Why Do Black People Eat Sweet Potato?

West African cooks first experimented with sweet potatoes as a possible substitute for the other root crops (cassava, plantain and yams) that they used to make a typical meal of some sort of starch served with a savory sauce, soup or stew typically made with fish and vegetables.

Why do black people like sweet potato?

The sweet potato first found success in Europe and later in America due to the trans-Atlantic slave trade, which forced the migration of countless human-beings and relocated them primarily in the South. The popularity that sweet potatoes ultimately found within the black community was due to convenience.

Are sweet potatoes good for black people?

The sweet potato evokes surprisingly strong feelings — and not just from the pro- and anti-marshmallow lobbies. It is a staple of the African diet. And Africans feel passionately about it. It kindles warm memories.

Did slaves eat sweet potatoes?

The sweet potato, which is native to the Americas, was likely used by African slaves as an alternative to the yam found in their homeland.

Is sweet potato pie a black thing?

It became an African cuisine tradition brought to the United States by slaves, who made it using sweet potatoes and yams, a plant native to Africa, instead of pumpkin. Ever since, sweet potato pie has been a must-have dish at many African-American family gatherings, especially Thanksgiving.

Do black people put marshmallows on sweet potatoes?

What are Black folks’ Southern candied yams? Candied yams are an old-fashioned African-American recipe. A sweet potato side dish cooked to perfection in a brown sugar-glaze syrup. Candied yams are often topped with marshmallows after a mix of seasonings and spices brings this soul food dish to perfection!

What cultures eat sweet potatoes?

Sweet potato leaves and young shoots are also eaten as part of the cuisines of a number of cultures, including Chinese, Polynesian and Filipino.

Why do black people love sweet potato pie?

Using that sweet potato bounty, making the desserts in the Big House was often tasked to enslaved African American cooks, and it was through their expertise that sweet potato pie enters black culture.

Is a sweet potato and a yam the same thing?

That sweet, orange-colored root vegetable that you love so dearly is actually a sweetpotato. Yes, all so-called “yams” are in fact sweetpotatoes. Most people think that long, red-skinned sweetpotatoes are yams, but they really are just one of many varieties of sweetpotatoes.

Whats the difference between a yam and a sweet potato?

Are Yams and Sweet Potatoes the Same? No, yams and sweet potatoes are not the same. Yams have rough, dark brown skin that is often compared to tree bark, and their flesh is dry and starchy like a regular potato. Sweet potatoes have smooth reddish skin, softer flesh (when cooked), and a sweet flavor.

What did African American slaves eat?

Weekly food rations — usually corn meal, lard, some meat, molasses, peas, greens, and flour — were distributed every Saturday. Vegetable patches or gardens, if permitted by the owner, supplied fresh produce to add to the rations. Morning meals were prepared and consumed at daybreak in the slaves’ cabins.

What was the African diet before slavery?

Before slavery, in West Africa, our diet consisted heavily of plant-based foods such as ground provisions, fruits and greens. Meat was either not on the menu or eaten occasionally in smaller portions as a stew. They also consumed no dairy products.

What did original Africans eat?

Ancestral Africans participated in agriculture and sustained on a diet that focused on vegetables, beans, tubers, grains, roots, and greens. Greens were and are such a staple in this diet that they make up the base on the pyramid and with good reason.

Did yams come from Africa?

Yams originated in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean. Africans call yams “nyami,” which is where we get the word “yam.” They are cylindrical and vary in size. Some of the largest yams have weighed more than 100 pounds and have been several feet long.

Are sweet potatoes native to Africa?

Sweet potatoes are native to South America and were introduced to Africa in the 1600s via Portuguese trade routes.

Who invented sweet potato?

Sweet potatoes originated in Central and South America. But archaeologists have found prehistoric remnants of sweet potato in Polynesia from about A.D. 1000 to A.D. 1100, according to radiocarbon dating. They’ve hypothesized that those ancient samples came from the western coast of South America.

Who started putting marshmallows on sweet potatoes?

Janet McKenzie Hill
According to an article from Saveur Magazine documented by the Library of Congress, the first recipe of mashed sweet potatoes with marshmallows dates to 1917, when “marketers of Angelus Marshmallows hired Janet McKenzie Hill, founder of the Boston Cooking School Magazine, to develop recipes for a booklet designed to

Why do Americans eat marshmallows with sweet potatoes?

Sweet Marketing
According to Saveur, it was 1917 when the first instance of sweet potatoes baked with a coat of marshmallows appeared in a recipe booklet commissioned by Angelus Marshmallows. Since then, the dish found its way into more and more culinary publications, allowing for nationwide recognition.

Why do we eat sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving?

The Real Reason We Candy Sweet Potatoes for Thanksgiving
Sweet potatoes have been popular in the American South since colonial times, when slaves who worked in plantation fields and kitchens mistook them for the yams they knew in their homelands.

What country eats the most sweet potato?

China is the world’s biggest producer and consumer of sweetpotato, where it is used for food, animal feed, and processing (as food, starch, and other products).

What does sweet potato do for the body?

They’re high in fiber and antioxidants, which protect your body from free radical damage and promote a healthy gut and brain. They’re also incredibly rich in beta-carotene, which is converted to vitamin A to support good vision and your immune system.