View source for Sweet potato

{{short description|Species of edible plant}}
{{about||the musical instrument sometimes called a "sweet potato"|ocarina|the true yam|yam (vegetable)|the song by Sia|Colour the Small One}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2024}}
{{speciesbox
| name = Sweet potato
| image = Ipomoea batatas 006.JPG
| image_caption = Sweet potato tubers
| image_alt = Several elongated reddish brown tubers
|status = DD
|status_system = IUCN3.1
|status_ref =<ref name=iucn>{{Cite iucn |title=''Ipomoea batatas'' |author=Rowe, J., Wood, J., Scotland, R. & Muñoz-Rodríguez, P. |name-list-style=amp |article-number= e.T71775024A71775029 |date=2019 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T71775024A71775029.en |access-date=2 June 2024}}</ref>
| status2 = {{TNCStatus}}
| status2_system = TNC
| status2_ref =<ref name="NatureServe">{{cite web |last1=NatureServe |title=''Ipomoea batatas'' |url=https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.149769/Ipomoea_batatas |access-date=15 February 2024 |location=Arlington, Virginia |date=2024 |archive-date=15 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240215190249/https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.149769/Ipomoea_batatas |url-status=live }}</ref>
| genus = Ipomoea
| species = batatas
| authority = ([[Carl Linnaeus|L.]]) [[Jean-Baptiste Lamarck|Lam.]]
}}
The '''sweet potato''' or '''sweetpotato'''{{Efn|This spelling, although less common, has been advocated for because it clarifies the plant's distinctiveness from potatoes and yams.}} (''Ipomoea batatas'') is a [[dicotyledon]]ous plant in the morning glory family, [[Convolvulaceae]]. Its sizeable, [[starch]]y, sweet-tasting [[tuberous root]]s are used as a [[root vegetable]],<ref name="Purseglove, 1991">{{cite book |last=Purseglove |first=John Williams |year=1968 |title=Tropical crops: D |series=[[Longman Scientific and Technical]]|publisher=[[John Wiley and Sons]]|location=New York |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rYQ_AAAAYAAJ |isbn=978-0-582-46666-1}}{{page needed|date=April 2015}}</ref><ref name="Woolfe, 1992">{{cite book |last=Woolfe |first=Jennifer A. |title=Sweet Potato: An Untapped Food Resource |date=5 March 1992 |location=Cambridge, UK |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] (CUP) and the [[International Potato Center]] (CIP) |isbn=978-0-521-40295-8}}</ref> which is a [[staple food]] in parts of the world. [[Sweet potato cultivars|Cultivars of the sweet potato]] have been bred to bear tubers with flesh and skin of various colors. Moreover, the young shoots and leaves are occasionally eaten as [[Leaf vegetable|greens]]. The sweet potato and the [[potato]] are only distantly related, both being in the order [[Solanales]]. Although darker sweet potatoes are often known as "yams" in parts of North America, they are even more distant from actual [[yam (vegetable)|yam]]s, which are [[monocots]] in the order [[Dioscoreales]].<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QIFTVWJH3doC&pg=PA256 |first1=Emory Dean|last1=Keoke|first2=Kay Marie|last2=Porterfield|title=Encyclopedia of American Indian Contributions to the World: 15,000 Years of Inventions and Innovations |year=2009 |publisher=[[Infobase Publishing]]|page=256 |isbn=978-0-8160-4052-0}}</ref>

The sweet potato is [[Native species|native]] to the tropical regions of South America in what is present-day [[Ecuador]].<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |date=24 January 2022 |title=Mystery of sweetpotato origin uncovered, as missing link plant found by Oxford research |url=https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2022-01-24-mystery-sweetpotato-origin-uncovered-missing-link-plant-found-oxford-research |access-date=2024-03-24 |website=[[University of Oxford]] |language=en |archive-date=2 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230902133431/https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2022-01-24-mystery-sweetpotato-origin-uncovered-missing-link-plant-found-oxford-research |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite journal |last1=Muñoz-Rodríguez |first1=Pablo |last2=Wells |first2=Tom |last3=Wood |first3=John R. I. |last4=Carruthers |first4=Tom |last5=Anglin |first5=Noelle L. |last6=Jarret |first6=Robert L. |last7=Scotland |first7=Robert W. |date=22 January 2022 |title=Discovery and characterization of sweetpotato's closest tetraploid relative |journal=[[New Phytologist]] |language=en |volume=234 |issue=4 |pages=1185–1194 |doi=10.1111/nph.17991 |issn=0028-646X |pmc=9306577 |pmid=35064679 |doi-access=free|bibcode=2022NewPh.234.1185M }}</ref> Of the approximately 50 [[Convolvulaceae#Genera|genera]] and more than 1,000 species of Convolvulaceae, ''I. batatas'' is the only crop plant of major importance—some others are used locally (e.g., [[Ipomoea aquatica|''I. aquatica'']] "kangkong" as a green vegetable), but many are poisonous. The genus ''Ipomoea'' that contains the sweet potato also includes several garden flowers called [[morning glory|morning glories]], but that term is not usually extended to ''I. batatas''. Some [[cultivar]]s of ''I. batatas'' are grown as [[ornamental plant]]s under the name ''tuberous morning glory,'' and used in a horticultural context. 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.<ref>{{Cite web |date=19 November 2019 |title=What is the difference between sweet potatoes and yams? |website=[[Library of Congress]] |url=https://loc.gov/everyday-mysteries/agriculture/item/what-is-the-difference-between-sweet-potatoes-and-yams/#:~:text=When%20soft%20varieties%20were%20first,from%20the%20'firm'%20varieties. }}</ref> Thus, 'soft' sweet potatoes were referred to as 'yams' to distinguish them from the 'firm' varieties.

==Description==
[[File:Genasu gadde (Kannada ಗೆಣಸು ಗಡ್ಡೆ) (49108875711).jpg|thumb|left|The flowers, buds, and leaves of the sweet potato, which resemble those of the [[morning glory]]]]
[[File:Sweet potato seeds.jpg|thumb|Seeds|left]]
The plant is a [[herbaceous plant|herbaceous]] [[perennial plant|perennial]] [[vine]], bearing alternate triangle-shaped or palmately lobed [[Leaf|leaves]] and medium-sized [[sympetalous]] [[flower]]s. The stems are usually crawling on the ground and form [[adventitious roots]] at the [[plant stem|nodes]]. The leaves are screwed along the stems. The [[leaf stalk]] is {{Convert|5 to 20|in|cm|abbr=off|order=flip}} long. The leaf blades are very variable, {{Convert|5 to 13|cm|abbr=on|frac=4}} long, the shape is heart-, kidney- to egg-shaped, rounded or triangular and spear-shaped, the edge can be entire, toothed or often three to seven times lobed, cut or divided. Most of the leaf surfaces are bare, rarely hairy, and the tip is rounded to pointed. The leaves are mostly green in color, but the accumulation of [[anthocyanins]], especially along the leaf veins, can make them purple. Depending on the variety, the total length of a stem can be between {{Convert|0.5 and 4|m|ft|abbr=off|frac=2}}. Some cultivars also form [[Shoot (botany)|shoot]]s up to {{Convert|16|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} in length. However, these do not form underground storage organs.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

The [[hermaphrodite]], five-fold and short-stalked flowers are single or few in stalked, zymous inflorescences that arise from the leaf axils and stand upright. It produces flowers when the [[Photoperiodism|day is short]]. The small [[sepal]]s are elongated and tapering to a point and spiky and (rarely only 7) {{Convert|10 to 15|mm|frac=8}} long, usually finely haired or [[ciliate]]. The inner three are a little longer. The {{Convert|4 to 7|cm|abbr=on|frac=4}} long, overgrown and funnel-shaped, folded crown, with a shorter hem, can be lavender to purple-lavender in color, the throat is usually darker in color, but white [[crown (botany)|crowns]] can also appear. The enclosed stamens are of unequal length with glandular filaments. The two-chamber ovary is upper constant with a relatively short stylus.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}} Seeds are only produced from cross-pollination.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title=Pollinating Sweet Potatoes|url=https://homeguides.sfgate.com/pollinating-sweet-potatoes-74929.html|access-date=15 October 2021|department=Home Guides|website=[[SF Gate]]|date=11 May 2013|language=en|archive-date=15 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160415153410/https://homeguides.sfgate.com/pollinating-sweet-potatoes-74929.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The flowers open before sunrise and stay open for a few hours. They close again in the morning and begin to wither. The edible [[tuberous]] root is long and tapered, with a smooth skin whose color ranges between yellow, orange, red, brown, purple, and beige. Its flesh ranges from beige through white, red, pink, violet, yellow, orange, and purple. Sweet potato [[cultivar]]s with white or pale yellow flesh are less sweet and moist than those with red, pink or orange flesh.<ref name="loeb2009" />

==Taxonomy==
[[File:Sweet potato and wild relatives.png|thumb|450x450px|Roots of the Taizhong6 cultivar compared to those of its two closest wild relatives: ''I. trifida'' and ''I. triloba''<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Wu|first1=Shan|last2=Lau|first2=Kin H.|last3=Cao|first3=Qinghe|last4=Hamilton|first4=John P.|last5=Sun|first5=Honghe|last6=Zhou|first6=Chenxi|last7=Eserman|first7=Lauren|last8=Gemenet|first8=Dorcus C.|last9=Olukolu|first9=Bode A.|last10=Wang|first10=Haiyan|last11=Crisovan|first11=Emily|date=2 November 2018|title=Genome sequences of two diploid wild relatives of cultivated sweetpotato reveal targets for genetic improvement|journal=[[Nature Communications]]|volume=9|issue=1|page=4580|doi=10.1038/s41467-018-06983-8|pmid=30389915|pmc=6214957|bibcode=2018NatCo...9.4580W|s2cid=53215329|issn=2041-1723}}</ref>]]
The sweet potato [[Native species|originates]] in South America in what is present-day [[Ecuador]].<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" /> The domestication of sweet potato occurred in either [[Central America|Central]] or South America.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QU3qxpHf4S4C&q=Sweet+Potato+Peru+domesticated&pg=PA21 |title=Geneflow 2009 |publisher=Bioversity International |isbn=978-92-9043-813-7 }}</ref> In Central America, domesticated sweet potatoes were present at least 5,000 years ago,<ref name="cigar">{{cite web |url=http://www.cgiar.org/impact/research/sweetpotato.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050207230303/http://www.cgiar.org/impact/research/sweetpotato.html |archive-date=7 February 2005 |title=Sweet Potato |publisher=Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research }}</ref> with the origin of ''I. batatas'' possibly between the [[Yucatán Peninsula]] of Mexico and the mouth of the [[Orinoco]] River in [[Venezuela]].<ref name="Austin1988">{{cite conference |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7Ff-wrcqm1EC&q=The+taxonomy%2C+evolution+and+genetic+diversity+of+sweetpotatoes+and+related+wild+species&pg=PA27 |title=The taxonomy, evolution and genetic diversity of sweet potatoes and related wild species |first=Daniel F. |last=Austin |year=1988 |conference=First Sweet Potato Planning Conference, 1987 |editor= P. Gregory |book-title=Exploration, Maintenance, and Utilization of Sweet Potato Genetic Resources |publisher=International Potato Center |location=Lima, Peru |pages=27–60|isbn=978-92-9060-115-9 }}</ref> The [[cultigen]] was most likely spread by local people to the [[Caribbean]] and South America by 2500 BCE.<ref name="Zhang et al">{{cite journal |url= http://sweetpotatoknowledge.org/germplasm/germplasm-collection/cip-genebank/AFLP%20Assessment%20of%20Sweetpotato%20Genetic%20Diversity%20in%20Four%20Tropical%20American%20Regions.pdf |title=AFLP Assessment of Sweetpotato Genetic Diversity in Four Tropical American Regions |first1=D.P. |last1=Zhang |first2=M. |last2=Ghislain |first3=Z. |last3=Huaman |first4=J.C. |last4=Cervantes |first5=E.E. |last5=Carey |journal=International Potato Center (CIP) Program Report 1997-1998 |publisher=International Potato Center (CIP) |location=Lima, Peru |year=1999 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140423062838/http://sweetpotatoknowledge.org/germplasm/germplasm-collection/cip-genebank/AFLP%20Assessment%20of%20Sweetpotato%20Genetic%20Diversity%20in%20Four%20Tropical%20American%20Regions.pdf |archive-date=23 April 2014 }}</ref>

