Yams vs. sweet potatoes
 

Anyone know the difference? Which are we actually allowed to have?

In the USA, there really is no difference. What Americans call yams are really just sweet potatoes. In some regions of the USA, only certain sweet potators get to be called yams, but even there, they're just sweet potatoes.

True yams are almost never found in American markets, and they really don't look much like a sweet potato at all (and the flavor is different too, from what I've heard), so if it looks like a sweet potato or tastes like a sweet potato, it probably is a sweet potato.

Unless you live in a big city, with global, ethnic markets, you're unlikely to ever see a true yam.

Yams grow from a large leaf water plant. Sweet potatoes grow on a vine. I know that doesn't go to your question but its probably sweet potatoes that are more acceptable though both quite low cal.

I suspect yams could be more starchy like ordinary potatoes. If you google i am sure you can find this out and more.

In Canada (where I'm from), sweet potatoes are more like potato colored inside. And Yams are the orangey ones.

I think I'm going to have to google this!

http://homecooking.about.com/od/howt...potatodiff.htm

All we ever wanted to know about Yams and Sweet Potatoes.