What about egg-yolk sweet potatoes? A comparison of yellow-fleshed and purple-fleshed sweet potatoes in appearance, taste and price
The "hidden" yet "sinful" purple sweet potato desserts are all the rage, and the method for growing purple sweet potatoes is not difficult. Is purple really so special? If you know how to eat, what color should you eat? Yellow sweet potatoes, purple sweet potatoes, and even orange sweet potatoes and white sweet potatoes - how do you choose a sweet potato? From the owner of the local organic vegetable stall "Ran She"
The "hidden" yet "sinful" purple sweet potato desserts are all the rage, and the method for growing purple sweet potatoes is not difficult. Is purple really so special? If you know how to eat, what color should you eat? Yellow sweet potatoes, purple sweet potatoes, and even orange sweet potatoes and white sweet potatoes - how do you choose a sweet potato? Let the owner of the local organic vegetable stall "Ran She" tell you!
How do you choose a sweet potato? What is the difference between the different colors?
The organic vegetable stall "Ran She" mainly sells local organic vegetables and offers more than 10 kinds of local and imported sweet potatoes. Mandy, the person in charge, says there are many kinds of sweet potatoes, with different appearances and different colors, and they all have different ways of being eaten and uses. How to choose a sweet potato is absolutely a matter of knowledge!
Yellow-fleshed sweet potatoes: incomparably sweet
1. Good value and tasty! Local egg-yolk sweet potato
The price is affordable, the size is larger, and it is often used to make sweet soup.
Appearance and flesh color: Round and plump, the skin is earthy red with a hint of purple, and the flesh is yellow with a hint of orange, like a boiled egg yolk.
Taste and flavor: The texture is soft, crumbly and smooth, sandy like egg yolk, and the sweetness is quite high.
Price: $18/pound (Ran She Natural Corner)
2. Sweet, fragrant and starchy! Naruto Kintoki sweet potato
Produced in the Naruto Strait in northern Tokushima Prefecture, grown in sandy soil rich in marine minerals, with the harvest period at the turn of summer and autumn.
Appearance and flesh color: Plump with smooth skin, purplish-red, and golden-yellow flesh.
Taste and flavor: The sweet potato aroma is outstanding, and it is smooth and starchy in the mouth, like chestnut, with extremely high sweetness.
Price: about $32/pound ($37.1/3 pieces @ Yata Supermarket)
3. Excessively sweet! Ganta Q-version sweet potato
Produced in Oita Prefecture, Japan, it must be stored for 40 days before shipment to allow the sugar to develop, and its sweetness is 1.5 times higher than ordinary sweet potatoes.
Appearance and flesh color: Narrow and short, with thin purplish-red skin and orange-yellow flesh.
Taste and flavor: Soft in the mouth, with fine fibers, sweet like maltose, and sticky after eating.
Price: about $20/pound ($24.8/pack @ Yata Supermarket)
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4. Lightly sweet and antioxidant-rich! Local purple-fleshed sweet potato
Boiling it will release a blue substance, which is actually antioxidant anthocyanin.
Appearance and flesh color: The skin is relatively smooth, purple with a hint of red, and it looks plump and thick-fleshed.
Taste and flavor: Sticky and starchy, with restrained sweetness, fresh and easy on the throat, and relatively easy to control when making desserts.
Price: $22/pound (Ran She Natural Corner)
5. The sweet version of purple sweet potato! Australian white-skinned purple-fleshed
A variety developed in Queensland, Australia, accounting for only 2% of local production, making it a rare variety.
Appearance and flesh color: Narrow and slender, with skin white with a hint of brown, and the flesh has a purple ring.
Taste and flavor: Good texture, starchy with a crisp edge, and sweeter than ordinary purple sweet potatoes.
Price: $45/pound (Ran She Natural Corner)
6. Carrot flavor! Australian organic golden sweet potato
Originally from North America, it accounts for 90% of Australia's sweet potato production. Locals call it Beauregard, and it is rich in carotene.
Appearance and flesh color: Plump and round, with skin red with a hint of orange, and the center of the flesh is a fresh orange like carrot.
Taste and flavor: It wins on texture, with sufficient moisture, crisp in the mouth without being stringy, moderate sweetness, and the characteristic is a fresh sweetness like carrot.
Price: $36/pound (Ran She Natural Corner)
7. Precious and medicinal! Local white-skinned white-fleshed
Originally from Brazil, with extremely low production, it is known as "medicinal sweet potato" and contains oligosaccharides that can help control blood sugar, making it a first choice for dietary therapy.
Appearance and flesh color: Narrow with many lines on the skin, the skin is white with a pale yellow hint, and the flesh is as white as uncooked kudzu root.
Taste and flavor: Less moisture, dry with a heavy starchiness, and slightly less sweet, but it wins for its dietary therapeutic effects.
Price: $56/pound (Ran She Natural Corner)
Myth 1: The bigger the sweet potato, the better?
Choose one that feels heavy in the hand, with sufficiently smooth skin, small pits and no sprouts. The two ends should not be too narrow, otherwise there is no flesh to eat. The shape should be even and the feel should be firm. At the same time, do not just greedily go for large ones, because oversized sweet potatoes mean they are older, and both sweetness and moisture will be somewhat lost.
Myth 2: Can sweet potatoes help with weight loss and beauty?
Different colors mean different nutritional value. Orange flesh is rich in vitamin A and can help nourish the eyes. Purple flesh contains anthocyanin, has an antioxidant effect, and is lower in sweetness, making it suitable for people who are trying to lose weight. White-skinned white-fleshed ones strengthen the liver, suppress sugar, and help control blood pressure.
Myth 3: Can sweet potatoes cure colds?
Besides being eaten as a sweet food, older generations would use white-skinned white-fleshed ones to make a large-leaf mustard and ginger soup. The method is to first wash the mustard greens and cut them into sections, peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into pieces, add ginger and boil for 20 minutes, then add salt to season. It is said to have the effect of treating colds and clearing the stomach and intestines.
