But scientists are trying to reduce that sweetness to get even more people to develop a taste for the vitamin-rich vegetable. The two have already created a non-sweet sweet potato that tastes like an Irish potato. They believe it could boost consumption, provide a nutritious diet for developing countries and lead to a melange of new products, such as sweet potato french fries. Brown said he'll stick to his sweet sweet potatoes. All my customers would leave.
Sweet potatoes are more nutritious than white potatoes.
They are packed with vitamins and minerals and low in fat and calories. They grow well in warmer climates, making them an ideal food for the tropics. They were a staple of impoverished Southerners during the 1920s and they still are the world's seventh-leading food crop. But U.S. per-capita consumption has dropped from 29 pounds during the 1920s to a low of 3.9 pounds in the 1990s. Per-capita consumption of white potatoes, which account for 31 percent of all vegetables consumed in the United States, has increased to 140 pounds, largely because of the increased demand for potato chips and french fries.