Asked by
janaki ram
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Food & Drink
at
9:57 AM on January 08, 2009
Deepthi's Answer
Yams are sprawling tropical vines with edible tubers, widely cultivated as a primary food source in Africa, Polynesia, and South America. Americans sometimes erroneously call sweet potatoes yams, because some sweet potato varieties are marketed as yams, but in fact, true yams are difficult to find in the United States unless they are sought out in a specialty store. Over 150 species of Dioscorea, the yam genus, are grown worldwide, and they vary widely in shape, size, and color, although all of them have sprawling vines with heart shaped leaves and dainty flowers.
The name “yam” comes from a Wolof word, nyam, meaning “something to eat,” or “taste.” When the Portuguese asked the Africans about the large edible tubers which made up a large part of the African diet, the Africans misunderstood the question and responded that the tubers were nyam. The word was adopted by the Portuguese and picked by up other nations as well when the tuber was introduced to them.
Answered at
10:27 AM on January 08, 2009
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