The Difference Between Sweet Potatoes and Yams

In 2015, Vox videographer Joss Fong documented her conversation with Mac Rogers, then-President of the Sweet Potato Council to find out the difference between a sweet potato and a yam. What Fong discovered that while the colorfully-fleshed yams and sweet potatoes found in the United States are exactly the same, true yams are actually quite different from both.

It’s kind of brown-covered and white on the inside. And you would only find it in a specialty store in the United States.

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.