''[[Ipomoea trifida|I. trifida]]'', a [[diploid]], is the closest wild relative of the sweet potato, which originated with an initial cross between a [[tetraploid]] and another diploid parent, followed by a second complete [[genome duplication]] event.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Morales Rodríguez|first=Alfredo|author2=Alfredo Morales Tejón |author3=Dania Rodríguez del Sol |author4=Iván J. Pastrana |author5=Claudia A. Méndez |year=2017 |title=Origen, evolución y distribución del boniato (''Ipomoea batatas'' (l.) Lam.). Una revisión|journal=[[Agricultura Tropical]]|volume=3 |issue=1|pages=1–13|issn=2517-9292|language=es}}</ref> The oldest [[radiocarbon dating]] remains of the sweet potato known today were discovered in caves from the Chilca Canyon, in the south-central zone of [[Peru]], and yield an age of 8080 ± 170 BC.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Engel|first=Fréderic|year=1970|title=Exploration of the Chilca Canyon|journal=[[Current Anthropology]]|volume=11|pages=55–58|doi=10.1086/201093|s2cid=144317617}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|author=Perry, L. |year=2002 |title=Starch granule size and the domestication of manioc (''Manihot esculenta'') and Sweet potato (''Ipomoea batatas'')|journal=[[Economic Botany]]|volume=56|issue=4 |pages=345–349|doi=10.1663/0013-0001(2002)056[0335:SGSATD]2.0.CO;2 |s2cid=32462935 }}</ref>

=== Transgenicity ===
The [[genome]] of cultivated sweet potatoes contains sequences of [[DNA]] from ''[[Agrobacterium]]'' (''[[sensu lato]]''; specifically, one related to ''[[Rhizobium rhizogenes]]''), with genes actively expressed by the plants.<ref name="kyndt">{{cite journal |last1=Kyndt |first1=Tina |last2=Quispea |first2=Dora |last3=Zhaic |first3=Hong |last4=Jarretd |first4=Robert |last5=Ghislainb |first5=Marc |last6=Liuc |first6=Qingchang |last7=Gheysena |first7=Godelieve |last8=Kreuzeb |first8=Jan F. |title=The genome of cultivated sweet potato contains Agrobacterium T-DNAs with expressed genes: An example of a naturally transgenic food crop |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |date=20 April 2015 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1419685112 |volume=112 |issue=18 |pages=5844–5849 |pmid=25902487 |pmc=4426443|bibcode=2015PNAS..112.5844K |doi-access=free }}</ref> The T-DNA [[transgene]]s were not observed in closely related wild relatives of the sweet potato.<ref name=kyndt/> Studies indicated that the sweet potato genome [[evolution|evolved]] over [[millennium|millennia]], with eventual domestication of the crop taking advantage of natural genetic modifications.<ref name=kyndt/> These observations make sweet potatoes the first known example of a naturally transgenic food crop.<ref name=kyndt/><ref>{{cite web |title=Sweet potato is a natural GMO |url=http://www.genengnews.com/gen-news-highlights/sweet-potato-is-a-natural-gmo/81251182/ |publisher=Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News |access-date=23 April 2015 |date=22 April 2015 |archive-date=25 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150425193722/http://www.genengnews.com/gen-news-highlights/sweet-potato-is-a-natural-gmo/81251182 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Doucleff|first=Michaeleen|date=5 May 2015|title=Natural GMO? Sweet Potato Genetically Modified 8,000 Years Ago|language=en|work=NPR|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2015/05/05/404198552/natural-gmo-sweet-potato-genetically-modified-8-000-years-ago|access-date=15 January 2022|archive-date=15 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220115142149/https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2015/05/05/404198552/natural-gmo-sweet-potato-genetically-modified-8-000-years-ago|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Lebot-2020">{{cite book | last=Lebot | first=Vincent | title=Tropical Root and Tuber Crops: Cassava, Sweet Potato, Yams And Aroids | publisher=CABI ([[Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International]]) | publication-place=[[Wallingford, Oxfordshire]], UK [[Boston]], USA | year=2020 | isbn=978-1-78924-336-9 | oclc=1110672215 | page=541}}</ref>{{rp|141}}<ref name="Soucy-et-al-2015">{{cite journal | last1=Soucy | first1=Shannon M. | last2=Huang | first2=Jinling | last3=Gogarten | first3=Johann Peter | title=Horizontal gene transfer: building the web of life | journal=[[Nature Reviews Genetics]] | publisher=[[Nature Portfolio]] | volume=16 | issue=8 | date=17 July 2015 | issn=1471-0056 | doi=10.1038/nrg3962 | pages=472–482| pmid=26184597 | s2cid=6794788 }}</ref><ref name="Andersen-et-al-2015">{{cite journal | last1=Andersen | first1=Martin Marchman | last2=Landes | first2=Xavier | last3=Xiang | first3=Wen | last4=Anyshchenko | first4=Artem | last5=Falhof | first5=Janus | last6=Østerberg | first6=Jeppe Thulin | last7=Olsen | first7=Lene Irene | last8=Edenbrandt | first8=Anna Kristina | last9=Vedel | first9=Suzanne Elizabeth | last10=Thorsen | first10=Bo Jellesmark | last11=Sandøe | first11=Peter | last12=Gamborg | first12=Christian | last13=Kappel | first13=Klemens | last14=Palmgren | first14=Michael G. | title=Feasibility of new breeding techniques for organic farming | journal=[[Trends in Plant Science]] | publisher=[[Cell Press]] | volume=20 | issue=7 | year=2015 | issn=1360-1385 | doi=10.1016/j.tplants.2015.04.011 | pages=426–434| pmid=26027462 | s2cid=205454618 | doi-access=free | bibcode=2015TPS....20..426A }}</ref>

==Cultivation==
{{See also|Sweet potato storage}}

===Dispersal history===
{{further|Sweet potato cultivation in Polynesia}}
[[File:Leiden University Library - Seikei Zusetsu vol. 20, page 014 - 度奴久和宇藷 - Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam. - 赤藷, 白藷 - idem., 1804.jpg|thumb|left|[[Seikei Zusetsu]] (~1800)]]

Before the arrival of Europeans to the Americas, sweet potato was grown in [[Polynesia]], generally spread by vine cuttings rather than by seeds.<ref>{{cite web |title=Batatas, Not Potatoes |url=http://www.botgard.ucla.edu/html/botanytextbooks/economicbotany/Ipomoea/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080519142258/http://www.botgard.ucla.edu/html/botanytextbooks/economicbotany/Ipomoea/index.html |archive-date=19 May 2008 |access-date=12 September 2010 |publisher=Botgard.ucla.edu}}</ref> Sweet potato has been [[Radiocarbon dating|radiocarbon-dated]] in the [[Cook Islands]] to 1210–1400 CE.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Wilmshurst |first1=Janet M. |last2=Hunt |first2=Terry L. |last3=Lipo |first3=Carl P. |last4=Anderson |first4=Atholl J. |author4-link=Atholl Anderson |date=27 December 2010 |title=High-precision radiocarbon dating shows recent and rapid initial human colonization of East Polynesia |url= |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |language=en |volume=108 |issue=5 |pages=1815–1820 |bibcode=2011PNAS..108.1815W |doi=10.1073/pnas.1015876108 |issn=0027-8424 |pmc=3033267 |pmid=21187404 |quote=For example, the earliest presence of sweet potato (''Ipomoea batatas'') in Mangaia, Cook Islands, dated to A.D. 1210–1400 and was regarded as a late occurrence |doi-access=free}}</ref> A common hypothesis is that a vine cutting was [[Pre-Columbian trans-oceanic contact theories#Claims involving sweet potato|brought]] to central Polynesia by [[Polynesians]] who had traveled to South America and back, and spread from there across Polynesia to Easter Island, Hawaii and New Zealand.<ref>{{cite book |last=van Tilburg |first=Jo Anne |title=Easter Island: Archaeology, ecology, and culture |publisher=Smithsonian Institution Press |year=1994 |location=Washington, D.C.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Bassett, Gordon |display-authors=etal |title=Gardening at the Edge: Documenting the limits of tropical Polynesian kumara horticulture in southern New Zealand |url=http://www.geol.canterbury.ac.nz/people/kari/2004%20Bassett,%20Gordon,%20et%20al.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724015520/http://www.geol.canterbury.ac.nz/people/kari/2004%20Bassett,%20Gordon,%20et%20al.pdf |archive-date=24 July 2011 |publisher=University of Canterbury |location=New Zealand}}</ref> Genetic similarities have been found between Polynesian peoples and indigenous Americans including the [[Zenú]], a people inhabiting the Pacific coast of present-day [[Colombia]], indicating that Polynesians could have visited South America and taken sweet potatoes prior to European contact.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Lizzie Wade |date=8 July 2020 |title=Polynesians steering by the stars met Native Americans long before Europeans arrived |url=https://www.science.org/content/article/polynesians-steering-stars-met-native-americans-long-europeans-arrived |journal=Science |doi=10.1126/science.abd7159 |s2cid=225642378 |access-date=30 June 2022 |archive-date=17 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200717034835/https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/07/polynesians-steering-stars-met-native-americans-long-europeans-arrived |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }}</ref> Dutch linguists and specialists in [[Indigenous languages of the Americas|Amerindian languages]] [[Willem Adelaar]] and Pieter Muysken have suggested that the word for sweet potato is shared by Polynesian languages and languages of South America: [[Proto-Polynesian language|Proto-Polynesian]] *{{lang|mis|kumala}}<ref name="POLLEX-kumala">{{cite web |last1=Greenhill |first1=Simon J. |last2=Clark |first2=Ross |last3=Biggs |first3=Bruce |year=2010 |title=Entries for KUMALA.1 [LO] Sweet Potato (''Ipomoea'') |url=http://pollex.org.nz/entry/kumala1/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130208114223/http://pollex.org.nz/entry/kumala1/ |archive-date=8 February 2013 |access-date=16 July 2013 |work=POLLEX-Online: The Polynesian Lexicon Project Online}}</ref> (compare [[Rapa Nui language|Rapa Nui]] {{lang|rap|kumara}}, [[Hawaiian language|Hawaiian]] {{lang|haw|{{okina}}uala}},<!--this is correct. an [m] was not dropped.--> [[Māori language|Māori]] {{lang|mi|kūmara}}) may be connected with [[Quechua language|Quechua]] and [[Aymara language|Aymara]] {{lang|qu|k'umar}} ~ {{lang|ay|k'umara}}. Adelaar and Muysken assert that the similarity in the word for sweet potato is proof of either incidental contact or sporadic contact between the Central [[Andes]] and Polynesia.<ref name="Adelaar2004">{{cite book |last1=Adelaar |first1=Willem F. H. |title=The Languages of the Andes |last2=Muysekn |first2=Pieter C. |date=10 June 2004 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-139-45112-3 |page=41 |chapter=Genetic relations of South American Indian languages |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UiwaUY6KsY8C&pg=PA41}}</ref>

Some researchers, citing divergence time estimates, suggest that sweet potatoes might have been present in Polynesia thousands of years before humans arrived there.<ref>{{cite news |date=12 April 2018 |title=Sweet potato history casts doubt on early contact between Polynesia and the Americas |publisher=EurekaAlert! Cell Press |url=https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-04/cp-sph040518.php |access-date=23 September 2018 |archive-date=23 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180923123941/https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-04/cp-sph040518.php |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Muñoz-RodríguezCarruthers2018">{{cite journal |last1=Muñoz-Rodríguez |first1=Pablo |last2=Carruthers |first2=Tom |last3=Wood |first3=John R.I. |last4=Williams |first4=Bethany R.M. |last5=Weitemier |first5=Kevin |last6=Kronmiller |first6=Brent |last7=Ellis |first7=David |last8=Anglin |first8=Noelle L. |last9=Longway |first9=Lucas |last10=Harris |first10=Stephen A. |last11=Rausher |first11=Mark D. |last12=Kelly |first12=Steven |last13=Liston |first13=Aaron |last14=Scotland |first14=Robert W. |year=2018 |title=Reconciling conflicting phylogenies in the origin of sweet potato and dispersal to Polynesia |journal=Current Biology |volume=28 |issue=8 |pages=1246–1256.e12 |doi=10.1016/j.cub.2018.03.020 |issn=0960-9822 |pmid=29657119 |doi-access=free|bibcode=2018CBio...28E1246M |hdl=10568/92130 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> However, the present scholarly consensus favours the pre-Columbian contact model.<ref name="plos">{{cite journal |last1=Barber |first1=Ian |last2=Higham |first2=Thomas F. G. |date=14 April 2021 |title=Archaeological science meets Māori knowledge to model pre-Columbian sweet potato (''Ipomoea batatas'') dispersal to Polynesia's southernmost habitable margins |journal=[[PLOS One]] |volume=16 |issue=4 |article-number=e0247643 |bibcode=2021PLoSO..1647643B |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0247643 |pmc=8046222 |pmid=33852587 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Matisoo-Smith |first1=Lisa |date=13 April 2018 |title=When did sweet potatoes arrive in the Pacific – Expert Reaction |url=https://www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz/2018/04/13/when-did-sweet-potatoes-arrive-in-the-pacific-expert-reaction/ |access-date=30 March 2019 |website=www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz |publisher=Science Media Centre |quote=We would like to see more robust data, ideally from multiple sources, presented before we can accept the data and reconsider the current interpretation that the sweet potato was brought to Polynesia by humans at some point around 1000–1200 AD. |archive-date=29 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190329223537/https://www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz/2018/04/13/when-did-sweet-potatoes-arrive-in-the-pacific-expert-reaction/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The sweet potato arrived in Europe with the [[Columbian exchange]]. It is recorded, for example, in ''[[Elinor Fettiplace's Receipt Book]]'', compiled in England in 1604.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Fettiplace |first1=Elinor |title=Elinor Fettiplace's Receipt Book: Elizabethan Country House Cooking |date=1986 |publisher=Viking |editor1-last=Spurling |editor1-first=Hilary |editor1-link=Hilary Spurling |orig-date=1604}}</ref><ref name="CDW149">Dickson Wright, 2011. Pages 149–169</ref>

