CELEBRATING PURPLE SWEET POTATOES
Celebrating purple sweet potatoes…
Sweet potatoes share some enigma in the vegetable market. Although it is called sweet potatoes, it does not belong to the potato family. Whereas potatoes are starchy and tuberous crop with swollen underground stems, sweet potatoes are sweet-tasting tuberous roots. It has a creamy texture and sweet-spicy flavour with natural goodness. Therefore, it makes them a perfect choice vegetable to supercharge your favourite meals. Sweet potatoes are the darlings of the vegetable patch. They are delicious, and nutritious with so many tasty recipes. So, there are many ways you can incorporate them into your diet.
Purple sweet potatoes are gaining popularity. There are a few varieties of purple sweet potatoes. Some are with white skin and fairly purple flesh. Others are with dark skin and rich purple flesh. Purple sweet potato is prized for its natural purple flesh. It is not easy to find regular gold sweet potatoes.
Greengrocer
You will need to look out for it at the local greengrocer or the farmer’s market. It is a rare variety of the sweet potato range. Purple sweet potatoes are a season crop too. Many people confuse it with the sweet potato with red sweet potato. This has a purplish skin, however white flesh. Purple flesh sweet potatoes taste sweeter than the regular range. However, you may use it in all the same ways. It provides an extra pop of colour to tour food. This variety claims all the delicious health benefits of sweet potato including the antioxidant beta-carotene.
Beta-carotene links to a reduced risk of heart disease and promotes eye health. It supports a strong immune system too. Furthermore, it is bursting with vitamins. In addition to being an eye-catching colour, it has the presence of anthocyanin. Anthocyanin is a powerful antioxidant. It links to reducing dementia and maintaining brain health.
Fibre content
Purple sweet potatoes contain a high fibre content. Furthermore, one serving of sweet potato provides 100% of the daily intake of vitamins A and C for an adult. One serve is 150g of sweet potato. You can eat the skin of the purple sweet potatoes. It contains some important nutrients that our body needs, including fibre. Therefore, don’t bin the skin. However, you must remember to wash them carefully before cooking.
When cooked without too much oil or fat, all sweet potatoes are healthy. All sweet potato varieties contain almost the same nutritional values. However, orange sweet potatoes contain higher levels of beta-carotene. It gives the orange colour to the vegetable. So, beta-carotene is in other orange foods like carrots too. The human body uses it as an antioxidant. Thus far, purple sweet potatoes are higher in anthocyanins. This is what gives the vegetable its purple colour. It is found in other purple foods too.
Taste
When you roast two different varieties of sweet potatoes and eat them side by side, you will notice a subtle difference in taste. Many people claim purple sweet potatoes have a sweeter and creamier texture. Other than its attractive colour, they are interchangeable with orange, white and red sweet potatoes. However, the colour is impressive.
