Sweet Potato Leaves

Name: Sweet potato leaves — the tender young leaves and shoots of the sweet potato vine (Ipomoea batatas), eaten as a leafy green in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, with a mild, slightly earthy flavour and a soft texture.

Description

Sweet potato is native to Central and South America, and has been carried across the tropics, where the vine's leaves became a valuable green vegetable alongside the root. They are eaten in Southeast Asia, China, Taiwan, Japan, Africa and the Pacific islands, particularly where other greens are scarce in the hot season, since the vines grow quickly and thrive in heat.

The leaves are tender and cook in a couple of minutes, with a taste like a mild spinach. In Taiwan and China, they are stir-fried with garlic, in the Philippines they are used in soups (camote tops), and in West and East Africa they are cooked with groundnuts or in stews.

Main nutrition value

Sweet potato leaves are rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, iron and calcium, and polyphenol antioxidants.

How best to be consumed

Sweet potato leaves cook quickly, like spinach.

1. Stir-fry with garlic, chilli or shrimp paste, adding the stems first.
2. Add to soups and stews, such as Filipino sinigang.
3. Blanch and dress with sesame or soy sauce.
4. Use only the young tips and tender leaves, and strip the tough stems.
5. Cook thoroughly, and wash well.

Overconsumption could cause…

Sweet potato leaves are safe in food amounts.

1. Oxalates, which matter for people prone to kidney stones when eaten in very large amounts, and which reduce the absorption of calcium and iron from the leaves.
2. Possible effects on warfarin and similar blood-thinning medicines because of the high vitamin K content, so keep intake steady rather than avoiding them.
3. Foodborne illness from poorly washed leaves, so rinse well, especially bagged and ready-to-eat salad.
4. Tough, stringy stems if older shoots are used.

GroupsLeafy Green VegetablesMorning glory family (Convolvulaceae)Low fatLow sodiumRich in vitamin KFresh

Related foodsWater Spinach / KangkungDandelion GreensCollard GreensCurly KaleKaleTurnip Greens

Wikipedia — Sweet potato, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_potato