Sweet potatoes were first introduced to the [[Philippines]] during the [[History of the Philippines (1521–1898)|Spanish colonial period]] (1521–1898) via the [[Manila galleons]], along with other [[New World crops]].<ref name="gad">{{cite book |last1=Loebenstein |first1=Gad |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/226217377 |title=The Sweetpotato |publisher=Springer |year=2009 |isbn=978-1-4020-9474-3 |editor1-last=Loebenstein |editor1-first=Gad |chapter=Origin, Distribution and Economic Importance |editor2-last=Thottappilly |editor2-first=George |access-date=18 May 2019 |archive-date=24 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240324172320/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/226217377_Origin_Distribution_and_Economic_Importance |url-status=live }}</ref> It was introduced to the [[Fujian]] of China in about 1594 from [[Luzon]], in response to a major crop failure. The growing of sweet potatoes was encouraged by the Governor Chin Hsüeh-tseng (Jin Xuezeng).<ref>{{cite book |last=Spence |first=Jonathan D. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M7LAH8ggQvAC&pg=PA167 |title=Chinese Roundabout: Essays in History and Culture |publisher=W. W. Norton & Company |year=1993 |isbn=978-0-393-30994-2 |edition=illustrated, reprint, revised |page=167 |access-date=28 November 2015 |archive-date=24 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240324172323/https://books.google.com/books?id=M7LAH8ggQvAC&pg=PA167#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref>

Sweet potatoes were also introduced to the [[Ryukyu Kingdom]], present-day [[Okinawa Prefecture|Okinawa]], Japan, in the early 1600s by the [[Portuguese Empire|Portuguese]].<ref name="Japan&Dutch">{{cite book |author=Goodman, Grant K. |title=Japan and the Dutch 1600–1853 |publisher=Routledge |year=2013 |isbn=978-1-315-02806-4 |location=London |pages=66–67 |doi=10.4324/9781315028064}}</ref><ref name="FirstGlobalization">{{cite journal |author=Gunn, Geoffrey C. |year=2003 |title=First Globalization: The Eurasian Exchange, 1500-1800 |journal=The Sixteenth Century Journal |volume=36 |issue=3 |pages=932–933 |doi=10.2307/20477565 |jstor=20477565}}</ref><ref name="ObrienSweetPotato">{{cite journal |author=Obrien, Patricia J. |year=1972 |title=The sweet potato: Its origin and dispersal |journal=American Anthropologist |volume=74 |issue=3 |pages=342–365 |doi=10.1525/aa.1972.74.3.02a00070 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Sweet potatoes became a staple in Japan because they were important in preventing famine when rice harvests were poor.<ref name="ObrienSweetPotato" /><ref>{{cite news |author=Itoh, Makiko |date=22 April 2017 |title=The storied history of the potato in Japanese cooking |newspaper=The Japan Times |url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2017/04/22/food/storied-history-potato-japanese-cooking/#.WsaQ6ojwaUk |access-date=5 April 2018 |archive-date=27 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727024534/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2017/04/22/food/storied-history-potato-japanese-cooking/#.WsaQ6ojwaUk |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Aoki Konyō]] helped popularize the cultivation of the sweet potato in Japan, and the [[Tokugawa shogunate|Tokugawa bakufu]] sponsored, published, and disseminated a vernacular Japanese translation of his research monograph on sweet potatoes to encourage their growth more broadly.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ro |first=Sang-ho |title=Neo-Confucianism and Science in Korea: Humanity and Nature, 1706–1814 |publisher=Routledge |year=2021 |isbn=978-0-367-44100-5 |location=Oxon |page=58 |language=English}}</ref> Sweet potatoes were planted in Shōgun [[Tokugawa Yoshimune]]'s private garden.<ref>{{cite book |author=Takekoshi, Yosaburō |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZoV8ti9RZBgC&pg=PA352 |title=Economic Aspects of the History of the Civilization of Japan |publisher=Taylor & Francis |year=1930 |isbn=978-0-415-32380-2 |page=352 |access-date=28 November 2015 |archive-date=24 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240324172204/https://books.google.com/books?id=ZoV8ti9RZBgC&pg=PA352#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> It was first introduced to [[Korea]] in 1764.<ref>{{cite book |author=Kim, Jinwung |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QFPsi3IK8gcC&pg=PA255 |title=A History of Korea: From 'Land of the Morning Calm' to states in conflict |publisher=Indiana University Press |year=2012 |isbn=978-0-253-00078-1 |page=255 |access-date=28 November 2015 |archive-date=24 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240324172259/https://books.google.com/books?id=QFPsi3IK8gcC&pg=PA255#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> Kang P'il-ri and Yi Kwang-ryŏ embarked on a project to grow sweet potatoes in [[Seoul]] in 1766, using the knowledge of Japanese cultivators they learned in [[Dongnae District|Tongnae]] starting in 1764. The project succeeded for a year but ultimately failed in winter 1767 after Kang's unexpected death.<ref>Ro (2021), 59.</ref>

=== Names ===
{{See also|List of sweet potato cultivars}}
Although the soft, orange sweet potato is often called a "[[wikt:yam|yam]]" in parts of North America, the sweet potato is distinct from the botanical [[yam (vegetable)|yam]] (''Dioscorea''), which has a cosmopolitan distribution,<ref name="POWO_328349-2">{{cite web |title=''Dioscorea'' |url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:328349-2 |access-date=13 October 2019 |work=Plants of the World Online |publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew |archive-date=10 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190810160204/http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:328349-2 |url-status=live }}</ref> and belongs to the [[monocot]] family [[Dioscoreaceae]]. A different crop plant, the ''oca'' (''[[Oxalis tuberosa]]'', a species of wood sorrel), is called a "yam" in many parts of the world.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Oca |url=https://cipotato.org/genebankcip/genebankcip/process/oca/ |access-date=30 April 2021 |website=[[International Potato Center]] (CIP) Genebank |language=en-US |archive-date=24 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240324172318/https://cipotato.org/genebankcip/process/oca/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Although the sweet potato is not closely related botanically to the common potato, they have a shared etymology. The first Europeans to taste sweet potatoes were members of [[Christopher Columbus]]'s expedition in 1492. Later explorers found many cultivars under an assortment of local names, but the name which stayed was the indigenous [[Taíno people|Taíno]] name of ''[[wikt:batata|batata]]''. The Spanish combined this with the [[Quechua languages|Quechua]] word for potato, {{Lang|qu|papa}}, to create the word {{Lang|es|patata}} for the common potato.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Herrero |first=María Antonieta Andión |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wwI4nMg5r70C&pg=PA78 |title=Los indigenismos en la Historia de las Indias de Bartolomé de las Casas |date=2004 |publisher=Editorial CSIC – [[CSIC Press]] |isbn=978-84-00-08266-6 |location= |page=78 |language=es |access-date=2 February 2021 |archive-date=24 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240324172324/https://books.google.com/books?id=wwI4nMg5r70C&pg=PA78#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref>

Though the sweet potato is also called {{Lang|he-latn|batata}} ({{lang|he|{{Script|Hebrew|בטטה}}|rtl=yes}}) in [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]], this is not a direct loan of the Taíno word. Rather, the Spanish {{lang|es|patata}} was loaned into [[Arabic]] as {{lang|ar-latn|batata}} ({{lang|ar|{{Script|Arabic|بطاطا}}|rtl=yes}}), owing to the lack of a {{ipa|/p/}} sound in Arabic, while the sweet potato was called {{lang|ar-latn|batata ḥilwa}} ({{lang|ar|{{Script|Arabic|بطاطا حلوة}}|rtl=yes}}); literally ('sweet potato'). The Arabic {{lang|ar-latn|batata}} was loaned into Hebrew as designating the sweet potato only, as Hebrew had its own word for the common potato, {{lang|he|{{Script|Hebrew|תפוח אדמה}}|rtl=yes}} ({{lang|he-latn|tapuakh adama}}, literally 'earth apple'; compare French ''[[wikt:pomme de terre|pomme de terre]]'').

Some organizations and researchers advocate for the styling of the name as one word—''sweetpotato''—instead of two, to emphasize the plant's genetic uniqueness from both common potatoes and yams and to avoid confusion of it being classified as a type of common potato.<ref>{{cite web |date=12 November 2014 |title=Sweetpotato: One Word or Two? |url=https://cipotato.org/research/sweet-potato/sweetpotato-one-word-or-two/ |access-date=29 December 2019 |publisher=[[International Potato Center]] (CIP) |archive-date=28 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191228015852/https://cipotato.org/research/sweet-potato/sweetpotato-one-word-or-two/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Averre |first1=Charles W. |last2=Wilson |first2=L. George |title=Sweetpotato — Why one word? |url=https://projects.ncsu.edu/cals/plantpath/extension/commodities/sweetpotato-one-word.html |access-date=29 December 2019 |website=NCSU Plant Pathology |publisher=[[North Carolina State University]] Department of Plant Pathology |archive-date=30 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191230002128/https://projects.ncsu.edu/cals/plantpath/extension/commodities/sweetpotato-one-word.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5Wu-4sqzOD8C |title=The Sweetpotato |date=2009 |publisher=[[Springer Science & Business Media]] |isbn=978-1-4020-9475-0 |editor-last=Loebenstein |editor-first=Gad |page=298 |editor-last2=Thottappilly |editor-first2=George |access-date=30 December 2019 |archive-date=24 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240324172319/https://books.google.com/books?id=5Wu-4sqzOD8C |url-status=live }}</ref> In its current usage in [[American English]], the styling of the name as two words is still preferred.<ref>{{citation |title=What is a Sweetpotato? |date=October 2010 |url=https://vric.ucdavis.edu/pdf/SWEETPOTATO/What_is_a_sweetpotato.pdf |website=UC Vegetable Research & Information Center |page=2 |access-date=29 December 2019 |publisher=Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, [[University of California]] |archive-date=27 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200927122350/https://vric.ucdavis.edu/pdf/SWEETPOTATO/What_is_a_sweetpotato.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

In [[Argentina]], [[Colombia]], [[Venezuela]], [[Puerto Rico]],  and the [[Dominican Republic]], the sweet potato is called {{lang|es|batata}}. In Brazil, the sweet potato is called {{lang|pt|batata doce}}. In Mexico, [[Bolivia]], [[Peru]], Chile, Central America, and the [[Philippines]], the sweet potato is known as {{lang|es|camote}} (alternatively spelled {{lang|fil|kamote}} in the Philippines), derived from the [[Nahuatl]] word {{lang|nah|camotli}}.<ref>[https://dle.rae.es/camote El Diccionario de la lengua española, Real Academia Española]</ref><ref name="kamotenahuatl">{{cite news |title=Nahuatl influences in Tagalog |newspaper=[[El Galéon de Acapulco News]] |publisher=Embajada de México, Filipinas |url=http://elgaleon.weebly.com/page-18.html |access-date=16 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130427213956/http://elgaleon.weebly.com/page-18.html |archive-date=27 April 2013}}</ref>
In Peru and [[Bolivia]], the general word in Quechua for the sweet potato is {{lang|qu|apichu}}, but there are variants used such as {{lang|quy|khumara}}, {{lang|quy|kumar}} ([[Ayacucho Quechua]]), and {{lang|quh|kumara}} (Bolivian Quechua),<ref>{{Cite web |last=Diccionario Quechua Simi Taqe AMLQ |date= |title=Quechua: apichu |url=https://www.runa-simi.org/simitaqe/id-327-apichu.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220221093622/https://www.runa-simi.org/simitaqe/id-327-apichu.html |archive-date=21 February 2022 |access-date=2 February 2021 |website=www.runa-simi.org |language=Spanish }}</ref> strikingly similar to the Polynesian name {{Lang|mis|kumara}} and its regional Oceanic cognates ({{lang|to|kumala}}, {{lang|sm|umala}}, {{lang|haw|ʻuala}}, etc.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ipomoea batatas |url=http://www.hear.org/pier/species/ipomoea_batatas.htm |access-date=2023-07-01 |website=Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk: Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk |archive-date=1 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230701075629/http://www.hear.org/pier/species/ipomoea_batatas.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>), which has led some scholars to suspect an instance of [[Pre-Columbian trans-oceanic contact#Words related to axes|pre-Columbian trans-oceanic contact]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Doucleff |first=Michaeleen |date=23 January 2013 |title=How The Sweet Potato Crossed The Pacific Way Before The Europeans Did |language=en |work=[[NPR]] |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2013/01/22/169980441/how-the-sweet-potato-crossed-the-pacific-before-columbus |access-date=15 October 2021 |archive-date=15 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211015120513/https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2013/01/22/169980441/how-the-sweet-potato-crossed-the-pacific-before-columbus |url-status=live }}</ref> This theory is also supported by genetic evidence.<ref>{{cite web |last=Timmer |first=John |date=21 January 2013 |title=Polynesians reached South America, picked up sweet potatoes, went home |url=https://arstechnica.com/science/2013/01/polynesians-reached-south-america-picked-up-sweet-potatoes-went-home |access-date=8 July 2020 |website=[[Ars Technica]] |archive-date=8 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200708155215/https://arstechnica.com/science/2013/01/polynesians-reached-south-america-picked-up-sweet-potatoes-went-home/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

