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I prefer sweet potato.

I call them sweet potatoes, even the orange ones you top with marshmallow, because that is what they really are. They aren't yams at all. Sweet potatoes include both the orange type that is a Thanksgiving classic, and a white type of sweet potato that is more crumbly.

Yams are a completely unrelated tuber native to Africa and parts of Asia. They can be small like a potato, but I've also seen photos of huge ones. They come in different colors, too (I think orange is one, and I know some are also purple). I haven't seen them at my local grocery stores, but I think you can buy them at some specialty grocers.

Sweet potatoes--that's mostly what we have in the states. I can get real yams from a couple of places in my neighborhood that cater to international and specialty foods.