Boss and former coworker got into a very amusing argument over this and it got me curious.

  • fubo@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    160
    ·
    edit-2
    1 year ago

    The name “yam” is used for a few different root vegetables.

    The word is from West Africa and refers originally to Dioscorea yams, which are found in many parts of the world — having been independently domesticated in Africa, Asia, and the Americas. The word “yam” is related to the Fulani word for “to eat”, and was introduced into European languages by way of Portuguese colonizers.

    But in the US, “yam” almost always refers to a variety of sweet-potato (Ipomoea genus), which is more closely related to a morning-glory flower than to either Dioscorea or a true potato (which is a Solanum nightshade).

    Both sweet-potatoes and potatoes are native to the Americas. Sweet-potatoes probably were grown first in the Yucatán or in eastern South America, while true potatoes are from Peru and western South America.

    Meanwhile in New Zealand, a “yam” is oca, an Oxalis species — close relatives of sourgrass and redwood sorrel. And in Malaysia, “yam” is taro root!

    • Lvxferre@lemmy.ml
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      22
      ·
      edit-2
      1 year ago

      The word “yam” is related to the Fulani word for “to eat"

      The etymology is a bit messy. It might be from Fula, but it’s probably from Wolof ⟨ñàmbi⟩. Nowadays the Wolof word means yucca, but given that yucca is from the Americas, odds are that it was originally used for any edible root; or potentially another local root.

      Either way (from Fula or Wolof), the word ended in Portuguese as ⟨inhame⟩ [iɲɐ̃.me]. Nowadays it refers to taro, but before that English borrowed ⟨inhame⟩ as ⟨yam⟩.

      • bionicjoey@lemmy.ca
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        12
        ·
        1 year ago

        Nowadays the Wolof word means yucca, but given that yucca is from the Americas, odds are that it was originally used for any edible root; or potentially another local root.

        That reminds me of how the word “corn” referred to any grain until maize was discovered

        • Lvxferre@lemmy.ml
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          4
          ·
          edit-2
          1 year ago

          Yup, it’s the same underlying phenomenon - as maize becomes the prototypical non-wheat cereal grain for plenty speakers, they eventually repurpose the word “corn” to mean exclusively “maize”. (British dialects are the exception that prove the rule, as maize isn’t so prevalent in the islands.)

          This doesn’t happen just with crops, mind you - even animals get this treatment. Guarani “jagua” for example went from “hunting beast, specially jaguar” to “dog”, while Navajo “łį́į́ʼ” went from “pet, livestock, specially dog” to “horse”.

    • TheSaneWriter@lemmy.thesanewriter.com
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      9
      ·
      1 year ago

      I see. So it’s a little bit like how in the U.S. pickles refers to pickled cucumbers, but in other places pickles can refer to other pickled foods. Yams are to sweet potatoes what pickles are to pickled cucumbers.

      • key@lemmy.keychat.org
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        9
        ·
        1 year ago

        Another fun layer I’ve encountered recently has been “pickles” referring to a specific variety of (non-pickled) cucumbers that are usually used for pickling. So pickles are pickled pickles.

        • RedAggroBest@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          1 year ago

          Gherkins are pickled cucumbers originally. Now Gherkins are the name used by brands in the US for the baby pickles.

    • bron@kbin.social
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      1 year ago

      Neat, so yams in the US refer to a sweet potato? Slightly related, but can you also explain the difference between Ube and Taro? I’ve had this conversation with my friends as well.

      • fubo@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        5
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        1 year ago

        Yeah, if you go to a general US grocery store and see something described as a “yam” it’s going to be a sweet-potato, usually a larger or starchier variety.

        Ube is a Dioscorea yam native to Asia. It’s closely related to the African yam. Most of this family of plants are big terrestrial vines that can live in somewhat dry places.

        Taro, or kalo in Hawaiian, is from a different family of plants. It’s related to the peace lily. Most of this family of plants live in aquatic or marshy places.

    • wcdmanz@lemmy.nz
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      1 year ago

      And now do kūmara! They sometimes get called sweet potatoes in New Zealand

      • fubo@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        1 year ago

        Looking them up, it sounds like they’re the same species as American sweet-potato, which is one more bit of evidence for early contact between Polynesians and South America.

        • ratumoko@kbin.social
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          edit-2
          1 year ago

          I believe they are different. Kumala (in Fijian) is very different than a yam. Yams and uvi are more tubular, and the skin will slip off after cooking and kumala is more bulbous. Google shows different pictures than what I remember, showing kumala closer to taro (dalo in Fijian).

  • robocall@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    9
    ·
    1 year ago

    yams and sweet potatoes are not the same. Yams have rough, dark brown skin that is often compared to tree bark, and their flesh is dry and starchy like a regular potato. Sweet potatoes have smooth reddish skin, softer flesh (when cooked), and a sweet flavor.

    source

  • Talidos@ttrpg.network
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    7
    ·
    1 year ago

    Our cans of sweet potatoes have an alternate label on the back that says yams, so apparently not much. (This is in the USA)

    • StealthToad@lemmy.worldOP
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      1 year ago

      She is going through some rough shit and couldn’t work here anymore, but her and boss have been friends for years.

  • GustavoM@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    3
    ·
    edit-2
    1 year ago

    Sweet potatoes makes your fart smell.

    Yams do not.

    Source: my (unfortunate) experience in forbidden lands

  • PeterPoopshit@lemmynsfw.com
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    2
    arrow-down
    4
    ·
    edit-2
    1 year ago

    My 2008 beater is great because it has no smart shit it in at all. I wouldn’t buy a newer car unless it had a standard enough dash that I can replace whatever dumbass restricted smart app shit system it comes with.