{{anchor|Beauregard}}In Australia, about 90% of production is devoted to the orange cultivar 'Beauregard',<ref name="researchgate/281529159">{{cite journal |last1=Rolston |first1=L. H. |last2=Clark |first2=C. A. |last3=Cannon |first3=J. M. |last4=Randle |first4=W. M. |last5=Riley |first5=E. G. |last6=Wilson |first6=P. W. |last7=Robbins |first7=M. L. |date=December 1987 |title=Beauregard' Sweet Potato |url=https://journals.ashs.org/hortsci/downloadpdf/journals/hortsci/22/6/article-p1338.xml |journal=HortScience |volume=22 |issue=6 |pages=1338–1339 |doi=10.21273/HORTSCI.22.6.1338 |s2cid=89381179 |access-date=13 September 2023 |archive-date=24 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240324172741/https://journals.ashs.org/downloadpdf/view/journals/hortsci/22/6/article-p1338.pdf |url-status=live |doi-access=free }}</ref> which was originally<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mafes.msstate.edu/publications/bulletins/b1221.pdf |last1=Main |first1=Jeffrey L. |last2=Silva |first2=Juan |last3=Arancibia |first3=Ramon |date=May 2016 |title=Mississippi Sweetpotato Variety Trial, 2013 |publisher=Mississippi Agricultural & Forestry Experiment Station |access-date=29 December 2023 |archive-date=11 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231011052244/https://www.mafes.msstate.edu/publications/bulletins/b1221.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=9 November 2022 |title=State of Success: Louisiana |url=https://www.nifa.usda.gov/about-nifa/blogs/state-success-louisiana |access-date=13 September 2023 |website=nifa.usda.gov National Institute of Food and Agriculture |archive-date=6 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230906214935/https://www.nifa.usda.gov/about-nifa/blogs/state-success-louisiana |url-status=live }}</ref> developed by the [[Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station]] in 1981.<ref>{{cite web |author1=Dominic Jolimont |author2=Margaret Jolimont |title=Sweet potato |url=http://slater.ncg.org.au/sweet-potato/ |access-date=10 July 2019 |website=Slater Community Gardens |archive-date=10 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190710122359/http://slater.ncg.org.au/sweet-potato/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In New Zealand, the [[Māori culture|Māori]] varieties bore elongated tubers with white skin and a whitish flesh,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Yen |first=D. E. |date=1963 |title=The New Zealand Kumara or Sweet Potato |journal=[[Economic Botany]] |volume=17 |issue=1 |pages=31–45 |doi=10.1007/BF02985351 |issn=0013-0001 |jstor=4252401 |bibcode=1963EcBot..17...31Y |s2cid=32823869 }}</ref> which points to pre-European cross-Pacific travel.<ref>{{cite web |last=Field |first=Michael |date=23 January 2013 |title=Kumara origin points to pan-Pacific voyage |url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/editors-picks/8213421/Kumara-origin-points-to-pan-Pacific-voyage |access-date=10 July 2019 |website=[[stuff.co.nz]] |archive-date=10 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190710122356/http://www.stuff.co.nz/editors-picks/8213421/Kumara-origin-points-to-pan-Pacific-voyage |url-status=live }}</ref> Known as ''kumara'' (from the [[Māori language]] {{lang|mi|kūmara}}), the most common cultivar now is the red 'Owairaka', but orange ('Beauregard'), gold, purple and other cultivars are also grown.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Yen |first=D. E. |year=1963 |title=The New Zealand Kumara or Sweet Potato |journal=[[Economic Botany]] |volume=17 |pages=31–45 |doi=10.1007/bf02985351 |jstor=4252401 |s2cid=32823869 |number=1|bibcode=1963EcBot..17...31Y }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Types of kumara grown in New Zealand |url=http://www.kumara.co.nz/types-of-kumara.html |website=Kaipara Kumara |access-date=10 July 2019 |archive-date=10 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190710122354/http://www.kumara.co.nz/types-of-kumara.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Habitat ===
The plant does not tolerate [[frost]]. It grows best at an average temperature of {{cvt|24|°C|°F|0}}, with abundant sunshine and warm nights. Annual rainfalls of {{cvt|750|-|1000|mm|in|0}} are considered most suitable, with a minimum of {{cvt|500|mm|in|0}} in the growing season. The crop is sensitive to drought at the tuber initiation stage 50–60 days after planting, and it is not tolerant to waterlogging, which may cause tuber rots and reduce the growth of storage roots if aeration is poor.<ref name="Ahn1993">{{cite book |last=Ahn |first=Peter |year=1993 |title=Tropical soils and fertilizer use |series=Intermediate Tropical Agriculture Series |publisher=Longman Scientific and Technical Ltd. |location=UK |isbn=978-0-582-77507-7}}{{page needed|date=April 2015}}</ref>

[[File:Sweet potato sprouting slips.jpg|thumb|Sweet potato sprouting "slips"]] [[File:Sweetpotato harvest in Nash County, North Carolina.jpg|thumb|Sweet potato harvest in [[Nash County, North Carolina]], United States]]
Depending on the cultivar and conditions, tuberous roots mature in two to nine months. With care, early-maturing cultivars can be grown as an [[Annual plant|annual]] summer crop in warm [[temperate climate|temperate]] areas, such as the Eastern United States and China. Sweet potatoes rarely [[flower]] when the daylight is longer than 11 hours, as is normal outside of the tropics. They are mostly propagated by stem or root cuttings or by adventitious shoots called "slips" that grow out from the tuberous roots during storage. True seeds are used for breeding only.<ref name=":2" />

They grow well in many farming conditions and have few natural enemies; pesticides are rarely needed. Sweet potatoes are grown on a variety of soils, but well-drained, light- and medium-textured soils with a pH range of 4.5–7.0 are more favorable for the plant.<ref name="Woolfe, 1992"/> They can be grown in poor soils with little fertilizer. However, sweet potatoes are very sensitive to aluminium toxicity and will die about six weeks after planting if  [[lime (material)|lime]] is not applied at planting in this type of soil.<ref name="Woolfe, 1992"/> As they are sown by vine cuttings rather than seeds, sweet potatoes are relatively easy to plant. As the rapidly growing vines shade out weeds, little weeding is needed. A commonly used herbicide to rid the soil of any unwelcome plants that may interfere with growth is [[Dimethyl tetrachloroterephthalate|DCPA]], also known as Dacthal. In the tropics, the crop can be maintained in the ground and harvested as needed for market or home consumption. In temperate regions, sweet potatoes are most often grown on larger farms and are harvested before first frosts.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

Sweet potatoes are cultivated throughout tropical and warm temperate regions wherever there is sufficient water to support their growth.<ref>{{cite book |url=http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/proceedings1990/V1-424.html |contribution=Tropical root and tuber crops |author=O'Hair, Stephen K. |editor1=Janick, J. |editor2=Simon, J.E. |title=Advances in New Crops |publisher=Timber Press |location=Portland, OR |pages=424–428 |date=1990 |access-date=26 September 2014 |archive-date=5 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141005190418/http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/proceedings1990/V1-424.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Sweet potatoes became common as a food crop in the islands of the Pacific Ocean, South India, [[Uganda]] and other African countries.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Roullier |first1=Caroline |last2=Duputié |first2=Anne |last3=Wennekes |first3=Paul |last4=Benoit |first4=Laure |last5=Fernández Bringas |first5=Víctor Manuel |last6=Rossel |first6=Genoveva |last7=Tay |first7=David |last8=McKey |first8=Doyle |last9=Lebot |first9=Vincent |date=27 May 2013 |title=Disentangling the Origins of Cultivated Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.) |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=8 |issue=5 |article-number=e62707 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0062707 |doi-access=free |pmid=23723970 |pmc=3664560 |bibcode=2013PLoSO...862707R |issn=1932-6203}}</ref>

A [[cultivar]] of the sweet potato called the ''boniato'' is grown in the [[Caribbean]]; its flesh is cream-colored, unlike the more common orange hue seen in other cultivars. ''Boniatos'' are not as sweet and moist as other sweet potatoes, but their consistency and delicate flavor are different from the common orange-colored sweet potato.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

{{Table alignment}}
{| class="wikitable floatright col2right"
|+ Sweet potato production – 2020<br>(millions of [[tonne]]s)
|-
| {{CHN}} || 48.9
|-
| {{MWI}} || 6.9
|-
| {{TZA}} || 4.4
|-
| {{AGO}} || 1.7
|-
| {{ETH}} || 1.6
|-
| '''World''' || '''89.5'''
|-
| colspan="2" |<small>Source: [[FAOSTAT]]<br> of the United Nations<ref name=faostat>{{cite web |url=http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QC |publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |department=Statistics Division (FAOSTAT) |title=Sweet potato production in 2019; World Regions/Production Quantity from pick lists |date=2020 |access-date=24 March 2021 |archive-date=16 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231016103427/https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QC |url-status=live }}</ref></small>
|}
Sweet potatoes have been a part of the diet in the U.S. for most of its history, especially in the Southeast. The annual per capita consumption of sweet potatoes in the United States is only about {{cvt|1.5|-|2|kg|lb|frac=2}}, down from {{cvt|13|kg|lb|0}} in 1920. "Orange sweet potatoes (the most common type encountered in the US) received higher appearance liking scores compared with yellow or purple cultivars."<ref name="SensoryAttributes">{{cite journal |author1=Leksrisompong, P.P. |author2=Whitson, M.E. |author3=Truong, V.D. |author4=Drake, M.A. |title=Sensory attributes and consumer acceptance of sweet potato cultivars with varying flesh colors |journal=Journal of Sensory Studies |volume=27 |issue=1 |year=2012 |pages=59–69 |doi=10.1111/j.1745-459x.2011.00367.x}}</ref> Purple and yellow sweet potatoes were not as well liked by consumers compared to orange sweet potatoes "possibly because of the familiarity of orange color that is associated with sweet potatoes."<ref name=SensoryAttributes />

In the Southeastern U.S., sweet potatoes are traditionally [[Curing (vegetable preservation)|cured]] to improve [[Sweet potato storage|storage]], flavor, and nutrition, and to allow wounds on the periderm of the harvested root to heal.<ref name="ncsweetpotatoes.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.ncsweetpotatoes.com/ |title=Sweet potatoes |publisher=North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission (NCSPC) |access-date=22 July 2006 |archive-date=27 April 1999 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990427215218/http://www.ncsweetpotatoes.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Proper curing requires drying the freshly dug roots on the ground for two to three hours, then storage at {{cvt|85|-|90|°F|°C|0|order=flip}} with 90 to 95% [[relative humidity]] from five to fourteen days. Cured sweet potatoes can keep for thirteen months when stored at {{cvt|55|-|59|°F|°C|0|order=flip}} with >90% relative humidity. Colder temperatures injure the roots.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/sweetpotato.html |title=Sweetpotato: Organic Production |publisher=National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service |access-date=3 November 2010 |archive-date=26 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110526063807/http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/sweetpotato.html }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://postharvest.ucdavis.edu/Produce/ProduceFacts/Veg/sweetpotato.shtml |title=Sweet potato |series=Produce Facts |publisher=UC Davis |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101105211935/http://postharvest.ucdavis.edu/Produce/ProduceFacts/Veg/sweetpotato.shtml |archive-date=5 November 2010}}</ref>

=== Production ===
{{owidslider
|start        = 2023
|list         = Template:OWID/sweet potato production#gallery
|location      = commons
|caption      =
|title        =
|language     =
|file         = [[File:sweet potato production, World, 2023 (cropped).svg|link=|thumb|upright=1.6|Sweet potato production]]
|startingView = World
}}

