to a vegetable stew
- fry pancakes
- make a fresh salad
You can also use yams to make pastilles, souffles, and desserts.
Should you soak yams before roasting?
Professional chefs do not soak sweet potatoes before cooking. The structure of the root crop is quite easily divided into fibers during frying or cooking. You just need to wash the sweet potato and salt it.
Yams have a denser structure and a high starch content. To remove excess starch, you have to soak them. To do this, place the root vegetable in water for several hours.
Can diabetics eat sweet potatoes?
Quite often, experts recommend diabetics replace ordinary potatoes with sweet potatoes or yams. Is this the right decision? The recommendation is based on a lower glycemic index.
This index reflects the rate of increase in blood sugar after consuming a certain product. However, recent studies have shown that the human body itself can change the glycemic index of the product. That is why there is no critical difference between eating yams and potatoes.
Do sweet potatoes absorb water?
Yams and sweet potatoes have pronounced absorbent properties. Products can absorb water. Being in a humid room, yams and sweet potatoes are saturated with moisture.
This greatly affects the features of storage and transportation. Also, the absorption of these products affects the process of their preparation.
Is it better to microwave or bake a sweet potato?
You can cook yams and sweet potatoes in various ways. You must subject the product to high heat treatment to cope with the rigid structure of the root crop.
Baking in the oven or the microwave – is perfect for this. The process of baking under the lid helps to preserve the reserves of fiber and vitamin A. Also baked sweet potatoes or yams will have a lower glycemic index.
Baking is the most effective way to get a tender product. However, professional chefs advise you to cook little yams or sweet potatoes first. The cooking time is 15 minutes.
This process will help to disconnect the fibers of the root crops. You can also pre-soak the sweet potatoes to remove excess starch. Bake the root vegetable in slices or foil. The process itself is not complicated: preheat the oven to 200 degrees, bake the pre-boiled sweet potato for 20 minutes with olives, herbs, and spices.
Cooking sweet potatoes in the microwave can make the product a little dry, but this method is the fastest. However, you can achieve the desired effect if you follow the step-by-step cooking instructions:
- Rinse the sweet potato under a stream of cold water, boil it for 15 minutes.
- Put the sweet potato on a plate and pierce it with a knife in several places.
- Wrap the root vegetable in a paper towel moistened with water.
- Bake the sweet potato for 5 minutes at 600 watts.
If you want to bake sweet potatoes or yams as quickly as possible – use a microwave oven. If you are concerned about the tenderness and juiciness of the dish – use a stove for baking.
What is the healthiest way to cook sweet potatoes?
The healthiest way of cooking should exclude the use of oil. Accordingly, frying and grilling are not the right ways to cook sweet potatoes or yams. Use baking, cooking, cooking mashed soups, and stews.
You can also add olive oil instead of sunflower oil to root vegetable salads. Adding vegetables and fresh herbs is a good option too.
Do you poke holes in potatoes before baking?
Professional chefs advise piercing holes in the peel of root crops so that excess steam can freely escape from the product with viscous fibers. Sweet potatoes and yams are filled with water, which turns into steam during exposure to high temperatures.
The formation of steam leads to a violation of the integrity of the surface of the root crop. It becomes wet, loose, and falls apart.
It is significant to make holes in root vegetables if you cook them in the microwave or bake them in the oven. Not in all cases the root crop will fall apart if you do not pierce it with a knife or fork. However, it’s better to be safe and let the extra couple go out freely.
How long to bake sweet potatoes
To bake sweet potatoes or yams in the oven in the best way, prepare the following ingredients:
- sweet potato
- fresh herbs
- olive oil
Follow the step-by-step cooking technology:
- Wash the tubers under cold water, dry with a paper towel.
- Pierce the tubers with a fork in several places.
- Take the parchment paper and spread it on a baking sheet.
- Brush the root vegetables with olive oil and sprinkle them with salt.
- Bake sweet potatoes at 190 degrees Celsius (370 degrees Fahrenheit). The baking time is 60 minutes.
- Sprinkle the cooked sweet potato with fresh herbs.
How to roast whole sweet potatoes with skin
For lovers of fried potatoes, there is a more useful alternative – baked sweet potatoes or yams. To prepare such a dish, prepare the following ingredients:
- 5 kg – sweet potato
- 2 cloves – garlic
- 3 tbsp — olive oil
- 1/5 tsp – ground black pepper
Step-by-step cooking technology:
- Peel the sweet potato, do not cut it into pieces.
- Heat olive oil in a frying pan put sweet potatoes or yams there.
- Fry the root vegetables over medium heat, turning them over constantly. The frying time is 15 minutes.
How to cook yams on the stove
Using the stove, you can cook or fry yams. One of the healthy and effective ways is to cook the product in a saucepan. To do this, prepare the necessary ingredients:
- yams – 500 grams
- water
- salt
- butter – 1 tablespoon
- Salt and pepper
Step-by-step cooking instructions:
- Peel the yams and rinse under cold water.
- Cut the root vegetable into small pieces.
- Put the pan on the stove and bring the water to a boil.
- Place the chopped yams in boiling water.
- Cook the root vegetable over medium heat for about 30 minutes.
How long to bake sweet potatoes at 425
The temperature of 425 °F is the most optimal for baking dense root vegetables like yams and sweet potatoes. To enhance the efficiency of cooking, place the root vegetables on parchment paper, it will help the dish not to burn to the surface of the baking sheet.
You can also bake root vegetables at 425°F in foil. An excellent additional help will be the holes that you can make on the surface of sweet potatoes or yams with a fork. The optimal cooking time is 50 minutes.
How to cook yams in the oven
The best way to quickly bake sweet potatoes or yams is to use a microwave oven. You can also use another miracle of modern technology – a slow cooker.
The root crop will turn out tender and soft. To bake evenly, you do not need to pierce sweet potatoes or yams with a fork. In the case of a slow cooker, this method will not be effective.
To calculate the cooking time of sweet potatoes in a slow cooker, measure the volume of the root crop with a tape measure.
- 15 cm — 15 minutes
- 20 cm — 23 minutes
- 25 cm — 35 minutes
Step-by-step cooking technology:
- Rinse and dry the root vegetable.
- Pour 1 cup of water into the slow cooker.
- Place the root vegetables in water, the level of which should be higher than the product.
- Cook the root vegetables for 10 minutes. After cooking, let the tubers stand inside the slow cooker for another 10 minutes.
Final thoughts
Yams cooked in various forms is a simple, tasty, and very healthy dish for every day. The root vegetable is rich in fiber, potassium, and vitamin A. Nutritionists believe that yams are an excellent addition to a healthy diet.
Professional chefs also advise cooking yams for those who do not like to spend a lot of time cooking and coming up with complex recipes.
Choose a convenient cooking method and start diving into the diverse world of yams!