The Difference Between Yacon and Sweet Potato

Sometimes when I go to the market to buy vegetables, I see sweet potatoes, but when I ask, they say they are yacon, and the price is much higher than ordinary sweet potatoes. So what is the difference between yacon and sweet potatoes? What are the differences between them? Today, the editor will analyze this issue for you.

1. Feel and price

Yacon and sweet potato look very similar, and sometimes even hard to tell apart. But if you touch them, you will find that the skin of yacon is smoother, while the surface of sweet potato is rougher. The prices of yacon and sweet potato are also very different. Yacon is sold at a higher price in the market, at 5 to 6 yuan per kilogram, while sweet potato is much cheaper, at only about 1 yuan per kilogram.

2. Appearance

Yacon and sweet potato are two fundamentally different plants. The stems and leaves of yacon are more like hemp plants, and the fruit and seeds of yacon do not grow together. Sweet potato is an annual herb, and its leaves are mostly oval, with many kinds of petals in different colors, and the part buried underground is the tuberous root of sweet potato.

3. Taste

There is also a clear difference in taste between yacon and sweet potato. Yacon has a crisper texture and a sweet taste, just like fruit. Sweet potato has a rougher texture when eaten raw and has a lighter sweetness. It is usually eaten by boiling, steaming or baking.

4. Nutritional value

The nutritional value of yacon is many times higher than that of sweet potato! Yacon is an underground fruit that contains a variety of vitamins and minerals, as well as a large amount of natural sugars. When people eat it, it can not only promote body metabolism, but also prevent the three highs and cleanse the intestines and detoxify. The main component of sweet potato is starch, and it also contains a certain amount of pectin and vitamins. The main effect of eating sweet potato is to maintain the heart and prevent diabetes.