In 2020, global production of sweet potatoes was 89 million tonnes, led by China with 55% of the world total (table). Secondary producers were [[Malawi]], [[Tanzania]], and [[Nigeria]].<ref name=faostat/> It is the fifth most important food crop in developing countries.<ref name="Verma 2016">{{cite web |last1=Verma |first1=Virendra M. |date=8 November 2016 |title=Development of Salt Tolerant Sweet Potato (''Ipomoea batatas'' (L.) Lam.) through Tissue Culture |url=https://comlandgrant.org/development-of-salt-tolerant-sweet-potato-ipomoea-batatas-l-lam-through-tissue-culture/ |website=College of Micronesia - Land Grant Program |language=en |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241205142723/https://comlandgrant.org/development-of-salt-tolerant-sweet-potato-ipomoea-batatas-l-lam-through-tissue-culture/ |archive-date=5 December 2024 |access-date=8 February 2025}}</ref> Studies are being done to develop a salt tolerant variety to combat the effects of [[Climate change|climate change]].<ref name="Verma 2016" /><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Rahman |first1=Atiq |last2=Uddin |first2=Nasir |date=2022 |chapter=Challenges and Opportunities for Saline Agriculture in Coastal Bangladesh |editor-last1=Negacz |editor-first1=Katarzyna |editor-last2=Vellinga |editor-first2=Pier |editor-last3=Barrett-Lennard |editor-first3=Edward |editor-last4=Choukr-Allah |editor-first4=Redouane |editor-last5=Elzenga |editor-first5=Theo |title=Future of Sustainable Agriculture in Saline Environments |url=https://archive.org/details/oapen-20.500.12657-48840/page/139 |url-access=registration |language=en |edition=First |location=Boca Raton, Florida |publisher=CRC Press |page=139 |isbn=978-0-367-62146-9 |oclc=1256558135 |access-date=8 February 2025}}</ref>

===Diseases===
{{Main|List of sweet potato diseases}}
Sweet potato suffers from [[Sweet potato chlorotic stunt virus]] (a [[Crinivirus]]).<ref name = "Global-Dimensions" /> In synergy with other any of a large number of other viruses, Untiveros et al., 2007 finds SPCSV produces an even more severe [[symptomology]].<ref name = "Global-Dimensions" >
 {{ Cite journal |
       language=en|
           year=2019|
         volume=6|
          issue=1|
      publisher=[[Annual Reviews (publisher)|Annual Reviews]]|
        journal=[[Annual Review of Virology]]|
           issn=2327-056X|
         first2=Rayapati|
         first1=Roger|
          last1=Jones|
          last2=Naidu|
          pages=387–409|
          title=Global Dimensions of Plant Virus Diseases: Current Status and Future Perspectives|
            doi=10.1146/annurev-virology-092818-015606|
          s2cid=195845201|
           pmid=31283443|doi-access=free}}
</ref> ''I. batatas'' suffers from several ''Phytophthora''s including ''[[Phytophthora carotovorum|P. carotovorum]]'', ''[[Phytophthora odoriferum|P. odoriferum]]'', and ''[[Phytophthora wasabiae|P. wasabiae]]''.<ref name="Soft-Rot">{{cite journal|issue=1|year=2018|first=Amy|publisher=[[Annual Reviews (publisher)|Annual Reviews]]|volume=56|last=Charkowski|pages=269–288|title=The Changing Face of Bacterial Soft-Rot Diseases|journal=[[Annual Review of Phytopathology]]|issn=0066-4286|doi=10.1146/annurev-phyto-080417-045906|pmid=29958075 |s2cid=49619951 }}</ref>

==Uses==

=== Nutrition ===
{{nutritionalvalue
| name = Sweet potato, cooked, baked in skin, without salt
| kJ = 378
| protein = 2.0 g
| fat = 0.15 g
| carbs = 20.7 g
| fiber = 3.3 g
| sugars = 6.5 g
| starch = 7.05 g
| calcium_mg = 38
| iron_mg = 0.69
| magnesium_mg = 27
| phosphorus_mg = 54
| potassium_mg = 475
| sodium_mg = 36
| zinc_mg = 0.32
| manganese_mg = 0.5
| vitC_mg = 19.6
| thiamin_mg = 0.11
| riboflavin_mg = 0.11
| niacin_mg = 1.5
| vitB5_mg = 0.9
| vitB6_mg = 0.29
| folate_ug = 6
| vitA_ug = 961
| betacarotene_ug = 11509
| vitE_mg = 0.71
| water = 75.8 g
| note = {{cite web |url=https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/168483/nutrients |title=Sweet potato |series=USDA Database |access-date=24 March 2021 |archive-date=3 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190403171801/https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/168483/nutrients |url-status=live }}
| source_usda = 1
}}
{{nutritionalvalue
| name = Raw sweet potato
| kJ = 359
| protein = 1.6 g
| fat = 0.1 g
| carbs = 20.1 g
| fiber = 3 g
| sugars = 4.2 g
| starch = 12.7 g
| calcium_mg = 30
| iron_mg = 0.61
| magnesium_mg = 25
| phosphorus_mg = 47
| potassium_mg = 337
| sodium_mg = 55
| zinc_mg = 0.3
| manganese_mg = 0.258
| vitC_mg = 2.4
| thiamin_mg = 0.078
| riboflavin_mg = 0.061
| niacin_mg = 0.557
| pantothenic_mg = 0.8
| vitB6_mg = 0.209
| folate_ug = 11
| vitA_ug = 709
| betacarotene_ug = 8509
| vitE_mg = 0.26
| water = 77.3 g
| note = {{cite web |url=https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/168482/nutrients |title=Sweet potato, raw |website=USDA Database |access-date=24 March 2021 |archive-date=3 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190403171801/https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/168482/nutrients |url-status=live }}
| source_usda = 1
}}

Cooked sweet potato (baked in skin) is 76% water, 21% [[carbohydrate]]s, 2% [[protein (nutrient)|protein]], and contains negligible fat (table). In a 100-gram reference amount, baked sweet potato provides {{convert|359|kJ|kcal|abbr=off}} of [[food energy]], and rich contents (20% or more of the [[Daily Value]], DV) of [[vitamin A]] (120% DV), [[vitamin C]] (24% DV), [[manganese]] (24% DV), and [[vitamin B6]] (20% DV). It is a moderate source (10–19% DV) of some [[B vitamins]] and [[potassium]]. Between 50% and 90% of the sugar content is [[sucrose]].<ref name="pmid24426034">{{cite journal | vauthors = Lai Y, Huang C, Liao WC | title =Studies of sugar composition and starch morphology of baked sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam) | journal = [[Journal of Food Science and Technology]] | volume = 58 | issue = 6 | pages = 1193–11999 | date = 2013 | pmid = 24426034 | pmc = 3791245 | doi = 10.1007/s13197-011-0453-6 }}</ref> [[Maltose]] content is very low, but baking can increase the maltose content from between 10% and 20%.<ref name="pmid24426034" />

Sweet potato cultivars with dark orange flesh have more beta-carotene (converted to a higher vitamin A content once digested) than those with light-colored flesh, and their increased cultivation is being encouraged in Africa where vitamin A deficiency is a serious health problem.<ref name="Neela">{{cite journal |last1=Neela |first1=Satheesh |last2=Fanta |first2=Solomon W. |date=17 May 2019 |title=Review on nutritional composition of orange-fleshed sweet potato and its role in management of vitamin A deficiency (Review) |journal=Food Science & Nutrition |volume=7 |issue=6 |pages=1920–1945 |doi=10.1002/fsn3.1063 |issn=2048-7177 |pmc=6593376 |pmid=31289641}}</ref> Sweet potato leaves are edible and can be prepared like [[spinach]] or [[turnip]] greens.<ref>{{cite web |last=Dyer |first=Mary H. |title=Are sweet potato leaves edible? |url=https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/sweet-potato/are-sweet-potato-leaves-edible.htm |access-date=23 April 2018 |website=Gardening Know How |series=Potato vine plant leaves |date=21 May 2015 |archive-date=23 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180323102952/https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/sweet-potato/are-sweet-potato-leaves-edible.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Comparison to other food staples===
The table below presents the relative performance of sweet potato (in column)'''{{ref label|reference_name_G|G|G}}''' to other [[staple food]]s on a [[Dry matter#Dry matter basis|dry weight basis]] to account for their different water contents. While sweet potato provides less edible energy and protein per unit weight than cereals, it has higher nutrient density than cereals.<ref name="ipc1">{{cite book |author1=Scott, G. |url=http://www.cipotato.org/publications/pdf/002468.pdf |title=Roots and tubers in the global food system: A vision statement to the year 2020 |author2=Best, R. |author3=Rosegrant, M. |author4=Bokanga, M. |publisher=International Potato Center, and others |year=2000 |isbn=978-92-9060-203-3 |access-date=22 January 2012 |archive-date=10 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120710185547/http://www.cipotato.org/publications/pdf/002468.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

According to a study by the United Nations [[Food and Agriculture Organization]], sweet potatoes are the most efficient staple food to grow in terms of farmland, yielding approximately {{convert|28000|kcal/acre|kJ/ha|order=flip}} daily.<ref>{{cite web |title=Roots, tubers, plantains and bananas in human nutrition |url=http://www.fao.org/docrep/t0207e/T0207E04.htm |access-date=29 October 2017 |publisher=[[Food and Agriculture Organization]] |archive-date=29 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171029173241/http://www.fao.org/docrep/t0207e/T0207E04.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

{{Comparison of major staple foods}}

=== Culinary ===
{{more citations needed section|date=January 2016}}
The starchy tuberous roots of the sweet potato are by far the most important product of the plant. In some tropical areas, the tubers are a [[Staple food|staple food crop]]. The tuber is often cooked before consumption as this increases its nutrition and digestibility, although the American colonists in the [[Southeastern United States|Southeast]] ate raw sweet potatoes as a staple food.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Alicia|date=19 February 2019|title=Can You Eat Sweet Potato Raw?|url=https://www.enkiverywell.com/raw-sweet-potato.html|access-date=14 March 2021|website=EnkiVeryWell|language=en|archive-date=12 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210412071812/https://www.enkiverywell.com/raw-sweet-potato.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The vines' tips and young leaves are edible as a [[green vegetable]] with a characteristic flavor. Older growths may be used as animal [[fodder]].<ref name="Abidin, 2004"/>

====Africa====
{{Cleanup lang|section|date=July 2023}}[[File:A seller peeling a sweet potato.jpg|thumb|A seller peeling a sweet potato in [[Ghana]]]]
''Amukeke'' (sun-dried slices of root) and ''inginyo'' (sun-dried crushed root) are a staple food for people in northeastern Uganda.<ref name="Abidin, 2004">
:{{Cite thesis |last=Abidin |first=P.E. |title=Sweetpotato breeding for northeastern Uganda: Farmer varieties, farmer-participatory selection, and stability of performance |type=PhD Thesis |page= 152 pp|year=2004 |publisher=[[Wageningen University]]|location=The Netherlands |isbn=90-8504-033-7}}
:
:Well cited including by Mwanga et al., 2010.
</ref> ''Amukeke'' is mainly served for breakfast, eaten with peanut sauce. ''Inginyo'' is mixed with cassava flour and [[tamarind]] to make ''atapa''. People eat ''atapa'' with smoked fish cooked in peanut sauce or with dried [[cowpea]] leaves cooked in peanut sauce. ''Emukaru'' (earth-baked root) is eaten as a snack anytime and is mostly served with tea or with peanut sauce. Similar uses are also found in [[South Sudan]].

The young leaves and vine tips of sweet potato leaves are widely consumed as a vegetable in West African countries (Guinea, [[Sierra Leone]] and [[Liberia]], for example), as well as in northeastern Uganda, East Africa.<ref name="Abidin, 2004"/> According to FAO leaflet No. 13 – 1990, sweet potato leaves and shoots are a good source of vitamins A, C, and B<sub>2</sub> (riboflavin), and according to research done by A. Khachatryan, are an excellent source of [[lutein]].

In [[Kenya]], Rhoda Nungo of the home economics department of the [[Ministry of Agriculture (Kenya)|Ministry of Agriculture]] has written a guide to using sweet potatoes in modern recipes.<ref>{{cite book |title=Nutritious Kenyan Sweet Potato Recipes |editor=Nungo, Rhoda A. |publisher=[[Kenya Agricultural Research Institute]] |location=[[Kakamega, Kenya]]|year=1994}}</ref> This includes uses both in the mashed form and as flour from the dried tubers to replace part of the wheat flour and sugar in baked products such as cakes, chapatis, mandazis, bread, buns and cookies. A nutritious juice drink is made from the orange-fleshed cultivars, and deep-fried snacks are also included.

In [[Egypt]], sweet potato tubers are known as {{Lang|ar-latn|batata}} ({{Lang|ar|{{Script|Arabic|بطاطا}}|rtl=yes}}) and are a common street food in winter, when street vendors with carts fitted with ovens sell them to people passing time by the [[Nile]] or the sea.<ref>{{cite news |title=The batata man |url=https://ww.egyptindependent.com/batata-man/ |access-date=15 July 2019 |publisher=Egypt Independent |date=19 October 2011 |archive-date=15 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190715111248/https://ww.egyptindependent.com/batata-man/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The cultivars used are an orange-fleshed one as well as a white/cream-fleshed one. They are also baked at home as a snack or dessert, drenched with [[honey]].

