Sweet Potato

Sweet potato is a starchy, tapered root with thin skin and moist, orange to purple flesh. Its flavor is gently sweet and earthy, turning creamy inside with caramelized edges when roasted. It handles mashing, roasting, baking, and pan-frying, and works in soups, curries, salads, and desserts. Common retail forms include whole roots, peeled cubes, fries, and canned puree.

Domesticated in the tropical Americas, it spread across the Pacific and Asia and became established in many cuisines, from West African to Japanese and Caribbean. Today major production comes from China and the United States, with notable growing regions in the Southeast and sustained distribution through storage.