How To choose Good Yams to buy

Yams in nigeria
How to choose good yams to buy
 Tubers of yam.

 Here are my tips on how to choose good white yams to buy

How to tell which tuber of yam is very white and which one changes color when peeled is a challenge to most of us women. Shopping for yams is very easy when you know what you are paying for. Traders know their tricks.

They sell both
very good and not so good yams almost at the same price, so that you pay so much for yams that you may end up giving away

 USING YAM COLOUR TO SELECT

Some yams change color once you put a knife and begin to peel their skin. Others change before the pot begins to boil. There is another type that can empty your gas cylinder before it cooks; takes so long to cook. There are some yams that have no taste at all, even with salt added.

There is another group that has a little bitter taste. It’s important to know how to choose good yams when you want to buy yams…

Selecting good yams used to be very easy for me, but, these days, yam sellers have perfected the act of mixing up the yams in such a way that you only get to discover the difference when you cook the yams at home.

In the first picture, the good yams are on the left. They remain white after cutting and all through the cooking. When pounded, the result is very good. They are elastic and the color of poundo is so inviting.

These ones are more expensive. They are good for pounding, porridge, boiling and all. They never disappoint.

When peeling those ones, no part is thrown away because even the head is tiny and peel able.

water yam tubers
 water yam tubers, these look plump, the skin color is darker too.

 

 water yams used for ekpang nkwukwor and ikokore meals. 

 

MORE DIFFERENCES

The skin of the not so good yams is smooth, anyway that should not be used to differentiate because there are some good ones with smooth skin too.

In some places, those good ones are called “Ada Onitsha,” and it is only honest and sincere yam sellers who will give you the real white Ada Onitsha.

These traders have a way of asking whether you need yams for chewing or pounding. My dear, your answer makes no difference. Whatever your response, they still sell to you what they have in stock.

It is safer not to answer their questions, but  to insist that you need white yams that do not change color.
Avoid yams with BIG ROUND HEADS. Those heads are very hard and do not cook sometimes. Their shape is somehow uneven, the big head makes the body seem slimmer.

A lot of good specie yams look even from head to bottom . That is how to choose good yams to buy in any Nigerian market.

SEE OUR RECIPE FOR HOW TO MAKE IKOKORE WITH FRESH TOMATOES

18 thoughts on “How To choose Good Yams to buy”

  1. If only you know how you have helped me ehn! My sistah, I can never differiante oo! It is by luck I get white yams atimes, but mostly I end up with the other type that turns colour or is so hard after boiling sef! Hence, my family detest yam, while I liked it so much when living with my parents oo! Even my so-called customers sell to me what they ahve and pass it as better sweet white yam! If yam hungry me, I go and buy friend or roasted one from mamaput and satisfy my urge shikenah! Those food sellers really know correct yam o!
    I hope with this tips of yours, I will know the original yams ooo..ahahahaha.
    Weldone sistah.

    Reply
  2. Read your post. Was expecting a trick or two on how to differentiate the two. I must have missed it cos I still do not see how after 're-reading' it.
    As for me, before I buy, I peel off a little portion on d side of d yam. The red yams will change colour immediately. If they won't let me peel of a little, then that's proof they know it's not white.

    Reply
  3. Aunty Eya, nice blog u hav here! I saw ur advert on LIB n deciided to come take a look! Sincerely am impressed!

    I know good yam by peeling d yam small while pricing it in d market! But I will put ur tips in mind when next am shopping for yams!
    The chikoo

    Reply
  4. aunty Eya. More grease to ur elbow jare, u realy dnt knw hw dis blog wil save a lot of marriages as for me cookin is my hubby and now dat I've known dis blog ehehehe u beta get ready cus na me and u til d end of time. Jst keep up d gud work. Niceluv

    Reply
  5. Aunt Eya, i agree with lynda I v reread ur post and i still cnt see the tip on how to differentiate 😀 cn u pls advise me on hw to pls. Thanks x

    Reply
  6. Now U have confused me and I am reffin' to the water-yam bit. I thot Ekpang was made from cocoyam while Ikokore(a youruba/ijebu delicacy) and Ojojo (water-yam fritters) are made Water-yam. Biko, put me out of dis dilemma. Tnx!

    Reply
    • I am from Brazil. Here we have many kind of yams and each one is delicious in its owm way. I do prefer the tubers because they are really great to women's health and can be used in salty an sweet food. They are huge and have a lot of Mass under the skin. Here in Brazil is not a matter to choose between good and bad tubers and more a matter of where to buy them. If you find the right vendors you need not worry, your yams will Always be wonderfull. I have a vendor who delivers 2 kg of yam every week and I don't even worry about pick because they Always delliver the best yam. I eat yam tubers almost every day. They are really nature gifts of the Earth.

      Reply
  7. i used to fall victim of all these nonsense yams too; but now,lailai.what i do anytime i want to buy my white yam is that, once they tell me the yam is white,i make sure i peel little part of the yam with my finger nail.once it opens,give it some seconds,it remain white if it's a white yam, but if not, it changes to offwhite after some seconds.

    Reply
    • That is a trick i used myself ,until O found a vendor who delivers 2 kg of yam tubers every week. I don not need to choose anymore. My vendor Always sends the best, perfect tubers every week withou fail

      Reply

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