What is sweet potato called in Africa?

(And we’re talking sweet potatoes, not yams. In America, sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) are often incorrectly called yams — a totally different tuber crop (Dioscorea spp.) grown widely in West Africa that is white inside.)

Did sweet potatoes originate in Africa?

They’ve been doing it for centuries, ever since the Portuguese brought the first sweet potatoes here from Latin America. The sweet potatoes that arrived in Africa, however, were white or yellow.

When did sweet potatoes come to Africa?

16th century
As he explained, sweet potatoes were introduced to West Africa around the 16th century, but they were not an overnight sensation — far from it. At the time, other crops such as cassava, yams and similar root vegetables were far more popular and used often in savory dishes.

Why are sweet potatoes popular in the South?

Sweet potato was grown in what is now Virginia as early as 1648. From there it was taken both north and south. The southern migration of the plant was much more successful than the northern, again, because of the plant’s need for warm temperatures.

Is yam an African word?

The word yam comes from the African words “njam”, “nyami, or “djambi”, meaning “to eat”.

Why do blacks like sweet potato pie?

Using that sweet potato bounty, making the desserts in the Big House was often tasked to enslaved African American cooks, and it was through their expertise that sweet potato pie enters black culture.

Why do black people love sweet potato pie?

What does the African sweet potato look like?

West African sweet potatoes are medium to large in size and have an oblong shape with one bulbous end tapering to a slender, pointed tip. The cream-colored skin is semi-rough, covered in brown spots and patches, and bears a few medium-set eyes that are scattered across the surface.

What does a African sweet potato look like?

Did slaves eat sweet potatoes?

The sweet potato, which is native to the Americas, was likely used by African slaves as an alternative to the yam found in their homeland.

Who brought yam to Africa?

After having been brought into cultivation, this species of yam was carried by man far out into the Pacific by the Polynesian migration, which probably originated in southern China and Indochina about 3500 B.P. (Suggs 1960), and later, around 2000 B.P. or more recently, to Madagascar and the East African littoral.