In [[Ethiopia]], the commonly found cultivars are black-skinned, cream-fleshed and called ''bitatis'' or ''mitatis''. They are cultivated in the eastern and southern lower highlands and harvested during the rainy season (June/July). In recent years,{{When|date=January 2020}} better yielding orange-fleshed cultivars were released for cultivation by [[Haramaya University]] as a less sugary sweet potato with higher vitamin A content.<ref>{{cite journal |first1=Tekalign |last1=Tsegaw |first2=Nigussie |last2=Dechassa |title=Registration of Adu and Barkume: Improved sweet potato (''Ipomoea batatas'') varieties for eastern Ethiopia |journal=[[East African Journal of Sciences]] |year=2008 |volume=2 |issue=2 |pages=189–191 |doi=10.4314/eajsci.v2i2.40382 |url=http://haramayajournals.org/index.php/ej/article/view/63/57 |doi-access=free |access-date=20 April 2018 |archive-date=21 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170921215339/http://haramayajournals.org/index.php/ej/article/view/63/57 |url-status=live }}{{Registration required}}</ref> Sweet potatoes are widely eaten boiled as a favored snack.

In South Africa, sweet potatoes are often eaten as a side dish such as [[soetpatats]].

====Asia====
{{further|Roasted sweet potato|Sweet potato soup}}

In East Asia, [[roasted sweet potato]]es are popular [[street food]]. In China, sweet potatoes, typically yellow cultivars, are baked in a large iron drum and sold as street food during winter. In Korea, sweet potatoes, known as {{Lang|ko-latn|goguma}}, are roasted in a drum can, baked in foil or on an open fire, typically during winter. In Japan, a dish similar to the Korean preparation is called ''[[yaki-imo]]'' (roasted sweet potato), which typically uses either the yellow-fleshed "Japanese sweet potato" or the purple-fleshed "Okinawan sweet potato", which is known as {{Lang|ja-latn|beni-imo}}.

[[Sweet potato soup]], served during winter, consists of sweet potato boiled in water with rock sugar and ginger. In [[Fujian cuisine]] and [[Taiwanese cuisine]], sweet potato is often cooked with rice to make congee. Steamed and dried sweet potato is a specialty of [[Liancheng County]]. Sweet potato greens are a common side dish in Taiwanese cuisine, often boiled or sautéed and served with a garlic and soy sauce mixture, or simply salted before serving. They, as well as dishes featuring the sweet potato root, are commonly found at [[bento]] ({{lang-zh|poj=piān-tong}}) restaurants. In [[northeastern Chinese cuisine]], sweet potatoes are often cut into chunks and fried, before being drenched into a pan of boiling syrup.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ttmeishi.com/CaiPu/2c2ec442ae902a40.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071004141104/http://www.ttmeishi.com/CaiPu/2c2ec442ae902a40.htm |archive-date=4 October 2007 |title=CaiPu |language=zh |website=ttmeishi.com}}</ref>

In some regions of India, sweet potato is roasted slowly over kitchen coals at night and eaten with some dressing, while the easier way in the south is simply boiling or [[pressure cooking]] before peeling, cubing and seasoning for a vegetable dish as part of the meal. In the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, it is known as {{Lang|ta-latn|sakkara valli kilangu}}. It is boiled and consumed as an evening snack. In some parts of India, fresh sweet potato is chipped, dried and then ground into flour; this is then mixed with wheat flour and baked into ''[[Chapati|chapatti]]'' (bread). Between 15 and 20 percent of the sweet potato harvest is converted by some Indian communities into pickles and snack chips. A part of the tuber harvest is used in India as cattle fodder.<ref name=loeb2009>{{cite book|title=The sweetpotato|url=https://archive.org/details/sweetpotato00thot|url-access=limited|first1=Gad|last1=Loebenstein|first2=George|last2=Thottappilly|year=2009|pages=[https://archive.org/details/sweetpotato00thot/page/n410 391]–425|publisher=Springer |isbn=978-1-4020-9475-0}}</ref>

In [[Pakistan]], sweet potato is known as {{Lang|ur-latn|shakarqandi}} and is cooked as a vegetable dish and also with meat dishes ([[Chicken as food|chicken]], [[mutton]] or beef). The ash-roasted sweet potatoes are sold as a [[snack food|snack]] and [[street food]] in Pakistani [[bazaar]]s especially during the winter months.<ref name=Dawn>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dawn.com/news/771928|title=Exploiting sweet potato potential|first=Mohiuddin|last=Aazim|date=17 December 2012|access-date=12 July 2019|publisher=[[Dawn (newspaper)|Dawn]]|website=InpaperMagazine|archive-date=11 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190711215914/https://www.dawn.com/news/771928|url-status=live}}</ref>

In Sri Lanka, it is called {{Lang|si-latn|bathala}}, and tubers are used mainly for breakfast (boiled sweet potato is commonly served with sambal or grated coconut) or as a supplementary curry dish for rice.

The tubers of this plant, known as {{Lang|dv-latn|kattala}} in [[Dhivehi language|Dhivehi]], have been used in the traditional diet of the [[Maldives]]. The leaves were finely chopped and used in dishes such as ''[[mas huni]]''.<ref>{{cite book |author-link=Xavier Romero-Frias |last=Romero-Frias |first=Xavier |year=1999 |title=The Maldive Islanders: A study of the popular culture of an ancient ocean kingdom |location=Barcelona, ES |isbn=978-84-7254-801-5}}</ref>

[[File:茨城名産の干し芋.jpg|thumb|''[[Hoshi-imo]]'', or Japanese dried sweet potatoes, a specialty of [[Ibaraki Prefecture]], drying in [[Ōarai, Ibaraki|Ōarai City]]]]
[[Japanese cuisine|In Japan]], both sweet potatoes (called [[:ja:サツマイモ|''satsuma-imo'']]) and [[Dioscorea alata|true purple yams]] (called {{Lang|ja-latn|daijo}}) are grown. Boiling, roasting and steaming are the most common cooking methods. Also, the use in vegetable [[tempura]] is common. {{Lang|ja-latn|Daigaku-imo}} ([[:ja:大学芋]]) is a baked and caramel-syruped sweet potato dessert. As it is sweet and starchy, it is used in ''[[imo-kinton]]'' and some other [[wagashi|traditional sweets]], such as ''[[ofukuimo]]''. What is commonly called "sweet potato" ([[:ja:スイートポテト]]) in Japan is a cake made by baking mashed sweet potatoes.
''[[Shōchū]]'', a Japanese spirit normally made from the fermentation of rice, can also be made from sweet potato, in which case it is called {{Lang|ja-latn|imo-jōchū}}. ''Imo-[[rice|gohan]]'', sweet potato cooked with rice, is popular in Guangdong, Taiwan and Japan. It is also served in ''[[nimono]]'' or ''[[nitsuke]]'', boiled and typically flavored with [[soy sauce]], ''[[mirin]]'' and ''[[dashi]]''.

[[File:Japchae 3.jpg|thumb|Korean ''[[japchae]]'', or stir-fried cellophane noodles made of sweet potato starch]]
In [[Korean cuisine]], sweet potato starch is used to produce {{Lang|ko-latn|dangmyeon}} ([[cellophane noodles]]). Sweet potatoes are also boiled, steamed, or roasted, and young stems are eaten as ''[[namul]]''. Pizza restaurants such as Pizza Hut and Domino's in Korea are using sweet potatoes as a popular topping. Sweet potatoes are also used in the distillation of a variety of Soju. A popular Korean side dish or snack, {{Lang|ko-latn|goguma-mattang}}, also known as Korean candied sweet potato, is made by deep-frying sweet potatoes that were cut into big chunks and coating them with caramelized sugar.

In [[Malaysia]] and Singapore, sweet potato is often cut into small cubes and cooked with [[Colocasia esculenta|taro]] and coconut milk ({{Lang|zsm|santan}}) to make a sweet dessert called ''[[bubur cha cha]]''. A favorite way of cooking sweet potato is deep-frying slices of sweet potato in batter, served as a tea-time snack. In homes, sweet potatoes are usually boiled. The leaves of sweet potatoes are usually stir-fried with only garlic or with {{Lang|zsm|sambal belacan}} and dried shrimp by Malaysians.

In the [[Philippines]], sweet potatoes (locally known as {{Lang|fil|camote}} or {{Lang|fil|kamote}}) are an important food crop in rural areas. They are often a staple among impoverished families in provinces, as they are easier to cultivate and cost less than rice.<ref name="manilatimes"/> The tubers are boiled or baked in coals and may be dipped in sugar or syrup. Young leaves and shoots (locally known as {{Lang|fil|talbos ng kamote}} or ''{{Lang|fil|camote}}'' tops) are eaten fresh in salads with [[shrimp paste]] ({{Lang|fil|bagoong alamang}}) or [[fish sauce]]. They can be cooked in vinegar and soy sauce and served with fried fish (a dish known as {{Lang|fil|adobong talbos ng kamote}}), or with recipes such as ''[[sinigang]]''.<ref name="manilatimes">{{cite web|url=http://archives.manilatimes.net/national/2008/mar/16/yehey/opinion/20080316opi1.html|title=Fusion kamote|date=16 March 2008|newspaper=[[The Manila Times]] (The Sunday Times) Editorials|access-date=20 February 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723201951/http://archives.manilatimes.net/national/2008/mar/16/yehey/opinion/20080316opi1.html|archive-date=23 July 2011}}</ref> The stew obtained from boiling ''{{Lang|fil|camote}}'' tops is purple-colored, and is often mixed with lemon as juice. Sweet potatoes are also sold as street food in suburban and rural areas. Fried sweet potatoes coated with caramelized sugar and served in skewers (''[[camote cue]]'') or as French fries are popular afternoon snacks.<ref name="sunstarph">{{cite web|url=http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cagayan-de-oro/feature/elections-and-banana-cue|title=Elections and banana cue|author=Nicole J. Managbanag|newspaper=[[Sun.Star]]|date=25 October 2010|publisher=sunstar.com.ph/|access-date=20 February 2011|archive-date=7 January 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110107140211/http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cagayan-de-oro/feature/elections-and-banana-cue}}</ref> Sweet potatoes are also used in a variant of ''[[halo-halo]]'' called {{Lang|fil|ginatan}}, where they are cooked in coconut milk and sugar and mixed with a variety of rootcrops, [[sago]], [[jackfruit]], and {{Lang|fil|bilu-bilo}} ([[glutinous rice]] balls).<ref name="inq7">{{cite web |url=http://ruby.inquirer.net/specialfeatures/paskongpinoy2005/articles/120205/wine_2.php |title=A recipe that supported a brood of 12 |author=Daluz, Susan G. |year=2005 |newspaper=[[Philippine Daily Inquirer]]|agency=Inquirer News Service |publisher=INQ7 Interactive, Inc. an Inquirer and GMA Network Company |access-date=20 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723154932/http://ruby.inquirer.net/specialfeatures/paskongpinoy2005/articles/120205/wine_2.php |archive-date=23 July 2011 }}</ref> Bread made from sweet potato flour is also gaining popularity. Sweet potato is relatively easy to propagate, and in rural areas can be seen abundantly at canals and dikes. The uncultivated plant is usually fed to pigs.

In [[Indonesia]], sweet potatoes are locally known as {{Lang|id|ubi jalar}} (lit: "spreading tuber") or simply {{Lang|id|ubi}} and are frequently fried with batter and served as snacks with spicy condiments, along with other kinds of fritters such as fried bananas, tempeh, [[Tahu goreng|tahu]], breadfruit, or cassava. In the mountainous regions of [[West Papua (region)|West Papua]], sweet potatoes are the staple food among the natives there. Using the {{Lang|id|bakar batu}} method of cooking, rocks that have been burned in a nearby bonfire are thrown into a pit lined with leaves. Layers of sweet potatoes, an assortment of vegetables, and pork are piled on top of the rocks. The top of the pile is then insulated with more leaves, creating a pressure of heat and steam inside which cooks all food within the pile after several hours.

