Today, sweet potatoes are a major crop around the world. Some 80 million tons are grown in China while Central and South America grow 2 million tons, Africa 14 million tons, and the United States about 1 million tons. Most of the United States' sweet potatoes are grown in Southern states, with North Carolina a particular hotbed of sweet potato cultivation.

Naturally, with that sort of demand, the sweet potato is a food staple in many countries. Not only is the tuber delicious for its fruit, but the greens are also edible and are an important food source for those in Asia and Africa.

There are more than 6,000 varieties of sweet potato known to exist, many unique to certain countries or regions. The United States has 25 varieties, available in yellow, orange, red, brown and white flesh. Those with white or pale yellow flesh are less sweet than their orange, pink or red flesh cousins. They also don’t have the same amounts of beta-carotene, the vitamin that powers the sweet potato nutrition engine and are more mealy but firmer.

Eight Sweet Facts

Here are eight things you may not have realized about sweet potatoes.

1)    They contain vitamins C, A and B6 – Vitamin C boosts the immune system and plays a role in blood cell formation and bone and tooth development. It also may help reduce stress. B6 helps control homocysteine levels, which has been linked to many degenerative diseases. And Vitamin D is essential for boosting the immune system and fighting seasonal affective disorder.