Meet Miriam Our Latest Vegan Concoction!

We're so excited to welcome Miriam (Pronounced Me-ri-Yam) to the Fall concoction line up!  As the pronunciation of her name implies, she is made from... Yup! You guessed it! Yams - The kind also known as sweet potatoes! Like most Cake Cores, Miriam too is named after a naturally occurring gemstone! Let's start by getting to the bottom of this yam vs sweet potato thing, and then we'll talk about the name, and of course the cake! Cool?

Science of Sweet Potatoes and Yams

In the Caribbean yam and sweet potatoes are two very different things!  There are many colors, including orange and white sweet potatoes, and then there are yams! The first, not related to the last, which has a very different texture. But in America, orange sweet potatoes are called yams. The main ingredient in the popular holiday dish Candied Yams is actually orange sweet potatoes. 

Photo of potatoes vs yams

According to the the Library of Congress sources, "although yams and sweet potatoes are both angiosperms (flowering plants), they are not related botanically."  Yams come in over 600 varieties and are native to Africa and Asia. Scientifically, they are labeled monocots, a plant having one embryonic seed leaf. However, sweet potatoes, are a dicot, "a plant having two embryonic seed leaves." This explains their varying textures.

Why Sweet Potatoes are Called Yams

So, why are sweet potatoes called Yams?  Well, you'll find this funny, but the name is a bi-prouduct of Slavery.  As it turns out, in the US when the soft orange sweet potatoes were first grown for sale, it was necessary to find a way to distinguish them from the firmer white variety of sweet potato that was already on the market. 

Yams
Yams in an African Market

The Library of Congress says that  "African slaves had already been calling the ‘soft’ sweet potatoes ‘yams’ because they resembled the yams in Africa. Thus, ‘soft’ sweet potatoes were referred to as ‘yams’ to distinguish them from the ‘firm’ varieties." The trickle down effect of this decision resulted in the requirement by the US Department of Agriculture that farmers today who label their product "yam" include "sweet potato"in the description, and thus the names are used interchangeably in the US.  To find actual yams here, you'd likely have to go to an international market.  With this convolution of names, it was hard to resist calling this sweet potato concoction Miriam (Me-ri-Yam, get it?) after happening upon the unique gemstones from which the name is derived. 



About Miriam Gemstones

Like all Cake Cores (named after core samples of the earth), we searched for a gemstone to match up with this new Sweet Potato (Yam) concoction, and then we happened upon Miriam gemstones!


Miriam Gemstones Photo from Earthegy and Worth Point

Miriam is a naturally occurring gemstones, found in the Himalayans, with various hues of brown forming a unique pattern. For this reason it is also called the calligraphy or script stone.  According to WorthPoint these stones are also called "Miriam Fossil and Elephant Skin Jasper, - a naturally occurring fossil shell and Hematite Iron stone mixture." 


Miriam Gemstone Properties

These stones are said to promote healing, prosperity in business, spiritual awakening, creativity, tranquility, joy, the manifestation of dreams, introspection and dissolves negative energy. All things we hope you'll experience enjoying this concoction!

About Miriam Cake Cores

Imagine a sweet potato soufflé, cake, candied yams and the best part of a cinnamon bun all rolled into one! Yes, that's Miriam Cake Cores! Tender layers of spiced sweet potato cake, vanilla icing and sticky cinnamon and brown sugar butter drizzle! Yes, this is vegan!  No animal or dairy products included!

This sweet potato concoction is 100% plant based! 

This one is going to be hard to share for sure!  Find Miriam in the lab today and be sure you add enough to your cart for all the Fall flavor fanatics in your house! 

Did you know about the difference between yams and sweet potatoes? What about Miriam gemstones? Tell us in the comments. 

1 comment:

  1. Oh my gosh, this sounds deee-licious! I can't wait to try it!

    ReplyDelete

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