Sweet Potato
There are over 400 varieties of sweet potatoes in existence and in Seychelles we have our fair share. Some of the names of the root vegetable that I have come across are: patat abel, patat alibaba, patat benga, patat benwa, patat blan, patat bonm pyer nikovo, patat dyefri, patat fis, patat flaman, patat gandol, patat gro fanm, patat madanm zenp, patat payet blan, patat payet rouz, patat pti fey, patat pti zorey and patat rozali.
Variety of Sweet Potato
Depending upon the variety, the skin and flesh of the sweet potato may be almost white, cream, yellow, orange, pink, or deep purple, although white/cream and yellow-orange flesh are most common. The shape of the sweet potatoes also varies a lot . They can be shaped like a potato, being short and blocky with rounded ends, while other times will be longer with tapered ends.
Christopher Columbus brought sweet potatoes to Europe after his first voyage to the New World in 1492. By the 16th century, they were brought to the Philippines by Spanish explorers and to Africa, India, Indonesia and southern Asia by the Portuguese.Then to Mauritius and then Seychelles during the first few years of colonisation.
Choosing and Storing Sweet Potatoes
Choose sweet potatoes that are firm and do not have any cracks, bruises or soft spots. Avoid those that are displayed in the refrigerated section of the produce department since cold temperature negatively alters their taste.
Sweet potatoes should be stored, loose in a cool, dark and well-ventilated place, where they will keep fresh for up to ten days. Sweet potatoes that are stored in bags and in sunlight tends to sprout very quickly.
As the surface of the flesh of sweet potatoes will oxydise and darken upon contact with the air, you should cook them immediately after peeling and/or cutting them. If this is not possible, to prevent oxidation, keep them in a bowl covered completely with water until you are ready to cook them.
As a young boy growing up on Praslin we had our own sweet potato patch in our backyard garden. The sandy soil was ideal for sweet potato and I used to spend a lot of time preparing the raised beds and planting the cuttings.
Sweet Potato Leaves- Fey Patat
Every time we slaughtered a pig, we used to go in the patch and pick the very young and tender leaves of the sweet potato plant that was chopped up and used in black pudding or boudin to give that extra crunchy texture to the mixture.
