TYPES OF SWEET POTATO (Part 3)

SWEET POTATO (Impomea batatas) is tuberous crop from the morning glory family Convolvulaceae native to Tropical regions in America. In Malaysia are known as 'Keledek' and planted for domestic market. There are 2,890 hectare area planted with sweet potato in 2018 in Malaysia producing 45,370 metrik tons. The are grown of sweet potato increase to 3,062 hectare in 2021 producing for 52,225 metric tons of sweet potato (Source: Booklet for area planted with food crop, Dept of Agriculture, Malaysia 2021). Out of that Perak grown more than 1,702 hectare (producing for 22,032 mt) followed by Kelantan and Selangor. Among popular variety grown in Malaysia are Keledek Bukit Naga, Keledek Ungu, Keledek Oren and few others. Sweet potato was believed to be domesticated in either South America or Central America. Sweet potato was later domesticated in Central America 5,000 years ago. Sweet potato was found back 8000 BC in South America. It is a perennial crop which is cultivated as an annual in tropical and temperate areas for its edible starchy tuberous root. China is the world’s largest producer of sweet potato in which the most popular sweet potato are red, purple, brown, yellow-brown and white in color. Blog "Anim Agriculture Technology" write the types of sweet potato especially for orange flesh.

Types of sweet Potatoes
Few popular kinds of sweet potato which are known popular is USA or round the world are listed below. However there are many varieties of sweet potato recorded in different countries.  In the classification sweet potato are categorised by the flesh colour namely Orange Sweet Potato, Red Sweet Potato and White Sweet Potato.

(C) White Sweet Potatoes Varieties
This sweet potato has white colored flesh, with the taste of more colorful types of sweet potatoes.

1. Star Leaf Sweet Potatoes

It is also known as Boniato or White Stephenson’. The Star Leaf is a variety of heirloom bush with light orange skin and light orange flesh. No picture available for this variety in many portals that I search. May be this variety is not popular grown in the origin country and also not found in Malaysia.

2. White Delite Sweet Potatoes

It is yellow fleshed and fuschia skinned with creamy texture. It is sweet in taste and good source of sugar and for the carbohydrate. It was not available in Malaysia so that I never come across of this variety. Maybe it resembles to Bukit Naga variety in term of sweetness and colour.



3. Nancy Hall Sweet Potatoes

It has tubers with yellow flesh that is succulent and sweet. It gets mature in 120 days. it was popular in North America and Europe regions and grown for fresh consumption. This variety is a temperate variety and not found in Malaysia for commercial farming.




4. Sumor Sweet Potatoes

This variety are unique with it has smooth light to tan skin and white- yellow flesh which possess more Vitamin C for the comparison to the tomatoes. This variety are not found to be grown in Malaysia. May be the plant breeders able to promote this sweet tomato variety in the future.


5. Picadita Sweet Potatoes
By the name this rare sweet potato are also called common root which is white colour for their flesh. Both the skin and flesh have white color. This variety become un popular due to less farmers growing in the origin country. To consume sweet potato for health, balanced and delicious methods to add sweet potato in your diet because of Low Fat Mashed Sweet Potatoes that mashed sweet potatoes could be enjoyed with orange juice, brown sugar, spiced, ginger and cinnamon. Second is easy Low-Fat Baked Sweet Potato Fries. The fried baked sweet potatoes helps to lower the fat than usual fried. This recipe should be tried by those who want to have healthy fried baked sweet potato. Thrid is the spicy Braised Sweet Potatoes. The sweet potatoes could be seasoned with cayenne and paprika which should be simmered on the top of the stove. Fourth the Chicken Pot Pie with Sweet Potato Crust in which the chicken pot pie should be tried with some twist. The sweet potato crust has a orange color which is nutritious. Fifth is he Low Fat Sweet Potato and Apple Soup in which the sweet potatoes are complemented by the apples properly by making it spiced slightly and low-fat soup. Thank you.

This article divided in 3 segments namely Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 respectively.

By,
M Anim,
Room 824, Thistle Hotel,
Johor Bahru, Johor,
Malaysia.
July 2020.

(Update the article on 11 Oct 2022.)