Yams/Sweet Potatoes

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YAMS/SWEET POTATOES

   I've been reading through some vegetarian magazines.  From VEGETARIAN
TIMES (www.vegetariantimes.com), October 2002, pg. 63:

   Yams?  DId someone say yams?  "Those  things that most people think are
yams are not yams," says Jessica Harris, PhD, a culinary historian
specializing in African, American and South American foods and a professor at
Queens College CUNY in Manhattan.  (Isn't Queens College in QUEENS?  Does
anyone edit copy anymore?--ed.)  "Although thousands of Southerners will call
them yams until the day they die (UNTIL THE DAY THE YAMS DIE?--ed.), a sweet
potato is most definitely not a yam."  The sweet potato (_Ipomoea batata_) is
a member of the morning glory family, _Convovulaceae_.  Its skin is usually
coppery-colored, and its flesh ranges from yellow to orange and tastes
decidedly sweet.  A yam, on the other hand, is a member of the _Disocorea_
family.  Yams are big, hairy, scaly and usually have a whitish flesh that is
not sweet.  Neither is related to the white potato, _Solanum tuberosum_.
(Pg. 63--ed.)
   Confusion may have arisen because the African word, _nyami_ or _unyam_
(which means "to eat") was used by slaves to refer to the sweet potatoes
being grown by Colonial settlers.  The word "yam" stuck and has for
centuries.  To add to the confusion, Louisiana sweet potato growers in the
1930s collectively started using the word "yam" in marketing efforts to
distinguish their sweet potatoes from those grown in North Carolina and other
Eastern states.


MISC.
   The VEGETARIAN TIMES includes an article on meditation.  VEGGIE LIFE has
an ad to "Increase Breast Size" on page five; I missed back issues on
"Natural Menopause" and "Sarah McLachlan Profile."  As I said, I don't
subscribe to these magazines.

HEROINES--From VEGGIE LIFE (Autumn 2002, www.VeggieLife.com), pg. 13, col. 1:
 "Hero subs aren't just for him.  Women often make the mistake of building a
vegetarian diet around salads and pasta, ending up short of protein, iron,
and zinc.  So, here's a solution that provides 68 percent of a woman's
protein for the day, and over half of what a man requires.  Make the
sandwiches with just one style of veggie meat or use several.  Try veggie
pepperoni, chicken, turkey, salami, ham, deli slices, or a mix.  Some brands
are fortified with iron and zinc."

MUSCLE MUFFINS--In VEGGIE LIFE, pg. 15.  The author doesn't tell us, but this
name is trademarked.

SOYCICLE--A VEGGIE LIFE article in the Summer 2001 back issue.  Only one
Google hit!

AFGHAN BREAD WITH SPINACH--Recipe in VEGETARIAN TIMES, pg. 28.  "Afghan bread
and the seasoning _zahtar_ are sold at Middle Eastern markets and some
well-stocked supermarkets."  Many Google hits.

TVP or textured vegetable protein--VEGGIE LIFE has a nice little glossary on
page 61.  It includes this term and "blackstrap molasses," "nutritional
yeast," "Szechuan peppercorns," and "tofu, pressing."
   OED has "TVP" from July 1968.  Trademark records show that Archer Daniels
Midland registered first use 2 May 2002 for "unflavored and meat and poultry
flavored vegetable protein food."