There are a few theories as to how the yam and the sweet potato became conflated in the collective consciousness. One that makes sense is that West Africans adopted the sweet potato into their cuisine after they were brought to the American South, as it was the best substitute they could find for their beloved yam.

Yams have turgid, dark brown skin, and their tubers can grow up to 5 feet deep. The flesh is creamy white. Across West Africa, yams are a staple food and the king of crops.

The sweet potato, on the other hand, originated in Central America and can be many shades, from orange to ruby to purple, and is usually about the size of a large russet potato.

Presently, some growers are trying to untangle the confusion by dropping the word “yam” from packaging.

Conventional wisdom had it that the sweet potato found its way to Europe with Columbus, and from there to points east. There is now evidence that says it made it to Polynesia from the Andes about 400 years before Ferdinand and Isabella sent Chris out to find them some riches.

The sweet potato figures prominently in Hawaiian history. On his arrival in 1778, Capt. James Cook observed that it was already an essential crop for islanders. Hawaiian legend tells us of the pig god, Kamapua, whose snout was just long enough to dig up the fleshy tubers.

New Zealand folklore has it that when this tuber is in the ground, an enemy can be driven mad and then simply will run away. Maori chants tell of the god of food cultivation, and how he took care of this life-sustaining plant.

“Yaki Imo” is Japanese for “potato man,” but what he sells is in fact roasted sweet potatoes. He trundles his cart down the street in the early morning, singing and entreating residents to partake of his hearty breakfast.

In the same family as Morning Glory, Ipomoea batatas has the same prolific vining habit, and varieties are often used as ornamentals. In the language of flowers, it says “I attach myself to you.”

The tuber serves as a stomach and kidney tonic, contains vitamins and yields glucose. There is absolutely no need to add sugar to sweet potatoes, but this is the South, after all.

Though they were not available at the first Thanksgiving, the festive board definitely would be missing something without a heaping dish of these glistening jewels.

– A reference librarian, Lisa Karen Miller has been gardening and researching plant lore for many years. Have plant lore to share? Email lisalisa13131313@gmail.com.