In [[Vietnamese cuisine]] sweet potatoes are known as {{Lang|vi|khoai lang}} and they are commonly cooked with a sweetener such as [[corn syrup]], [[honey]], sugar, or [[molasses]].<ref>{{cite book |author=Bác sĩ Nguyễn Ý Đức |title=Dinh dưỡng và thực phẩm |publisher=Tủ sách Rộng mở tâm hồn |language=vi |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LsU9WOMU6LAC&pg=PA212 |access-date=19 March 2023 |archive-date=22 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230422012028/https://books.google.com/books?id=LsU9WOMU6LAC&pg=PA212 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Young sweet potato leaves are also used as [[baby food]], particularly in Southeast Asia and East Asia.<ref name="faosweetpotato">{{cite journal |department=[[South Pacific Commission]] |id=Leaflet No. 13 |title=Sweet Potato |journal=South Pacific Foods |publisher=[[Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations]] |year=1990 |issn=1018-0966 |url=http://www.fao.org/wairdocs/x5425e/x5425e0d.htm |access-date=22 July 2012 |archive-date=17 December 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141217125322/http://www.fao.org/WAIRdocs/x5425e/x5425e0d.htm }}</ref><ref name="dost">{{cite web |url=http://www.fnri.dost.gov.ph/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=49 |title=10 Best Foods for Babies |author1=Ma, Idelia |author2=Glorioso, G. |date=January–December 2003 |department=Food and Nutrition Research Institute |publisher=[[Department of Science and Technology (Philippines)|Department of Science and Technology]], Republic of the Philippines |access-date=22 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130527133110/http://www.fnri.dost.gov.ph/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=49 |archive-date=27 May 2013 }}</ref> Mashed sweet potato tubers are used similarly throughout the world.<ref name="emb">{{cite book |editor1=Ember, Carol R. |editor2=Ember, Melvin |title=Encyclopedia of Medical Anthropology |article=Cultures |publisher=Springer |year=2004 |page=596 |isbn=978-0-306-47754-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nrMRezmNrPcC&q=sweet%20potato%20leaves%20baby%20food&pg=PA596 |access-date=6 October 2020 |archive-date=24 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240324172708/https://books.google.com/books?id=nrMRezmNrPcC&q=sweet%20potato%20leaves%20baby%20food&pg=PA596#v=onepage&q=sweet%20potato%20leaves%20baby%20food&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref>

<gallery widths="200" heights="200">
File:Jjin-goguma.jpg|{{Lang|ko-latn|Jjin-goguma}} (steamed sweet potatoes)
File:Gungoguma (roasted sweet potatoes) 2.jpg|{{Lang|ko-latn|Gungoguma}}, roasted sweet potatoes
File:Gungoguma drum can (sweet potato roaster) 2.jpg|"{{Lang|ko-latn|Gungoguma}} drum" for roasting sweet potatoes
File:Goguma-mattang.jpg|{{Lang|ko-latn|Goguma-mattang}} (candied sweet potatoes)
File:Sweet from Sweet Potato.jpg|Fried, sweetened sweet potato, India
File:Sweet potato flaky pastry.jpg|Taiwanese pastry
File:Shochu 001.jpg|upright|''[[Shōchū|Imo Jōchū]]'' (Japanese spirits made with sweet potato)
File:HK KTD 觀塘區 Kwun Tong Sau Mau Ping 安泰邨 On Tai Estate shop 名舫酒家 Famous Restaurant food Sweet potato soup January 2022 Px3 03.jpg|Chinese [[sweet potato soup]], popular during the winter
File:Camote tops (talbos ng kamote).jpg|{{Lang|fil|Camote}} tops, a Philippine [[salad]] made from young sweet potato leaves ({{Lang|fil|talbos ng kamote}})
</gallery>

====United States====
[[File:Veggie burger flickr user bandita creative commons.jpg|thumb|Sweet potato fries with a vegetarian burger]]

Candied sweet potatoes are a side dish consisting mainly of sweet potatoes prepared with [[brown sugar]], [[marshmallow]]s, [[maple syrup]], [[molasses]], [[orange juice]], ''[[marron glacé]]'', or other sweet ingredients. It is often served in the US on [[Thanksgiving]]. Sweet potato [[casserole]] is a side dish of mashed sweet potatoes in a casserole dish, topped with a brown sugar and pecan topping.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://southernfood.about.com/od/sidedishcasseroles/r/bl90911u.htm |title=Sweet potato casserole recipe with crunchy pecan topping |author=Diana Rattray |work=About.com |department=Southern Food |access-date=26 November 2010 |archive-date=16 November 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101116004202/http://southernfood.about.com/od/sidedishcasseroles/r/bl90911u.htm }}</ref>

The sweet potato became a favorite food item of the French and Spanish settlers, thus beginning a long history of cultivation in Louisiana.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.yambilee.com/content/view/12/26/ |title=History of the Louisiana Yambilee |website=Yambilee.com |access-date=14 April 2008 |archive-date=13 May 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513140217/http://www.yambilee.com/content/view/12/26/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Sweet potatoes are recognized as the [[state vegetable]] of [[Alabama]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Ivey OKs Naming Sweet Potato as Alabama's State Vegetable |publisher=[[usnews.com]] |date=17 April 2021 |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/alabama/articles/2021-04-17/ivey-oks-naming-sweet-potato-as-alabamas-state-vegetable |access-date=20 April 2021 |archive-date=20 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420110134/https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/alabama/articles/2021-04-17/ivey-oks-naming-sweet-potato-as-alabamas-state-vegetable |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Louisiana]],<ref>{{cite web |title=RS 49:170.11 |work=Revised Statutes |publisher=Louisiana State Legislature |url=https://legis.la.gov/Legis/Law.aspx?d=181346 |access-date=28 July 2018 |archive-date=28 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180728221322/https://legis.la.gov/Legis/Law.aspx?d=181346 |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[North Carolina]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.secretary.state.nc.us/pubsweb/symbols/sy-sweet.htm |title=Sweet Potato – North Carolina State Vegetable |publisher=State of North Carolina |access-date=17 February 2014 |archive-date=22 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120422140045/http://www.secretary.state.nc.us/pubsweb/symbols/sy-sweet.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Sweet potato pie]] is also a traditional favorite dish in [[Cuisine of the Southern United States|Southern U.S. cuisine]]. Another variation on the typical sweet potato pie is the [[Purple sweet potato haupia pie|Okinawan sweet potato haupia pie]], which is made with purple sweet potatoes.

[[File:McDonald's sweet potato fries.jpg|thumb|right|Sweet potato fries served at a [[McDonald's]] restaurant]]

The fried sweet potatoes tradition dates to the early nineteenth century in the United States.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |url=https://hearttohearthcookery.wordpress.com/2011/10/02/sweet-potato-fries-are-not-new/ |title=Sweet potato fries are not new |date=October 2011 |website=hearttoearthcookery.com |publisher=Historical Society of York County, Pennsylvania |last=McLellan Plaisted |first=S. |access-date=3 May 2018 |archive-date=4 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180504012759/https://hearttohearthcookery.wordpress.com/2011/10/02/sweet-potato-fries-are-not-new/ |url-status=live }}</ref>{{Better source needed|reason=The current source is insufficiently reliable ([[WP:NOTRS]]).|date=March 2024}} Sweet potato fries or chips are a common preparation and are made by [[julienning]] and [[deep-frying]] sweet potatoes in the fashion of [[French fried potatoes]]. Roasting sliced or chopped sweet potatoes lightly coated in animal or vegetable oil at high heat became common in the United States at the start of the 21st century, a dish called "sweet potato fries". Sweet potato mash is served as a side dish, often at [[Thanksgiving dinner]] or with [[Barbecue#American South|barbecue]].

John Bettencourt Avila is called the "father of the sweet potato industry" in North America.<ref>{{cite book |last=Johns |first=Stephanie Bernardo |date=1981 |title=The Ethnic Almanac |publisher=Doubleday |isbn=978-0-385-14143-7 |page=373}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Hook |first=Julius Nicholas |date=1983 |title=Family Names: The Origins, Meanings, Mutations, and History of More Than 2,800 American Names |publisher=Collier |isbn=978-0-02-080000-2 |page=178}}</ref>

====Oceania====
{{See also|Māori cuisine|Sweet potato cultivation in Polynesia}}

[[Māori people|Māori]] grew several varieties of small, yellow-skinned, finger-sized kūmara (with names including {{lang|mi|taputini}},<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.openpolytechnic.ac.nz/assets/Marketing/Research/Current-working-papers/MaoriKumara.pdf |title=A guide to growing pre-European Māori kumara |author=Burtenshaw, M. |year=2009 |publisher=[[The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand]] |access-date=17 February 2011 |archive-date=22 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110522094638/http://openpolytechnic.ac.nz/assets/Marketing/Research/Current-working-papers/MaoriKumara.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> {{lang|mi|taroamahoe}}, {{lang|mi|pehu}}, {{lang|mi|hutihuti}}, and {{lang|mi|rekamaroa}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jps.auckland.ac.nz/document//Volume_56_1947/Volume_56,_No._4/Original_kumara,_by_Enid_Tapsell,_p_325-332/p1 |title=Original Kumara |first=Enid |last=Tapsell |year=1947 |work=TJPS |volume=56 |issue=4 |pages=325–332 |access-date=17 February 2011 |archive-date=24 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724191414/http://www.jps.auckland.ac.nz/document//Volume_56_1947/Volume_56,_No._4/Original_kumara,_by_Enid_Tapsell,_p_325-332/p1 }}</ref>) that they had brought with them from east [[Polynesia]]. Modern trials have shown that these smaller varieties were capable of producing well,<ref name="Stuff.co.nz_2371731">{{cite news |url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/news/2371731/Heritage-kumara-shows-its-worth |title=Heritage kumara shows its worth |author=Wilson, Dee |date=29 April 2009 |work=[[The Marlborough Express]] |access-date=15 November 2011 |archive-date=14 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110614131642/http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/news/2371731/Heritage-kumara-shows-its-worth |url-status=live }}</ref> but when [[American whalers]], sealers and trading vessels introduced larger cultivars in the early 19th century, they quickly predominated.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.thegrower.co.nz/article_view.php?aid=263 |title=Waitangi tribunal and the kumara claim |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724194448/http://www.thegrower.co.nz/article_view.php?aid=263 |archive-date=24 July 2011 |newspaper=The Grower |publisher=[[Horticulture New Zealand]]}}</ref><ref name="NZ_Herald_10421870">{{cite news |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/agriculture/news/article.cfm?c_id=16&objectid=10421870 |title=Kumara claim becomes hot potato |author=Stokes, Jon |date=1 February 2007 |work=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |access-date=15 November 2011 |archive-date=22 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120122075430/http://www.nzherald.co.nz/agriculture/news/article.cfm?c_id=16&objectid=10421870 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="NZ_Herald_10422951">{{cite news |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10422951 |title=DNA analysis expected to solve kumara row |date=8 February 2007 |agency=[[NZPA]] |work=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |access-date=15 November 2011 |archive-date=30 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120130142635/http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10422951 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia | url= http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/1966/kumara | title= Kumara | encyclopedia= An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand | editor= A. H. McLintock | orig-date= 1966 | date= 2005 | isbn= 978-0-478-18451-8 | first= Douglas Ernest | last= Yen | access-date= 11 February 2011 | archive-date= 25 April 2013 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130425070347/http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/1966/kumara | url-status= live }}</ref>

Prior to 2021, archaeologists believed that the sweet potato failed to flourish in New Zealand south of [[Christchurch]] due to the colder climate, forcing Māori in those latitudes to become (along with the [[Moriori]] of the [[Chatham Islands]]) the only Polynesian people who subsisted solely on [[Hunter-gatherer|hunting and gathering]]. However, a 2021 analysis of material excavated from a site near [[Dunedin]], some {{cvt|250|km|mi}} further south, revealed that sweet potatoes were grown and stored there during the 15th century, before the industry was disrupted by factors speculated to be due to the [[Little Ice Age]].<ref name="plos" />

Māori traditionally cooked kūmara in a [[hāngī]] ([[earth oven]]). This is still a common practice when there are large gatherings on [[marae]].

In 1947, black rot (''[[Ceratocystis fimbriata]]'') appeared in kūmara around Auckland and increased in severity through the 1950s.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Slade |first1=D. A. |title=Black rot an important disease of Kumaras |journal=New Zealand Journal of Agriculture |date=1960 |volume=100 |issue=4 }}</ref> A disease-free strain was developed by [[Joe Gock|Joe]] and [[Fay Gock]]. They gave the strain to the nation, earning them the Bledisloe Cup in 2013.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Loren |first1=Anna |title=Bledisloe Cup for service to horticulture |url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/manukau-courier/9012161/Bledisloe-Cup-for-service-to-horticulture |access-date=24 December 2018 |work=[[Manukau Courier]] |date=8 August 2013 |archive-date=25 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225031119/http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/manukau-courier/9012161/Bledisloe-Cup-for-service-to-horticulture |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/loading-docs-how-mr-and-mrs-gock-saved-the-kumara-2016 | title=Loading Docs 2016 – How Mr and Mrs Gock Saved the Kumara | publisher=[[NZ On Screen]] | work=Loading Docs | access-date=10 July 2019 | archive-date=10 July 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190710132015/https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/loading-docs-how-mr-and-mrs-gock-saved-the-kumara-2016 | url-status=live }}</ref>

There are three main cultivars of kūmara sold in New Zealand: 'Owairaka Red' ("red"), 'Toka Toka Gold' ("gold"), and 'Beauregard' ("orange"). The country grows around 24,000 metric tons of kūmara annually,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.freshfacts.co.nz/files/freshfacts-2018.pdf|title=Fresh Facts: New Zealand Horticulture|date=2018|website=Plant & Food Research|issn=1177-2190|access-date=4 August 2019|archive-date=7 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190707053253/https://www.freshfacts.co.nz/files/freshfacts-2018.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> with nearly all of it (97%) grown in the [[Northland Region]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.northernadvocate.co.nz/local/news/ohakune-has-its-carrot-and-dargaville-has-its-kuma/3676978/ |title=Ohakune has its carrot ... and Dargaville has its kumara |work=[[The Northern Advocate]] |first1=Mike |last1=Barrington |first2=Robyn |last2=Downey |date=18 March 2006 |access-date=24 July 2012 |archive-date=24 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724193541/http://www.northernadvocate.co.nz/local/news/ohakune-has-its-carrot-and-dargaville-has-its-kuma/3676978/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Kūmara are widely available throughout New Zealand year-round, where they are a popular alternative to potatoes.<ref name="Stuff.co.nz_1397627">{{cite news |url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/food-wine/recipes/1397627 |title=How to cook with kumara |date=3 March 2009 |newspaper=[[Taranaki Daily News]] |access-date=15 November 2011 |archive-date=14 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110614131620/http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/food-wine/recipes/1397627 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Kūmara are often included in roast meals, and served with [[sour cream]] and [[sweet chili sauce]].{{citation needed|date=July 2019}} They are served alongside such vegetables as potatoes and pumpkin and as such, are generally prepared in a savory manner. They are ubiquitous in supermarkets, roast meal takeaway shops and hāngī.

