Yam Bake

This is from Kathy, a friend from high school back in Nebraska, who got it from her friend, Josie.

Okay, so I grew up in Nebraska, thinking yams were sweet potatos.  First time I actually saw a sweet potato, I thought, "what the hell is that skinny yellow thing?  "Sweet potato?  Oh no its not!  This is a sweet potato, big plump, dark brown, tasty orange flesh . . ."  Wrong, as it turns out, that was a yam.  Or so they said . . . .

So, what's the difference, you ask.  Ha, glad you did.

Yams, it turns out are closely related to lilies and grasses. Native to Africa and Asia, yams vary in size from that of a small potato to a record 130 pounds (as of 1999). There are over 600 varieties of yams and 95% of these crops are grown in Africa. Compared to sweet potatoes, yams are starchier and drier. 3 cups canned Sweet Potatos/Yams or 4 fresh ones

Sweet Potatoes on the other hand are members of the morning glory family, "Convolvulacea". (I've tried to say that 3 times now, it gets caught in my throat and makes me gag) The skin color can range from white to yellow, red, purple or brown. The flesh also ranges in color from white to yellow, orange, or orange-red. Sweet potato varieties are classified as either ‘firm’ or ‘soft’. When cooked, those in the ‘firm’ category remain firm, while ‘soft’ varieties become soft and moist.

But here is the kicker, it is the ‘soft’ varieties of sweet potatos that are often labeled as yams in the United States.  That's because firm varieties of sweet potatoes were produced before soft varieties. When soft varieties were first grown commercially, there was a need to differentiate between the two. African slaves had already been calling the ‘soft’ sweet potatoes ‘yams’ because they resembled the yams in Africa. Thus, ‘soft’ sweet potatoes were referred to as ‘yams’ to distinguish them from the ‘firm’ varieties.

Today the U.S. Department of Agriculture requires labels with the term ‘yam’ to be accompanied by the term ‘sweet potato.’ Unless you specifically search for yams, which are usually found in an international market, you are probably eating sweet potatoes!

I was right all along, and didn't know it.  Story of my life.
So, now that you know, try this one.



1/2 cup sugar


1/2 cup butter


2 eggs beaten


1 tsp Vanilla


1/3 cup milk


Boil (if you use fresh yams) - mash and mix in the rest of the ingredients.
**For those of you who would rather nuke, than boil, wash the skins, cut off the ends, prick with a knife in a few spots, then try 6 minutess on high, and follow with 4 minutes.

Same difference, less energy.

Pour into 9x13 pan.


ADD TOPPING:


1/3 cup melted butter


1 cup light Brown Sugar


1/2 cup flour


1 cup pecans


Mix together - will be crumbly. Sprinkle on the taters.


Bake 25 minutes at 350
 
When serving this big hit, be sure to encourage some sucker to ask about the difference between yams and sweet potatos.  Sit back and lay it on 'em.  Its what holiday feasts are for.