History Origin - Sweet Potatoes

HISTORY: Sweet potato has a rich history and interesting origin. It is one of the oldest vegetables known to mankind.

Scientists believe that sweet potato was domesticated thousands of years ago in Central America.

After his first voyage to the Americas in 1492, Christopher Columbus took sweet potatoes back home to Europe.

The crop was introduced into China in the late 16th century and spread through Asia, Africa, and Latin America during the 17th and 18th centuries.

It's hardy, has broad adaptability, and its planting material can be multiplied quickly from very few roots. It is now grown in more developing countries than any other root crop.



ORIGIN: Sweet potato is not a potato; and, yam and sweet potato are not the same. 
More history and origin --- Click for differences between yam, sweet potato, and potato.

Sweet potato is from the Morningglory (Convolvulaceae) plant family. Its correct spelling is "sweetpotato" one word. As a crop it is totally different from a potato (Solanum tuberosum) and from a yam - "nyami" (Dioscoreaceae).

After much discussion and consideration, I decided to use the generally accepted two-word spelling throughout this site.

Sweet potato has secondary centers of genetic diversity. These are geographical areas where the crop evolved separately from its American ancestors.

In Papua New Guinea and in other parts of Asia, many types of sweet potato can be found that are genetically distinct from those found in the Americas.

It's unclear as to how sweet potato got to the southwest Pacific. Some researchers believe European explorers took them there; others believe sweet potato was moved from island to island across the Pacific by indigenous people. 

New! Comments

Have your say about what you just read! Leave me a comment in the box below.

Worldwide Names for Sweet Potatoes


Albanian: Patate te embel

BURMESE: Myonk ni

CHINESE: Fan shu (Faan syu), Bai shu, Gan shu (kan chou) 

DANISH: Sød kartoffel, Batat 

DUTCH: Zoete aardappel, Bataat 

ENGLISH: Sweet potato (USA), Sweetpotato, Yam (USA), Kumara (NZ) 

FRENCH: Patate douce 

GERMAN: Süßkartoffel, Suesskartoffel, Batate 

ITALIAN: Patata dolce 

JAPANESE: Satsuma imo, Ryuukyuu imo, Kara imo, Kan sho, Yamiamo, Murasaki imo

KOREAN: Ko gu ma 

LAOTIAN: Man kè:w

MALAY: Ubi jalar (Indonesia)  

NORWEGIAN: Søtpoteter 

PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Kau Kau

PORTUGUESE: Batata doce, Batata da ilha (Brazil) 

SPANISH: Batata, Boniato, Camote (Latin America), Cumala huasca, Cumal huasca, Cumara, Curiti, Jarissi jabo, Kamote (Philippines) 

SUNDANESE: Huwi boled 

THAI: Man thet 

VIETNAMESE: Khoai lang, Khoai mon