Snacks
The Magical Sweet Potato
The Magical Sweet Potato
The Magical Sweet Potato
The sweet potato must not be confused with the common potato (Solanum tuberosum, family Solanaceae) or with the yam (various Dioscorea species, family Dioscoreaceae). Although growers in the United States often use the name “yam” to distinguish soft orange-fleshed sweet potatoes from the firm white-fleshed varieties, sweet potatoes are unrelated to true yams.
The sweet potato is a member of the morning glory family (Convolvulaceae), native to tropical America. The sweet potato is widely cultivated in tropical and warm temperate climates and is an important food crop in the southern United States, tropical America and the Caribbean, the warmer islands of the Pacific, Japan, and parts of Russia.
Root colors range from white to orange and occasionally purple inside and from light buff to brown or rose and purplish red outside. The pulp consists largely of starch, and orange-fleshed varieties are high in carotene like carrots and other bright colored fruits and vegetables. https://www.britannica.com/plant/sweet-potato
For the long, long, long list of nutritional benefits of sweet potatoes, click on the link below. The list is so long, you would never get on with why you came to visit us! https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods/sweet-potatoes#benefits
The Magic Cocoa Bean
The Magical Sweet Potato
The Magical Sweet Potato
Cocoa or Cacao? Raw or processed? What is the truth?
The cocoa bean, or cacao bean, pick one, they are the same thing, just spelt diff'rent. Tomato tomaatoh, potato potaahtoh... https://www.thespruceeats.com/difference-between-cocoa-and-cacao-3376438
Raw or processed, which is better? Well, that depends on what you are looking for and what website you go to. "I read it on the internet, it has to be true!" Well.... Raw means it hasn't been processed. Processed means it has been roasted and rinsed in an alkaline bath to extract the bitter flavonoids and produce a richer color and that chocolate flavor we all love. This is called "Dutch-processing", developed sometime around the 1820s, long before you and I were a twinkle in our great great, probably great great great, grandparents eye.
Is raw healthier than processed? "I 'heard' raw is more nutritious and processed removes all the good stuff." Hang on, there is little scientific evidence that shows one is more nutritious than the other or that processed cocoa removes the good stuff. Basically, this is marketing to draw the health conscious dollars from our pockets. It's a shame. The bad stuff is the sugar! That is what we get in most chocolate labeled "cocoa". Because of that, cocoa gets a bad rap.
Cocoa is packed with all the good stuff: packed with antioxidants, anti inflammatory, may help boost the immune system, may benefit blood sugar control (insulin resistance), improve heart health, may have anti-cancer properties. PERFECT for complementing sweet potatoes, don't ya think!
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/cacao-nibs#benefits
Extra! For a brief history of cocoa/cacao, click on the button below. Meridian Cacao Co. is a local Portland, OR cacao company, and no, I we are not getting paid to advertise or put a link for you to click on. This is a great, short, historical account of chocolate. It just happens to be on a fabulous cocoa company's website. Imagine that?