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Question For Sweet Potato Experts

by thunderbird
15 replies
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I was recently astonished to learn that sweet potatoes can be eaten raw. Is this common knowledge?
#raw sweet potato #sweet potato #yams
  • Profile picture of the author HeySal
    I would imagine so. You can eat regular potatoes raw, too.........

    But yuck. Who wants to?

    BTW -- there are around 500 caratines. You only get one or two (beta-caratine) in raw sweet potatoes (or carrots). It takes cooking to release the others.
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  • Profile picture of the author GT
    I get sweet potatoes and yams mixed up, but I think I like both, and I do enjoy them raw! Perhaps more so than raw carrots and other vegetables. But they are also great cooked in a stew or stir fry or ... pretty much any way you want to prepare them!

    GT
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    • Profile picture of the author thunderbird
      Originally Posted by GT View Post

      I get sweet potatoes and yams mixed up, but I think I like both, and I do enjoy them raw! <snip>
      I've wondered about this. I always understood sweet potatoes and yams to be two different vegetables, but Safeway and Pricesmart (BC, Canada store) both have them listed as "yams." According to About.com
      Sweet Potato and Yam Differences
      "The true yam is the tuber of a tropical vine (Dioscorea batatas) and is not even distantly related to the sweet potato."
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      • Profile picture of the author Dave Patterson
        Originally Posted by thunderbird View Post

        I've wondered about this. I always understood sweet potatoes and yams to be two different vegetables, but Safeway and Pricesmart (BC, Canada store) both have them listed as "yams." According to About.com
        Sweet Potato and Yam Differences
        "The true yam is the tuber of a tropical vine (Dioscorea batatas) and is not even distantly related to the sweet potato."
        But I didn't know Yams could grow to over SEVEN FEET LONG...Yikes!
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        • Profile picture of the author QuickSurf
          You can eat pretty much any of them raw but not sure who would, taste pretty ughh raw. Sweet potatoes to me have to be baked and brown sugar added and sometimes little marshmallow bites as well. Raw carrots I like, raw potatoes though... mehhh
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  • Profile picture of the author Dave Patterson
    Love sweet potatoes...and yes, I'll munch on them raw when prepping.

    (Baked and topped with brown sugar and butter....yummmm)
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    • Profile picture of the author thunderbird
      Originally Posted by Dave Patterson View Post

      Love sweet potatoes...and yes, I'll munch on them raw when prepping.
      Wow, did everybody know about this but me?
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  • Profile picture of the author MoneyMagnetMagnate
    Like GT - I tend to get the two confused...
    Sweet Potato and Yam Differences
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  • Profile picture of the author TLTheLiberator
    I don't know about raw but in pie form they're delicious.

    BTW, sweet potato pie also happens to be the POTUS's favorite much like yours truly.


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    • Profile picture of the author ThomM
      Originally Posted by TLTheLiberator View Post

      I don't know about raw but in pie form they're delicious.

      BTW, sweet potato pie also happens to be the POTUS's favorite much like yours truly.


      TL
      My mother had a visiting aide who made sweet potato pie and some type of glazed or candied sweet potato dish. I like sweet potatoes to begin with, both eating those two dishes was like tasting heaven.
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      • Profile picture of the author Dave Patterson
        Originally Posted by ThomM View Post

        My mother had a visiting aide who made sweet potato pie and some type of glazed or candied sweet potato dish. I like sweet potatoes to begin with, both eating those two dishes was like tasting heaven.
        My favorite memory of my grandmother...her candied sweet potatoes...
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  • Profile picture of the author Mae Rose
    You have to be careful in eating raw sweet potato because it contains the toxic alkaloid solanine.
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    • Profile picture of the author thunderbird
      Originally Posted by Mae Rose View Post

      You have to be careful in eating raw sweet potato because it contains the toxic alkaloid solanine.
      I just did some quick Internet research on whether sweet potatoes contain solanine as regular potatoes do. From what I found, apparently not. Sweet potatoes are only very distantly related to regular potatoes and do not contain nightshade solanine alkaloid.
      WHFoods: Are sweet potatoes just orange-colored regular potatoes?
      "Unlike potatoes, sweet potatoes do not contain nightshade alkaloids [solanine]"
      "The nightshade alkaloids are completely avoided with a change from baking potatoes to sweet potatoes because sweet potatoes are not part of the nightshade family."

      In other words, it seems to be safe to eat sweet potatoes raw. Also, cooking does not get rid of solanine in regular potatoes that have turned green.

      Solanine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
      "When potato tubers are exposed to light, they turn green and increase glycoalkaloid production. This is a natural defense to help prevent the uncovered tuber from being eaten. The green colour is from chlorophyll, and is itself harmless. However, it is an indication that increased level of solanine and chaconine may be present."
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  • Profile picture of the author pressurewashing
    Yes all food can be eaten raw, but unless you are livestock I wouldn't eat a raw potato.
    As the nature lady said some vegetables are better cooked because their nutritional properties become more bio-available. But raw is a good way to get plenty of enzymes.
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  • Profile picture of the author Alcon
    I don't like them raw, tastes weird to me. I prefer my microwaved for a quick snack.
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