Yams grown in New Zealand originate from the South American Andes where they are known as oca. The sweet tubers are small, often about the size of a thumb, are pink-orange in colour and have a slightly shiny and ribbed surface.
What does New Zealand yam taste like?
Oca tends to have a slightly tangy lemon taste. The flesh is firm but juicy and crisp when eaten raw or lightly cooked, and becoming more starchy if fully cooked. The tubers don’t require peeling when eating Oca raw – just wash them clean, and they can be sliced to add a hint of a lemony zest to salads.
Can you eat New Zealand yams raw?
NZ yams can be eaten raw, and the entire plant is edible- tuber, shoots, and clover-like leaves. (Never eat the leafy green of a potato, as they are toxic.)
How do New Zealand yams grow in Australia?
The recommended planting time is spring in cool areas and at the beginning of the wet season in warmer areas. To plant cover the tubers with soil to a depth of 5 cm; space plants 30 cm apart. Oca plants should be hilled like potatoes to encourage tuber formation, at about 4 months.
Is oca a yam?
Attractive in appearance, tubers range in colours from white through to orange but are most commonly scarlet pink.
What are NZ yams called in America?
Other sweeter, slightly smaller varieties, coloured yellow, apricot and golden are available. New Zealand yams are different from the tropical yams grown in other cultures. In America, and therefore in American recipe books, the vegetables known as ‘yams’ are in fact sweet potatoes similar to Beauregard kūmara.
What are NZ yams called in Australia?
Also know as Oxalis Tuberosa. These Australian grown NZ Yams originate from the South American Andes where they are known as Oca. The sweet tubers are small, often about the size of a thumb, are pink-orange in colour and have a slightly shiny and ribbed surface.
What do New Zealanders call yams?
These tubers are known as uqa in Quechua, hispanicized oca, as New Zealand yam and a number of other alternative names.
Are you supposed to peel yams?
You can peel them, or leave the skins on. Use a sharp thin-blade knife to cut the yams into ¼- to ½-inch-thick strips. Our Test Kitchen Pros recommend cutting each fry to an even thickness as best you can.
What are sweet potatoes called in New Zealand?
Kūmara
Kūmara (sweet potato) has a long history of cultivation in New Zealand. Kūmara was brought here over one thousand years ago from the Pacific islands by early Maori settlers.
How do you store New Zealand yams?
Save the smallest tubers for seed stock in a cool, dark area until planting time. For those that are to be consumed, also store in a cool, dry area out of sunlight. There is no need to keep oca in a root cellar or refrigerator and they can be stored for months as above.
Can you freeze New Zealand yams?
Yes, you can freeze yams for up to 6 months. You can either parboil them or cook them before freezing; it’s up to you. Just make sure they’re tightly wrapped and protected from freezer burn before you place them in the freezer.
Can you buy yams in Australia?
Yams, delicious but not readily available in Australia. Something a little unusual to grow in our greenhouses – the NZ yam. These are a very tasty tuber, unknown to most Australians.
What does oca taste like?
Oca tubers have a fresh, lemony taste with juicy, firm flesh. They can be eaten raw or cooked, and they’re delicious as an alternative to potatoes in any recipe. As well as the tubers, the leaves are also edible and make a delicious addition to salads throughout the summer.
Can you eat oca raw?
Unlike potatoes, oca tubers can be eaten both raw and cooked. When they’re raw, they have a fresh lemony flavour with a crisp, crunchy texture similar to that of a carrot. The skin is edible too and can be left on when raw. Slice them up into a salad to add some fresh zest.
Where does oca grow?
Oca is a tuber crop native to the Andes, where it was developed alongside the similar tuber crops potato, ulluco, and mashua. Oca tubers are usually long and narrow, reaching about four inches in length. This crop is easy to grow in most of the Pacific Northwest, but challenging in the rest of the country.
What is a sweet potato vs yam?
Are Yams and Sweet Potatoes the Same? No, yams and sweet potatoes are not the same. Yams have rough, dark brown skin that is often compared to tree bark, and their flesh is dry and starchy like a regular potato. Sweet potatoes have smooth reddish skin, softer flesh (when cooked), and a sweet flavor.
What are yams USA?
In America, yams are actually a type of sweet potato. Gingersnap cookies and marshmallows make this dish a real treat.
What is the difference between Taro and yam?
Taro is grown from the tropical taro plant and is not one of the nearly 600 types of yams. Summary Taro root grows from the taro plant, and unlike purple yams, they are not a species of yam.
What is Australian yam?
Nutty, starchy and rather potato-like, the murnong is the edible root of a yellow dandelion-type plant, naturally occurring in southern and south-eastern (cool, dry) parts of Australia.
Where do Yams grow in Australia?
Yams need a frost-free, coastal climate and succeed best where there is summer rain and winter drought. They grow well from Sydney north to FN Queensland and around the Top End and south to Perth. While they’ll grow well in coastal WA, they will need plenty of water.