Kumara (2024)

FAQs

Is kumara the same as sweet potato? ›

Kumara (also known as sweet potato) comes in a range of varieties, colours and shapes. Red kumara is the most popular variety in New Zealand, with its distinctive red skin and firm white flesh. Orange kumara is the sweetest and firmest option, whereas purple kumara is the least sweet.

Sweet potatoes can also be called yams in North America. When soft varieties were first grown commercially there, there was a need to differentiate between the two. Enslaved Africans had already been calling the 'soft' sweet potatoes 'yams' because they resembled the unrelated yams in Africa.

Kumara, or sweet potatoes, may also be used.

Kūmara (sweet potato) has a long history of cultivation in New Zealand. Kūmara was brought here over one thousand years ago from the Pacific islands by early Maori settlers. This bush had much smaller tubers and was widely grown, especially in the semi-tropical regions of the North Island.

Locals pronounce Kumara with the stress on the middle syllable, not the first as we do with the maori pronunciation of the root vegetable, making it KU-MAR-A. 2. 'Kumara' is believed to be a corruption of the Maori words "Kohe Mara" meaning the blossom of tataramoa (bush lawyer).

"I didn't know you could eat sweet potato raw," our Food Director Rhoda Boone said. Turns out a lot of people think you have to cook sweet potatoes before you eat them. But unlike regular potatoes, which contain the dangerous enzyme solanine in their raw state, sweet potatoes can actually be consumed raw.

The Okinawan Sweet Potato: A Purple Powerhouse of Nutrition

The primary nutritional benefit, and the one for which Okinawan sweet potatoes are especially prized, is their high antioxidant levels.

Okinawans typically serve sweet potatoes steamed, which perfectly renders their creamy texture and sweet flavor.

Though they can both be part of a healthy diet, sweet potatoes are generally healthier than regular potatoes, partly because of their incredibly high vitamin A content. Sweet potatoes are also lower on the glycemic index, meaning that they are less likely than regular potatoes to make your blood sugar spike.

Sweet potatoes in Spain (Madrid) is “batata”. “Patata” and “papa” means the same because they're the same word, which is potato. Sweet potato is “batata”.

What do the French call sweet potatoes? ›

When we first moved to France, you couldn't buy a sweet potato for nothing. The French call them patates douces.

Sweet potatoes are a good source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals, while providing a lower glycemic index than rice.

A sweet potato is a root. Yams tend to be more cylindrical and have scaly, bark-like skin. Sweet potatoes tend to have a more tapered shape and may be firm or soft with thinner skin. Generally, sweet potatoes taste sweeter than yams.

Before European arrival in New Zealand, carbohydrates were hard to find. Māori placed great value on the kūmara, a sweet potato they had brought from Polynesia.

Kogenesengan is a Japanese variety of sweetpotato (kumara) that has a pale creamy white skin and flesh. They go well baked and make a great chip.

Are there benefits to eating sweet potatoes if you have diabetes? When eaten in moderation, all kinds of sweet potatoes are healthy. They're very high in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals and can safely be included in a diabetes-friendly diet.

Both potatoes and sweet potatoes are healthy foods that can fit well into most diets. However, if you are looking for extra health benefits like regulating blood sugar and more vitamin A and antioxidants, sweet potatoes are a better option.