Is yam and cassava the same?
Yams, sweet potatoes, and cassava are classed as tuberous root vegetables that come from a flowering plant but are not related and do not have much in common. In the U.S., they are marketed as different vegetables. Yams are native to Africa and Asia and can be the size of a regular potato to five feet long!
What is the origin of yam?
The other six bija mantras associated with major chakras include:
- Lam — root chakra ( muladhara)
- Vam — spleen/sacral chakra ( svadhisthana)
- Ram — solar plexus/navel chakra ( manipura)
- Ham (or hum) — throat chakra ( vishuddhi)
- Om — third eye chakra ( ajna)
- Om (silent) — crown chakra ( sahasrara)
What is a true yam?
What is True Yam? Yams are mostly tropical species. They are big-looking roots, with rough wrinkly, dark, and sometimes hairy skin and white to slightly yellow or cream-colored starchy flesh, and they can grow so big. Really enormous! It belongs to the group Dioscorea, which has about 600 species.
Is Yam a vegetable?
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What is the botanical of yam?
The botanical name of yam is Dioscorea spp. This is so because there are different species and varieties of yam with each having their own botanical name. It's Subkingdom is that of a group of Vascular plants called the subkingdom Tracheobionta. It is a member of the Order Liliales and family Dioscoreaceae.
What is the botanical name for sweet yam?
Ipomoea batatasSweet potato / Scientific name
What is the genus name of yam?
DioscoreaPurple yam / GenusDioscorea is a genus of over 600 species of flowering plants in the family Dioscoreaceae, native throughout the tropical and warm temperate regions of the world. The vast majority of the species are tropical, with only a few species extending into temperate climates. Wikipedia
What is the botanical name of yam and cocoyam?
coco yam, wild taro, Colocasia esculenta Arales: Araceae.
Is yam a cassava?
The main difference between cassava and yam is that cassava possesses a higher percentage of calories than yams. It is true that yams and cassava are tuberous root vegetables. Both cassava and yams grow out of a flowering plant.
Is yam and sweet potato the same?
The skin of a yam (left) looks kind of like tree bark, while a sweet potato (right) is more reddish-brown. Real yams are entirely different root vegetables that are more like yucca in texture and flavor. They have bumpy, tough brown skin (that looks almost tree trunk-like) with starchy, not sweet flesh.
Which family is yam?
family Dioscoreaceaeyam, any of several plant species of the genus Dioscorea (family Dioscoreaceae) grown for their edible tubers.
What are yams in English?
A yam is a root vegetable which is like a potato, and grows in tropical regions. Yams are the same as sweet potatoes.
What is botanical name of cassava?
Manihot esculentaCassava / Scientific namecassava, (Manihot esculenta), also called manioc, mandioca, or yuca, tuberous edible plant of the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae) from the American tropics.
What is the botanical name of onion?
Allium cepaOnion / Scientific nameonion, (Allium cepa), herbaceous biennial plant in the amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae) grown for its edible bulb. The onion is likely native to southwestern Asia but is now grown throughout the world, chiefly in the temperate zones.
What is the botanical name for banana?
MusaMusa / Scientific name
What is an air potato yam?
The air-potato yam ( D. bulbifera) is one of the few true yams cultivated for food in the United States . Leaves and fruits of air-potato yam ( Dioscorea bulbifera ). Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Subscribe Now.
What is the acrid principle of yam?
Most yams contain an acrid principle that is dissipated in cooking. Indian yam ( D. trifida) and winged, or water, yam ( D. alata) are the edible species most widely diffused in tropical and subtropical countries. The tubers of D. alata sometimes weigh 45 kg (100 pounds).
What are yams called?
In some places, other (unrelated) root vegetables are sometimes referred to as "yams", including: 1 In the United States, sweet potatoes ( Ipomoea batatas ), especially those with orange flesh, are often referred to as "yams" 2 In Australia, the tubers of the Microseris lanceolata, or yam daisy, were a staple food of Aboriginal Australians in some regions. 3 In New Zealand, oca ( Oxalis tuberosa) is typically referred to as "yam". 4 In Malaysia, Singapore and Portuguese speaking countries, taro ( Colocasia esculenta) is referred to as "yam". 5 In Africa, South and Southeast Asia as well as the tropical Pacific islands Amorphophallus paeoniifolius is grown and known as "elephant foot yam".
What is a yam root vegetable?
In some places, other (unrelated) root vegetables are sometimes referred to as "yams", including: In Australia, the tubers of the Microseris lanceolata, or yam daisy, were a staple food of Aboriginal Australians in some regions. In New Zealand, oca ( Oxalis tuberosa) is typically referred to as "yam".
What is yam in New Zealand?
For oca, the vegetable called yam in New Zealand, see Oxalis tuberosa. Edible starchy tuber. Look up yam in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. White yams at a retail market in Brixton, England, 2004. Yam is the common name for some plant species in the genus Dioscorea (family Dioscoreaceae) that form edible tubers.
How much does a yam weigh?
White, yellow, and water yams typically produce a single large tuber per year, generally weighing 5 to 10 kg (11 to 22 lb). Despite the high labor requirements and production costs, consumer demand for yam is high in certain subregions of Africa, making yam cultivation quite profitable to certain farmers.
How many hectares of yams are there in Nigeria?
Nigeria farmed yams on 5.9 million hectares, 70% of the world land area of 8.6 million hectares devoted to yam farming. The world average annual yield of yams was 8.8 tonnes per hectare in 2017, with Ethiopia having the most productive farms of 29.2 tonnes per hectare.
