Candied yams have a reputation for setting a festive mood for any holiday table. It goes good with any meat, poultry, fish, beef and it makes an excellent meatless meal if you decide to go the vegetarian route. But now more people have starting consuming this tasty southern side dish in more non-holiday months.
Yes, this comfort food is being eaten more in the summer and spring in addition to the traditional fall and winter months.
Thanks to excellent marketing by the yam and sweet potato growers, packers and distributors more have gone to eating these tasty vegetables more. You can also thank packers for finding creative and effective ways to store yams so they’re available longer in the year and even during non-seasonal periods. Another factor is the relatively good growing and harvesting seasons free of catastrophic weather. This has worked to keep prices fairly steady. Steady prices have encouraged people to buy and not be intimidated by rising prices like many other agricultural products.
Many cookbook authors have also done their part in helping to promote yams to the public. They have applied their creativity by coming up with creative ways to prepare candied yams. In fact, their is a cookbook entitled 99 Ways To Prepare Candied Yams. But the king of side dishes is still the traditional prepared the traditional way with plenty of brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and just the right hint of butter. Poll after poll continues to confirm this tasty side dish is and may always remain a holiday favorite. But now it’s expanding and growing into an all time favorite southern side dish.