Sweet potatoes – Anjamar Fruit

// Origin and history:

Sweet potatoes come from America, as potatoes, chocolate or corns. It was discovered in Peru, where the most ancient crop was registered 10 000 years ago.

In 1492, Cristobal Colon brought the sweet potatoe in one of his expeditions to America. In the 16th century it was established in Philippines, Africa, India, Indonesia and south Asia. Afterwards, Portuguese started their cultivation in the USA. Nowdays, China is the first world producer with the 80% of the global production.

// Tree:

Sweet potatoes´ trees are evergreen climbers, with postrate and thin herbaceous stems and variable, whole or toothed leaves.

It has few white flowers with a small purple tube inside. It´s roots are tubercles, thick, elongated and ebible.

// Calories:

A sweet potatoe contains 105 calories per 100 grams. It contains a high quantity of carbohydrates such as starch and fibers. Instead of this, it conteins a low amount of fats.

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Appearence:

It´s appearence is similar to a potatoe. The diffrences are that sweet potatoes are bigger, more elongated and with a thicker skin. Outside, it´s colour is between yellow, red, violet and purple and inside it has an orange tone.

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Season:

The sweet potato season in Spain is between autumn and winter, specially during October and March.

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Care:

You should keep sweet potatoes out of the fridge so that their properties do not deteriorate. The better option would be to keep them inside a bag with some holes in a dark place.

t is recommenden to keep them at a temperature below 15º.

// Types:

Purple: original from Mexico. It is purple outside and inside.

Yellow: original from Peru. It has an elongated and rounded shape and it´s orange-coloured outside and inside.

White: it has a creamy colour outside and inside because it contains a high quantity of starch and it is smaller than the others.

Del Cerro: it has an elongated shape with a brownish and woody skin and white pulp. It is the most used at China.

// Benefits:

- It has a high content of antioxidants that help our defenses and also reduce cardiovascular problems and the probability of suffering cancer.
- It contains fibers that helps with digestive problems and folic acid that helps pregnant women as it forms the fetal spinal cord.
- It also helps to control blood sugar levels and moreover, it contains less sugar per miligram than potatoes.