North Carolina's Favorite Sweet Potato Pie Recipe | CDKitchen.com (2024)

FAQs

What state is famous for sweet potato pie? ›

This dessert at Mama Dip's is handmade with mashed sweet potatoes, and fits into a family tradition carried on by Spring Council. Mama Dip's has been a Chapel Hill fixture for more than 40 years — and everyone has their favorite dishes.

From a culinary perspective, the biggest difference between sweet potatoes and yams becomes more apparent when they are cooked. Yams are starchy and dry, but sweet potatoes are fluffier and the right consistency for this rich autumn tart.

Southern cooks, black and white, turned more often to recipes for sweet potatoes because, in the South, they were easier to grow than edible pumpkins. Using the same logic, Northern cooks preferred the easy-growing gourds for their pies.

As colonization expanded across the Americas, enslaved Africans learned how to cook sweet potatoes. Miller said the potatoes may have resonated among enslaved people because they're somewhat similar to yams, a root vegetable grown in West Africa.

Sweet Potato Fast Facts

Mississippi hosts the National Sweet Potato Festival each November in Vardaman, which is the sweet potato capital of the world.

She leads a team of professionals to bring quality bakery products to over 4,500 store locations. A notable accomplishment is that Kinna is the person responsible for creating the Patti Labelle Sweet Potato Pie.

And, of course, her legendary sweet potato pie is still a favorite: I just had a piece of Patti Labelle's sweet potato pie and the lady really knows her way around a pie kitchen. LaBelle told TODAY that she could keep performing for another 74 years.

If you were to take a bite of both sweet potato and pumpkin pies, you'll notice that there are more similarities than differences. They're both made with eggs, vanilla, and milk (either whole or condensed), and they're both seasoned with warm spices including cinnamon and nutmeg.

Sweet potato does not need a lot of ingredients as it has a distinct taste. They are naturally sweet and contain nine times more sugar than pumpkin. This makes them an unhealthy option in terms of sugar content. On the other hand, sweet potatoes offer tremendously high quantities of essential nutrients.

Sweet Potatoes and Health

Sweet potatoes with orange flesh are richest in beta-carotene. Sweet potatoes with purple flesh are richer in anthocyanins. Beta-carotene and anthocyanins are naturally occurring plant “phyto” chemicals that give vegetables their bright colors.

Are sweet potatoes good for diabetics? ›

Sweet potatoes are known to be high in fiber and have a low glycemic index, which results in a less immediate impact on blood glucose levels. This can help people with diabetes keep their blood sugar levels in check. Sweet potatoes can be: Baked or microwaved.

What is the favorite pie of Black people? African-Americans today have continued the tradition of sweet potato pie with holiday dinners. So yes, sweet potato pie is a Black thing – easy enough for anyone to make, and everyone to love!

China is the world's biggest producer and consumer of sweetpotato, where it is used for food, animal feed, and processing (as food, starch, and other products).

Sweet potato pie is a traditional dessert, originating in the Southern United States. It is often served during the American holiday season, especially at Thanksgiving and Christmas in place of pumpkin pie, which is more traditional in other regions of the United States.

Vardaman is located in one of Mississippi's top five sweet potato-producing counties. The Vardaman Sweet Potato Festival, also known as the National Sweet Potato Festival, is held there annually the entire first week in November. Vardaman has been proclaimed as the "Sweet Potato Capital of the World".

Texas pecan pie has been a tradition for more than 100 years, and the pie was officially named the state dessert in 2013. Along with Georgia and New Mexico, Texas is one of the nation's top three pecan-producing states.

It stands to reason, then, that pecan pie is hugely popular in Alabama. The dessert is traditionally made with pecans, sugar, butter, eggs, and corn syrup (any corn syrup will do, but locals often use Golden Eagle — it's an Alabama staple).