What is yam?

Nowadays, people's eating conditions have improved to a certain extent, and various ingredients have appeared in people's vision. For example, yam is a food that has become increasingly popular in recent years. This is because the nutritional value of yam is very high, because yam is rich in nutrients such as calcium, iron and zinc. Below, I will introduce you to some relevant knowledge about yam!

1. What is yam?

"Yangshu" generally refers to "yam bean", which is native to tropical America and is now widely distributed in the tropical regions of the Eastern Hemisphere. Among them, yam bean (Yangshu) Pachyrhizus erosus is commonly cultivated in southwestern provinces of China.

2. Nutritional value of yam

Yam is rich in nutrients and contains many elements necessary for the human body, such as calcium, iron, zinc, copper, phosphorus, etc. It also has the effect of lowering blood pressure and blood lipids.

The fleshy tubers of yam are rich in starch, sugar and protein. They are crisp, tender and juicy, with a thin and tough skin that is easy to peel. They can be eaten raw, fried or used as feed. Processed into yam powder, it has the effect of cooling and removing heat.

The seeds, stems and leaves contain rotenone, which is toxic to humans and animals and cannot be eaten, but pesticides can be extracted. The starch content in mature tubers is relatively high and can be used to extract starch.

The edible part of yam is the large tuberous root, which is rich in carbohydrates and protein. Its flesh is white, tender, crisp, sweet and juicy. It can be eaten raw or cooked, and can be processed into yam powder, which has a cooling and heat-removing effect.

A new yam anti-tumor protein was purified and separated from yam seeds by a specific method.

3. How to choose yam?

1. First of all, we need to look at the size of the yam. We generally choose large yam, because large yam absorbs sufficient nutrients from the soil and tastes crisp and delicious. Small yam tastes like chewing wood chips.

2. Choose yam with leaves. Generally, large yam can be divided into several leaves. Yam with leaves taste crisp and delicious, very juicy and have a good taste. Yam without leaves does not taste as refreshing.

3. See whether the stem of the yam is thick or thin. We should choose yam with thin stems, and the yam under the stem should be very large, because such yam absorbs sufficient nutrients. If the stem above is very thick and the yam below is very small, the yam will not taste good.

4. Weigh the yam in your hand to see if its size matches its actual weight. If it is large in size but light in your hand, the moisture in the yam may have evaporated after being stored for a long time. If it feels heavy in your hand, it means it has plenty of moisture and will definitely taste crisp and delicious.

5. Check whether there are any scars on the sweet potato. If there are scars, it means it has been touched and it is easy to rot. We should try to choose those that look smooth on the outside and have intact skin. This way it is more hygienic to eat and is more secure for our health.