I need a kumara fix

April 26, 2008 4:50 PM

Is there a place in the US to buy kumara?

I enjoyed many kumara dishes while vacationing in New Zealand. They are the yummiest variety of potato I've ever tasted. But you aren't allowed to bring such items back to the States. Is there a legal kumara outlet anywhere? If I could get my hands on some, I could grow them myself. Anyone?

posted by iguanapolitico to food & drink (7 comments total)

They are evidently a variety of sweet potato, which is very easy to find, especially in the southern US. They are often called yams, but actual yams are harder to find here.
posted by TedW at 5:42 PM on April 26

Yep, having been in NZ recently as well, I thought they were the same thing as regular U.S. sweet potatoes.
posted by magicbus at 5:43 PM on April 26

U.S. sweet potatoes are the same species as NZ kumara (Ipomoea batatas), you just need to find the right cultivar. I'm not sure how many purple-skinned/yellow fleshed versions there are but the basic kumara is pretty widespread and not endemic to New Zealand at all.

Yams are actually something totally different, but wikipedia indicates that you guys sometimes call sweet potatoes yams anyway. Yam flesh is totally different, more translucent, so you should know which one you have pretty easily.

Basically, don't get too hung up on the name and try to buy something that looks right.
posted by shelleycat at 6:09 PM on April 26

I've never had a sweet potato in the US that tasted like a kumara. They aren't even the same color. So you think if I can find a purple sweet potato, it'll be the same as kumara? (I've also never had a purple sweet potato.)
posted by iguanapolitico at 8:05 PM on April 26

Purple skin and pale flesh? The variety most commonly grown in NZ appears to be "Owairaka Red." A quick google didn't reveal to me a US source.
posted by magicbus at 8:48 PM on April 26

Yes, purple skin and pale flesh sounds right. I can't swear to the color of the flesh, since the kumara fries, etc, were cooked, but I know that in markets the piles of kumara were purple on the outside. :)

I'll certainly stop googling for "kumara" and start looking for sweet potato cultivars in the US. (If anybody finds this thread and knows of anyone who grows purple sweet potatoes, please let me know!)
posted by iguanapolitico at 7:52 AM on April 27

There are a huge number of varieties of sweet potatoes; look here and here for an idea of what is out there. There are a number of Asian varieties around that may be similar to what you want; you might try looking at farmers markets or even growing a few different types to find one that is close to what you want. A google on heirloom sweet potatoes give a lot more info.
posted by TedW at 11:47 AM on April 27