What is a yam daisy?
In Australia, the tubers of the Microseris lanceolata, or yam daisy, were a staple food of Aboriginal Australians in some regions. In New Zealand, oca ( Oxalis tuberosa) is typically referred to as "yam". In Malaysia, Singapore and Portuguese speaking countries, taro ( Colocasia esculenta) is referred to as "yam".
How big do yams grow?
Yam plants can grow up to 15 m (49 ft) in length and 7.6 to 15.2 cm (3 to 6 in) high. The tuber may grow into the soil up to 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) deep. The plant disperses by seed. The edible tuber has a rough skin that is difficult to peel but readily softened by heating.
What is a yam?
Yam is the name given to several plant species in the genus Dioscorea including Dioscorea alata (white yam), Dioscorea bulbifera (potato yam), Dioscorea cayenensis (yellow yam), Dioscorea esculenta (Asiatic yam) and Dioscorea batatas (Chinese yam) that are grown for their edible tubers. These species are not to be confused with the sweet potato, ...
How do yams grow?
The optimum temperature for the growth of yams is between 25 and 30°C (77–86°F). They grow optimally in well-draining fertile soils with a pH between 5.5 and 6.5 in full sun or part shade. Very wet soils should be avoided as this promotes tuber rot. Propagation Yams are propagated vegetatively from small tubers. Land should be prepared for planting by plowing and harrowing. Tubers should be planted in trenches to a depth of 15 cm (6 in) allowing at least 30 cm (12 in) between individual plants and 1.5 m (5 ft) between rows. The soil is often mounded around plants or ridged to aid drainage. It is common practice to stake plants with a 2–4 m (6.6–13.2 ft) support to allow them to climb and ensure that all parts of the plant receive adequate sunlight. General care and maintenance Yams require 100 cm of water distributed evenly throughout the growing season. Yam plants should be mulched after planting to prevent plants from drying out. Failure to mulch the plants will result in drastic decreases in yield. Harvesting Yams can be harvested at any time after the leaves have started to yellow. The soil should be carefully dug around the tuber and the the tuber cut from the vine. Harvesting is best carried out on sunny, dry days to prevent tuber rot.
How much water do yams need?
General care and maintenance Yams require 100 cm of water distributed evenly throughout the growing season.
Overview
Yam is the common name for some plant species in the genus Dioscorea (family Dioscoreaceae) that form edible tubers. Yams are perennial herbaceous vines cultivated for the consumption of their starchy tubers in many temperate and tropical regions, especially in West Africa, South America and the Caribbean, Asia, and Oceania. The tubers themselves, also called "yams", come in a variety of forms owing to numerous cultivars and related species.
Etymology
The name "yam" appears to derive from Portuguese inhame or Canarian (Spain) ñame, which derived from West African languages during trade. Although in both languages, this name is commonly referred to the plant taro (Colocasia esculenta) from the genus Colocasia, as opposed to Dioscorea.
The main derivations borrow from verbs meaning "to eat". True yams have various common nam…
Description
A monocot related to lilies and grasses, yams are vigorous herbaceous vines providing an edible tuber. They are native to Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Some yams are also invasive plants, often considered a "noxious weed" outside cultivated areas. Some 870 species of yams are known, and 95% of these crops are grown in Africa.
Yam plants can grow up to 15 m (49 ft) in length and 7.6 to 15.2 cm (3 to 6 in) high. The tuber m…
Cultivation
Yam crop begins when whole seed tubers or tuber portions are planted into mounds or ridges, at the beginning of the rainy season. The crop yield depends on how and where the sets are planted, sizes of mounds, interplant spacing, provision of stakes for the resultant plants, yam species, and tuber sizes desired at harvest. Small-scale farmers in West and Central Africa often intercrop yams with cereals and vegetables. The seed yams are perishable and bulky to transport. Farmer…
Harvesting
Yams in West Africa are typically harvested by hand, using sticks, spades, or diggers. Wood-based tools are preferred to metallic tools as they are less likely to damage the fragile tubers; however, wood tools need frequent replacement. Yam harvesting is labor-intensive and physically demanding. Tuber harvesting involves standing, bending, squatting, and sometimes sitting on the ground depending on the size of mound, size of tuber, or depth of tuber penetration. Care must b…
Storage
Roots and tubers such as yam are living organisms. When stored, they continue to respire, which results in the oxidation of the starch (a polymer of glucose) contained in the cells of the tuber, which converts it into water, carbon dioxide, and heat energy. During this transformation of the starch, the dry matter of the tuber is reduced.
Amongst the major roots and tubers, properly stored yam is considered to be the least perishabl…
Nutrition
Raw yam has only moderate nutrient density, with appreciable content (10% or more of the Daily Value, DV) limited to potassium, vitamin B6, manganese, thiamin, dietary fiber, and vitamin C (table). But raw yam has the highest potassium levels amongst the 10 major staple foods of the world (see nutritional chart). Yam supplies 118 calories per 100 grams. Yam generally has a lower glycemic index, about 54% of glucose per 150 gram serving, compared to potato products.
Phytochemicals and use in medicine
The tubers of certain wild yams, including a variant of 'Kokoro' yam and other species of Dioscorea, such as Dioscorea nipponica, are a source for the extraction of diosgenin, a steroid sapogenin. The extracted diosgenin is used for the commercial synthesis of cortisone, pregnenolone, progesterone, and other steroid products. Such preparations were used in early combined oral contraceptive pills. The unmodified steroid has estrogenic activity.