Sweet potato red/white
Sweet potato red/red
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The sweet potato or batata probably has its home in Central and South America. It is cultivated in nearly all warmer countries of the tropics, subtropics and temperate regions of the planet. China is the world's largest producer of batatas.

Description:

Batatas are hardy, ground-crawling bushy plants, with tuberous, spindle-shaped roots that thicken to potato-shaped tubers. They are not botanically related to either the potato or the topinambur, which is often falsely named a batata. The tubers of the batata are roundish, oblong, spindle or cylinder shaped, slightly tapered, usually between 10-30cm long, purple red, brownish, yellowish or whitish rind, and can reach weights between 0.3-3kg, usually approx. 1kg. Their flesh is slightly floury, whitish light, yellowish or red and it tastes sweetish, somewhat slimy, similar to a frost-damaged potato.
Nutritional facts: Besides sugar which is responsible for the sweetish taste, the tuber stores mainly starch (batata starch, sweet potato starch). Sugar and starch content differ largely, according to cultivation area and plant variety; in the tropics, the starch content is much higher than the sugar content. Batatas are not traded under their sorts, although many different varieties are available.

Marketing :

Batatas are cultivated and harvested all year long. They are sold by weight. Occasionally, the fruits are dried and cut in slices. Due to their high water content, the tubers spoil easily and can only be stored for a limited time. It is best to store them - similar to potatoes - in dark, dry, well ventilated, cool rooms, with a temperature not to be below 5°C. Storage in dry peat has been very successful. A quick consumption is recommended.

Use:

The batata is a main staple for large segments of the population of the cultivating countries. There, it is as important as the potato is to us; it is boiled, roasted, fried, usually served with piquant sauces, or baked to a kind of bread. It should be mentioned, that the connoisseur prefers the batata backed in hot ashes. The normal process is as follows: the batata is being washed, skinned, several times pricked with a fork and basted with oil. Then it may be baked in aluminium foil, or cooked in the oven in its skin or pureed after baking, seasoned with cream and spices and browned once more in a souffle pan. In this preparation, the batata is a tasty dish with meat, venison or fish. The milky juice, which may appear during slicing, is negligible.