How much does Chinese yam (tiegun yam) cost per jin, can the skin be eaten, and how is it different from ordinary yam?

Tiegun yam is one of the many varieties of yam. Tiegun yam has marks on it that look like rust, hence the name tiegun yam. Tiegun yam is divided by geographical location into two types: sandy-soil and loess-soil tiegun yam near the Yellow River. So, how much does tiegun yam cost per jin? Can its skin be eaten? How is it different from ordinary yam?

1. How much does tiegun yam cost per jin?

According to Mr. Xiao from a farmers' market in Changsha, Hunan, tiegun yam on the market costs about 13 yuan per jin, though prices vary from region to region.

2. Can the skin of tiegun yam be eaten?

Of course it can be eaten! Tiegun yam skin is not only nutritious but also has a certain medicinal value. When washing it, the yam skin can cause slight skin irritation and itching; you can put both hands into warm water sprinkled with salt or vinegar and it will soon ease. You can also directly pour vinegar on the irritated area. The traditional Chinese medicine name for yam is Huaishan, because the saponin contained in yam skin or the plant alkaloids in its mucilage can cause an allergic itch in a small number of people on contact, so direct contact should be avoided when handling yam. Therefore it is generally peeled before eating, to avoid abnormal mouthfeel such as numbness and prickling.

3. How is tiegun yam different from ordinary yam?

1. By shape

Tiegun yam is about 1-2 cm thick; length does not matter, with a round head and a pointed tail.

Vegetable yam is very thick and sturdy, reaching 4-5 cm in thickness, with a regular shape.

2. By skin

Tiegun yam skin has rusty-red markings, with pockmarks and densely distributed root hairs. If the yam has been trimmed, the root hairs on it may fall off, so this cannot be used as a complete basis for judgment; it can be judged from the pockmarks.

Vegetable yam skin is relatively smooth, with pockmarks and root hairs scattered sparsely.

3. By texture

If you break tiegun yam with force, you can feel that its flesh is relatively hard, very starchy, and the cross-section is fine and smooth, white or slightly ivory-yellow, with little mucilage.

Vegetable yam has a coarse, fibrous texture and lots of water; you can squeeze water out of it by hand, and it will break at the slightest touch.

4. By taste

Tiegun yam can be cooked through in a pot of boiling water in ten minutes; whether steamed or boiled, its taste is dry, fragrant and sweet, and it does not fall apart after long cooking, with a faint numbing taste.

No matter how you steam or boil vegetable yam, it stays crisp, so people often use it to make refreshing dishes.