One of the staples of the Thanksgiving meal is the sweet potato, usually as a casserole or “candied” and cooked with lots of butter, sugar, and cinnamon. Though frequently called yams, sweet potatoes are actually completely unrelated to that vegetable. True, yams are edible tubers, but the yam plant is in a family related to grasses and is native to Africa and Asia, while the sweet potato is in the same family as the morning glory, and a native of the Americas. Native Americans were eating sweet potatoes before Columbus landed on American shores, and it wasn’t long before Europeans picked up on this delicious and healthful root vegetable. The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a non-profit with the mission of providing information on diet and nutrition to improve health, ranked the sweet potato as the number one healthiest vegetable, and even one of the healthiest foods to eat compared to all foods. The reason why? Sweet potatoes are loaded with important vitamins and minerals, including carotenoids, a phytonutrient characterized by orange color. Carotenoids, which are excellent antioxidants (cancer fighters), include beta carotene (the precursor to Vitamin A), with over 300% of the daily allowance per serving. Sweet potatoes also provide Vitamin C, potassium and magnesium, and fiber. Due to its low glycemic index, the sweet potato is a delicious yet healthy choice for diabetics.

Different varieties of sweet potatoes have been developed over the years, each with unique qualities. Some of the popular ones include Beauregard, Covington, Jewel and Hernandez. Covington and Jewel were developed by NC State University. Sweet potatoes are easy to grow, with few pest and disease problems, and the well-drained soils of the Sandhills are well suited to sweet potato production. Sweet potatoes are grown from “slips” which are the vegetative sprouts grown off the storage root. Slips are planted once the soil warms up in the spring, and the roots can be harvested between 90-120 days later. Sweet potatoes need to be cured after harvest in a dry, well-ventilated area, to ensure they will last during storage. If held in a cool, dry place, sweet potatoes can last up to 10 months without spoiling. When purchasing sweet potatoes for eating, look for uniform size and a smooth skin, with few abrasions or imperfections. Fewer blemishes will help ensure the best storage.

In the 1920s, Americans consumed almost 30 pounds of sweet potatoes per person per year. These days that number is greatly reduced, to less than four pounds. However, recent promotions on the healthiness of this bright orange vegetable have instigated a resurgence in consumption, and sweet potato fries, chips, and other prepared foods made from sweet potato have become more common at restaurants and grocery stores.

The sweet potato is North Carolina’s state vegetable, and NC is the number one producer of the root crop in the United States, with about 40% of total production. Recently, North Carolina State University received over $12 million dollars from the Gates Foundation to support research to create an even more resilient sweet potato. While a supremely nutritious and staple food item, the humble sweet potato can also be cultivated in many parts of the world such as Africa, where growing conditions are poor. Through selected breeding, the University hopes to develop an even tougher plant to create a crop that can easily be grown to help alleviate hunger and malnutrition across the world.

As you sit down to Thanksgiving dinner this year, remember to give thanks for the hearty and humble sweet potato, which gives us so much for so little. Consider adding this nutritious powerhouse to your daily dinner more frequently in the coming year. Living in North Carolina, it is an easy thing to do!