Sweet potatoes and yams are actually two different types of vegetables. The sweet potato has orange-red skin with bright orange inside. The ends of the sweet potato taper to a point, and the skin is much smoother than its counterpart the yam. The sweet potato is very versatile and is used in both sweet and savory cuisine. It is especially famous for being a favorite at Thanksgiving. On the other hand, yams are not even related to the sweet potato. They have a scaly, brown appearance with starchy white, red, or purple flesh. Yams make their appearance in cultural dishes from Latin American and African countries. If you want a yam for your next dish, you might have some trouble finding them since most American grocery stores do not carry them.