A Homage to the Sweet Potato
For many Africans, who grew up eating them as a staple, sweet potato has always been a part of life.
A typical example of African vegetarian food, they are certainly not loved by all. But those who do appreciate this colourful root use them as terms of affection and even – as inspiration for songs.
Part of their appeal is their incredible versatility. They can be boiled, roasted, deep-fried, mashed, baked – even dried.
Some might ask what’s not to love? And that’s before you discover their incredible health benefits.
Yet to explain their lasting, global popularity we must delve into their curious history…
Native to Latin America, sweet potatoes are thought to have been domesticated more than 5000 years ago. Yet despite this impressive fact, their history is by no means complete. And the debate continues to rage regarding where and when this took place.
Even the story of their journey across the globe is contested. Recent research has found evidence of them in Polynesia prior to Christopher Columbus’s arrival in South America in 1492. Clearly, there remains much to discover about the origins of the sweet potato.
What can be said for sure is that by the end of the 18th century, Europeans had succeeded in spreading them to tropical climes across the world. And today, they continue to thrive across North America, Asia and Africa.
“The sweet that gives health”
In the 20th century, their production in Africa was almost replaced by the Irish potato. Introduced by the British, white potatoes could be grown faster in a smaller space of time and thus appealed to many farmers.
The sweet potatoes that were grown in Africa were largely the white or yellow variety. However, whilst arguably better than white potatoes, they lacked the nutrients that the orange (and purple) varieties provide.
In the last two decades, research into malnutrition has helped reverse this trend. Marketed as “the sweet that gives health”, orange sweet potatoes are now helping to eliminate Vitamin A deficiency across the continent. In just one serving, they provide our daily requirement of this crucial vitamin.
Superfood status
But sweet potatoes don’t just provide us with Vitamin A. They also offer fibre, potassium, calcium and Vitamin K – all in greater quantities than normal spuds. Not to mention a healthy hit of Vitamin C.
And unlike most white foodstuffs (like potatoes, bread and rice) sweet potatoes rank low on the glycaemic index (GI). This means that they are broken down at a slower rate – keeping us fuller for longer.
In fact, sweet potatoes are so good for us that NASA has conducted extensive research into them. Both as a nutrient-dense food for astronauts and as a potential deep-space crop – that could one day be grown on Mars.
Below we offer some ideas on ways to cook this humble root.
4 easy sweet potato recipes
Sweet Potato Curry
Chop an onion and fry over medium heat, until soft. Add 1 tsp garlic and ginger paste and cook for 1 minute. Then add 250g sweet potato, 1 tbsp red curry paste, half a tin of coconut milk and 100ml water. Bring to the boil then simmer for half an hour, until the potato is soft. Season and serve with rice.
Sweet Potato Soup
Boil one large sweet potato until soft. Roughly chop then transfer back to your pan. Combine with half a tin of coconut milk, vegetable stock and one red chilli. Blitz with a hand blender and serve.
Sweet Potato Wedges
Slice into wedges and arrange in a roasting tin. Drizzle with olive oil. Roast for 30 mins on 220°C, until cooked. Then let them cool with the oven door open for 10 mins. Serve with a sprinkling of salt. A good accompaniment is tomato preserve.
Baked
Wrap one sweet potato and two cloves of garlic in foil and bake (separately) until soft. Blitz the garlic with a handful of coriander, 1 small green chilli, 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tsp soy sauce, until smooth. Serve the sauce drizzled over the warm sweet potato.
But what’s your favourite way to eat sweet potatoes? Submit your recipe!
