SC - New World Foods-list

[lilinah at earthlink.net]

Bear wrote:
>Yams are of African origin and were probably brought into Europe early in
>the 14th Century.

Yes, but what Americans call yams are of New World origin. African 
yams are a whole different vegetable.

Both what Americans call Sweet Potatoes (with deep orangy yellow 
flesh) *AND* what Americans call Yams (with pale yellow flesh) are 
just two varieties of the same plant, both from the New World, with 
flesh of differing shades of yellow and purplish, mostly smooth skin, 
both Ipomoea batatas.

What are called yams that are from Africa is something one rarely 
finds in America, and is a tuber with white flesh and rough cocoa 
brown skin, and are from a number of different plants within genus 
Dioscorea.

Anahita al-shazhiya