Whether you're exploring produce from A to Z or are playing a food-themed name game, thinking of fruits and vegetables that begin with Y can prove difficult. However, several edible plants start with this sometimes-vowel, sometimes-consonant letter, and you may find them on your kitchen table or restaurant menu from time to time. For a healthy lifestyle, the U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends eating 2 cups of fruit and 2 1/2 cups of vegetables each day.
Yuzu is a yellow-green citrus fruit that hails from Japan. It has a thick, knobby rind and a light taste. Yuzu is not as sour as lemons or limes, and the juice works well with raw fish or other delicately flavored dishes. Some chefs use yuzu in desserts such as ice cream. Yuzu is particularly high in antioxidants and contains more vitamin C than most other citrus fruits, according to research published in the "Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry" in 2004.
Orange sweet potatoes are often labeled as yams in American supermarkets, but true yams are drier and starchier. Yams originated in Africa, and early African-Americans referred to soft sweet potatoes as yams owing to their similar appearance. The name stuck, but you'll only find real yams in ethnic markets -- and the U.S. Department of Agriculture requires the words "sweet potato" to follow "yam" if the tuber is not a true yam. Yams are a good source of potassium, whereas sweet potatoes are rich in beta carotene, vitamin C and folic acid.
Yuca, also called cassava, is a starchy root vegetable that originated in South America. Most yuca today comes from Africa, and the tuber is the third-largest carbohydrate source on the globe, according to Science Daily. Resembling a long, thin potato, yuca may be boiled, mashed or french fried, although residents of Africa often eat it raw. Along with carbs, yuca supplies calcium, phosphorous and vitamin C. Be careful not to confuse yuca with yucca, a plant native to the southwestern United States. Both plants are edible, but yucca is not nearly as prevalent in the world's diets. Native Americans use yucca root as a laxative and also eat the flowers, stalks and fruit.
Not related to yams, the yam bean is more commonly known as jicama and also sometimes referred to as Mexican turnip. Yam beans are legumes, and people typically consume only the root. The tubers have a delicate flavor and may be substituted for water chestnuts in stir-fry dishes. Yam beans are also julienned and eaten raw in salads or sushi rolls. Most yam beans come from Mexico and Argentina, and the vegetable is most common in the Southwest. Each 3 1/2-ounce serving of yam beans contains one-fourth of the daily recommended intake for vitamin C.
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: What's on Your Plate?
- Texas A&M AgriLife Extension: Jicama (Yam Bean, MexicanTurnip)
- Pubmed.gov: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry: Variation in Major Antioxidants and Total Antioxidant Activity of Yuzu (Citrus Junos Sieb ex Tanaka) During Maturation and Between Cultivars
- Everyday Mysteries: What is the Difference Between Sweet Potatoes and Yams?
- Go Ask Alice: Are Yams an Adequate Alternative to Hormone Replacement Therapy?
- Science Daily: Cassava (Yuca)
- Utah State University Extension: Yucca
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