Yams

Although botanists say they are two very different things, in U.S. vernacular, “yam” is synonymous with “sweet potato” – the orange root vegetable that is baked whole and buttered or mashed and made into a casserole with marshmallows on top. They’re on menus everywhere, especially in southern cafes. The best place to eat them is Maryland’s eastern shore, where several varieties are grown, light and dark, sweet and earthy. In this region, one of the many great things made with them is a sweet potato biscuit: great on its own, superb when sandwiching slices of country ham.