Yams

These are the edible tubers of a number of plants of the Dioscorea family. They come in a great variety of sizes and shapes and may weigh as much as 100 pounds each though most are about the size of a large potato and weigh 1 pound or less. The flesh is white or yellow and has a very pleasant rather nutlike flavour, and a texture rather like potatoes. They may be cooked according to any potato recipe. They are widely used in West Indian cooking and are available in most markets selling tropical foods. Yams should not be confused with the incorrectly named Louisiana yam, the orange-fleshed sweet potato, as they belong to entirely different botanical families.