Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas) - Cheenikizhangu

This plant is cultivated for it's large edible tuber, which is being used as vegetable; They are eaten after boiled, baked and fried. The sweet potato can also be dried and ground into flour to make biscuits, and breads. The leaves and shoots of the plant are also edible. The large sweet potato tubers are range in color from purple to white or orange.

The sweet potato plant is vigorous, which spreads over with its dark green heart-shaped or five-lobed leaves closely to the ground.

The sweet potato is a good source of sugars, carbohydrates, calcium, iron, vitamin A, and vitamin C. It contains carotenoids which can help to stabilize blood sugar levels and lower insulin resistance, making cells more responsive to insulin.

The leaf decoction from the plant is used in folk remedies for tumors of the mouth and throat.

Planting guidelines for sweet potato are available here.

[sweet potato being cut open]

Yam - Dioscorea alata

Yam is cultivated for their edible underground tuber; and is a popular food item in tropics. Yam tubers are boiled, peeled and then mashed for eating. It can be also prepared like potato chips or french fries. It tastes sweet with starchy.

Yam is native to Southeast Asia. The plant grows for 8 to 10 months, and goes dormant about 3 to 4 months.

The flesh of yam tubers varies colors between white to yellow, and filled up with 15% to 40% starch, with little or no protein. Yam tuber contains more natural sugar than even sweet potatoes and are rich in moisture content.

Yam is termed as kachil kizhangu in tamil language.

Cassava (yuca or tapioca or manioc)

Cassava is grown for its edible starch-filled tuberous root. The cassava root is shape long and tapered, with a firm homogeneous flesh encased in a detachable rind, which is about 1 mm thick, and brown colored on the outside.

Cassava roots are a major source of carbohydrates with less protein, and are very rich in starch with calcium, phosphorus and vitamin C.

Cassava roots can be eaten after peeled and cooked in water, baked, or fried. Fresh roots are sliced and fried to make chips which are similar to potato chips. In south india cassava is a secondary staple food and is used in preparing variety of cuisines.

Dried roots are milled to produce cassava flour, which are mainly used for baking breads, crackers, pasta and pearls of tapioca. Cassava flour may be used sometime as partial substitute for wheat flour in making bread. Bread made wholly from cassava are useful to people whome with allergies to wheat flour. Alcoholic beverages also can be made from cassava roots.

Unpeeled roots are dried and grated for the use of livestock feed.

The shelf life of cassava roots are only a few days unless they receive special treatment or fermented. Removing the leaves from the plant two weeks before harvest, lengthens the shelf life up to two weeks.

Cassava are native to Brazil and Paraguay. Cassava is called by some other common or tropical names are yuca, tapioca, manioc and maracheeni.

[image: a south indian cuisine from cassava roots]