What is Yam?
{{taxobox |name = Yam |image = YamsatBrixtonMarket.jpg |image_caption = Yams at [[Brixton market]] |regnum = [[Plantae]] |unranked_divisio = [[Angiosperms]] |unranked_classis = [[Monocots]] |ordo = [[Dioscoreales]] |familia = [[Dioscoreaceae]] |genus = ''[[Dioscorea]]'' |species = |binomial = |binomial_authority = |}} [[File:Dioscorea sp. MHNT.BOT.2013.22.35.jpg|thumb|''Dioscorea sp.'']] [[File:Mobile Market 01.JPG|thumb|Yam on Wheelbarrow]] [[File:Powdered Yam.jpg|thumb|Powdered Yam]] A '''yam''' is a [[root vegetable]]. It is similar to a [[sweet potato]], but not related to them. The inside of a yam is white or orange. Yams are related to lilies and grasses. Yam is the common name for some species in the [[genus]] ''[[Dioscorea]]''. These are [[perennial plant|perennial]] [[vine]]s grown to eat. They are grown in [[Africa]], [[Asia]], [[Latin America]], the [[Caribbean]] and [[Oceania]]. 95 percent of world's yam crop is harvested in [[West Africa]]. Yam is a vegetable that can be cooked in many ways. It can be [[barbecue]]d; [[roast]]ed; [[Frying|fried]]; [[grill]]ed; [[Boiling|boiled]]; [[bake]]d; [[smoked]] and when [[Grater|grated]] it is used in [[desserts]]. Yam tubers can grow up to 1.5&nbsp;meters (4.9&nbsp;feet) in length and weigh up to 70 kilograms (154&nbsp;lb) and 3 to 6&nbsp;inches high. The skin is rough and hard to peel. It softens after heating. The inside ranges in color from white or yellow to purple or pink in mature yams. Some people in the [[United States]] and [[Canada]] call the [[sweet potato]] a yam, but it is not a yam. {{Clear}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Yam (Vegetable)}} [[Category:Root vegetables]] [[Category:Monocots]] {{biology-stub}}