[[File:Papes de moniato (País Valencià, 1951).jpg|thumb|right|Drying sweet potatoes ([[Ribera Alta (comarca)|Ribera Alta]], 1951)]]
Among the [[Urapmin people]] of Papua New Guinea, [[taro]] (known in [[Urapmin language|Urap]] as {{Lang|urm|ima}}) and the sweet potato (Urap: {{Lang|urm|wan}}) are the main sources of sustenance, and in fact the word for 'food' in Urap is a [[compound (linguistics)|compound]] of these two words.<ref>{{cite journal |first=Joel |last=Robbins |year=1995 |title=Dispossessing the Spirits: Christian Transformations of Desire and Ecology among the Urapmin of Papua New Guinea |journal=[[Ethnology (journal)|Ethnology]] |volume=34 |issue=3 |pages=211–24 |jstor=3773824 |doi=10.2307/3773824|doi-access=free }}</ref>

====Europe====
In the [[Veneto]] ([[northeast Italy]]), sweet potato is known as {{Lang|vec|patata mericana}} in the [[Venetian language]] ({{Lang|it|patata americana}} in Italian, meaning "American potato"), and it is cultivated above all in the southern area of the region;.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Parrella |first1=Giuseppe |last2=Troiano |first2=Elisa |date=6 October 2021 |title=First report of Sweet potato virus G in sweet potato in Italy |journal=New Disease Reports |language=en |volume=44 |issue=2 |page=1 |doi=10.1002/ndr2.12050 |issn=2044-0588|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www2.regione.veneto.it/videoinf/rurale/prodotti/pat_americana.htm |series=Mondo agricolo veneto |title=la patata americana di Anguillara<!-- Bot generated title --> |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100112083605/http://www2.regione.veneto.it/videoinf/rurale/prodotti/pat_americana.htm |archive-date=12 January 2010}}</ref>

In Spain, sweet potato is called {{Lang|es|boniato}}. On the evening of [[All Souls' Day]], in [[Catalonia]] (northeastern Spain) it is traditional to serve roasted sweet potato and chestnuts, [[panellets]] and sweet wine. The occasion is called {{Lang|es|La Castanyada}}.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Català |first=Col·lectiu de |date=1979 |title=Mots. La Castanyada |url=https://raco.cat/index.php/CarrerArbres/article/view/296568 |journal=Carrer dels Arbres. Revista anuari del Museu de Badalona |issue=5 |page=2 |issn=2014-9794}}</ref><ref>[[:es:Castanyada#Castañada]]</ref> As of 2023 Spain is the largest sweet potato producer in Europe.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The European market potential for sweet potatoes {{!}} CBI |url=https://www.cbi.eu/market-information/fresh-fruit-vegetables/sweet-potatoes-0/market-potential |access-date=2024-07-23 |website=www.cbi.eu}}</ref>

====South America====
In [[Peru]], sweet potatoes are called {{Lang|es|camote}} and are frequently served alongside [[ceviche]]. Sweet potato chips are also a commonly sold snack, be it on the street or in packaged foods.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

[[Dulce de batata]] is a traditional [[Argentine cuisine|Argentine]], Paraguayan and Uruguayan dessert, which is made of sweet potatoes. It is a sweet [[Fruit preserves|jelly]], which resembles a marmalade because of its color and sweetness but it has a harder texture, and has to be sliced into thin portions with a knife as if it were a pie.

====Globally====
Globally, sweet potatoes are now a staple ingredient of modern [[sushi]] cuisine, specifically used in [[Makizushi|maki]] rolls. The advent of sweet potato as a sushi ingredient is credited to chef [[Bun Lai]] of [[Miya's]] Sushi, who first introduced sweet potato rolls in the 1990s as a plant-based alternative to traditional fish-based sushi rolls.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.popularmechanics.com/adventure/outdoors/a22396/truth-is-in-the-muck-invasive-species-delicacies/|title=The Sushi Chef Turning Invasive Species Into Delicacies|first=Ryan|last=Knighton|date=6 October 2016|website=[[Popular Mechanics]]|access-date=22 April 2019|archive-date=22 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190422160326/https://www.popularmechanics.com/adventure/outdoors/a22396/truth-is-in-the-muck-invasive-species-delicacies/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2019/02/01/sushis-role/ |title=Sushi's Role |last=Kleiner |first=Matthew |website=[[Yale Daily News]] |date=1 February 2019 |access-date=12 July 2019 |archive-date=22 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190422160328/https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2019/02/01/sushis-role/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://yalealumnimagazine.com/articles/4337-sushi-celebrity |title=New Haven: Sushi celebrity |last=Arnott |first=Christopher |website=[[Yale Alumni Magazine]] |date=September–October 2016 |access-date=12 July 2019 |archive-date=22 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190422160330/https://yalealumnimagazine.com/articles/4337-sushi-celebrity |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Molecular gastronomy===
Freezing a sweet potato until solid, baking at a low temperature, then increasing to a high temperature brings out the sweetness by caramelizing converted sugars.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sontag |first1=Elazar |title=For a 'Proper Proper Proper' Baked Sweet Potato, Freeze It First |url=https://www.eater.com/22219076/why-you-should-freeze-your-sweet-potatoes-recipe |website=Eater |access-date=1 November 2022 |language=en |date=8 January 2021 |archive-date=1 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221101064013/https://www.eater.com/22219076/why-you-should-freeze-your-sweet-potatoes-recipe |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Best Way to Cook Whole Sweet Potatoes |url=https://www.seriouseats.com/frozen-roasted-sweet-potato-5210149 |website=Serious Eats |access-date=1 November 2022 |language=en |date=19 November 2021 |archive-date=1 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221101064007/https://www.seriouseats.com/frozen-roasted-sweet-potato-5210149 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Chan |first1=Chin-Feng |last2=Chiang |first2=Chih-Ming |last3=Lai |first3=Yung-Chang |last4=Huang |first4=Che-Lun |last5=Kao |first5=Shu-Chen |last6=Liao |first6=Wayne C. |title=Changes in sugar composition during baking and their effects on sensory attributes of baked sweet potatoes |journal=Journal of Food Science and Technology |date=5 December 2012 |volume=51 |issue=12 |pages=4072–4077 |doi=10.1007/s13197-012-0900-z |pmid=25477683 |pmc=4252450 |language=en |issn=0022-1155}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Nabubuya |first1=Agnes |last2=Namutebi |first2=Agnes |last3=Byaruhanga |first3=Yusuf |last4=Schuller |first4=Reidar B. |last5=Narvhus |first5=Judith |last6=Wicklund |first6=Trude |title=Viscoelastic properties of sweet potato complementary porridges as influenced by endogenous amylases |journal=[[Food Science & Nutrition]]|date=16 July 2017 |volume=5 |issue=6 |pages=1072–1078 |doi=10.1002/fsn3.492 |pmid=29188034 |pmc=5694867 |issn=2048-7177}}</ref>

===Ceramics===
[[File:Camotemuseolarco.jpg|thumb|Sweet potato, [[Moche culture]], 300 CE, [[Larco Museum|Larco Museum Collection]]]]

Ceramics modeled after sweet potatoes or {{Lang|es|camotes}} are often found in the [[Moche culture]].<ref>{{cite book |author1=Berrin, Katherine |author2=[[Larco Museum]] staff |year=1997 |title=The Spirit of Ancient Peru: Treasures from the Museo Arqueológico Rafael Larco Herrera |location=New York, NY |publisher=[[Thames and Hudson]]|title-link=Museo Arqueológico Rafael Larco Herrera}}</ref>

===Dyes===
In South America, the juice of red sweet potatoes is combined with [[lime (fruit)|lime]] juice to make a [[dye]] for cloth. By varying the proportions of the juices, every shade from pink to black can be obtained.<ref name=Verrill>{{cite book |last1=Verrill |first1=Alpheus Hyatt |last2=Barrett |first2=Otis Warren |title=Foods America gave the World: The strange, fascinating and often romantic histories of many native American food plants, their origin, and other interesting and curious facts concerning them |year=1937 |location=Boston, MA |publisher=L.C. Page & Co. |page=47 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lIlCAAAAIAAJ |access-date=11 September 2020 |archive-date=24 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240324172709/https://books.google.com/books?id=lIlCAAAAIAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Purple sweet potato color]] is also used as a natural [[food coloring]].<ref name=":1">{{cite web |url=https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/pressroom/newsreleases/2013/september/purple-sweet-potatoes-among-new-naturals-for-food-and-beverage-colors.html |title=Purple sweet potatoes among "new naturals" for food and beverage colors |date=September 2013 |access-date=6 May 2017 |archive-date=9 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170509053537/https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/pressroom/newsreleases/2013/september/purple-sweet-potatoes-among-new-naturals-for-food-and-beverage-colors.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Aquariums===
Cuttings of sweet potato vine, either edible or ornamental cultivars, will rapidly form roots in water and will grow in it, indefinitely, in good lighting with a steady supply of nutrients. For this reason, sweet potato vine is ideal for use in home [[aquarium]]s, trailing out of the water with its roots submerged, as its rapid growth is fueled by toxic [[ammonia]] and [[nitrates]], a waste product of aquatic life, which it removes from the water. This improves the living conditions for fish, which also find refuge in the extensive root systems.{{citation needed|date= June 2021}}

===Ornamentals===
[[File:Sweet potato flower.jpg|thumb|An ornamental sweet potato flower]]
Ornamental sweet potatoes are popular landscape, container, and bedding plants. Grown as an annual in zones up to [[Hardiness zone|USDA hardiness Zone 9]], they grow rapidly and spread quickly. Cultivars are available in many colors, such as green, yellow, and purple.<ref>{{Cite web|date=12 June 2017|title=Sweet Potato Vine: How to Grow These Gorgeous Flowing Vines|url=https://www.epicgardening.com/sweet-potato-vine/|access-date=15 October 2021|website=Epic Gardening|language=en-US|archive-date=13 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211013215058/https://www.epicgardening.com/sweet-potato-vine/|url-status=live}}</ref> Some ornamental varieties, like 'Blackie', flower more than others.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Growing Sweet Potato Vine (''Ipomoea batatas'') – Garden Design|url=https://www.gardendesign.com/vines/sweet-potato-vine.html|access-date=15 October 2021|website=GardenDesign.com|archive-date=21 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021155018/https://www.gardendesign.com/vines/sweet-potato-vine.html|url-status=live}}</ref> These ornamental cultivars are not poisonous, and although the leaves are edible, the tubers do not have a good taste.<ref>{{Cite web|title=''Ipomoea batatas'' (Edible Sweetpotato, Ornamental Sweetpotato, Sweetpotato, Sweetpotato Vine, Water Spinach)|url=https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ipomoea-batatas/|access-date=15 October 2021|website=[[North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox]]|archive-date=27 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211027181921/https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ipomoea-batatas/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=14 August 2020|title=Are Ornamental Sweet Potatoes Edible? {{!}} Gardener's Path|url=https://gardenerspath.com/plants/vegetables/ornamental-sweet-potatoes-edible/|access-date=15 October 2021|website=Gardener's Path|language=en-US|archive-date=26 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211026204844/https://gardenerspath.com/plants/vegetables/ornamental-sweet-potatoes-edible/|url-status=live}}</ref>

{{clear}}

==See also==
*''[[Ipomoea aquatica]]'' (kangkong), another edible member of the morning glory family
* [[List of sweet potato dishes]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{EB1911 poster|Sweet Potato}}
{{Wiktionary|Sweet potato}}
{{Commons}}
{{cookbook|Sweet Potato}}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.fao.org/WAIRdocs/x5425e/x5425e0d.htm |id=FAO Leaflet 13 |year=1990 |title=Sweet Potato |publisher=fao.org |access-date=21 June 2007 |archive-date=17 December 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141217125322/http://www.fao.org/WAIRdocs/x5425e/x5425e0d.htm }}

{{Sweet potatoes}}
{{Thanksgiving}}
{{Ipomoea}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q37937}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Sweet potatoes| ]]
[[Category:Crops originating from the Americas]]
[[Category:Ipomoea]]
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