“Let food be your medicine.” Hippocrates
Purple yam is a starchy sweet root vegetable that is neither purple Taro nor Japanese purple sweet potato. It is one of almost 600 different varieties of the yam family; of these six hundred kinds, only about twenty of them are edible.
To differentiate between them, purple yam has brown and rough skin that gives it a long shelf life, but purple sweet potato has thin and edible skin similar to other potatoes. Purple yam’s beautiful color darkens when it is cooked and tastes similar to vanilla or white chocolate. But Taro has pale flesh with only a hint of purple that is less sweet than Ube with nutty flavor. All three of them are used in pastries and for other culinary reasons especially in South Asian cuisine. All three share some of the same nutritional benefits. All have fiber and are good for gut health, and their purple color contributes to their health benefits. While purple yam can reduce the risk of high blood pressure, taro can reduce the risk of diabetes. Purple yam increases good gut bacteria and has antioxidant, which can reduce the risk of cancers such as lung, prostate and colon cancer. It has vitamins A and C and minerals like iron, calcium, sodium and potassium, plus carbohydrate. All together purple yam can be a valuable ingredient for your health maintenance and you can be creative in your culinary skills with such a beautiful purple color.
“Let’s always eat and drink healthful food and beverages and do it in moderation.” Dr. Sii
Taro
Purple Sweet potato
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