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When European colonizers brought sweet potatoes to the African continent, they weren't an immediate hit because many preferred yam and cassava, tropical-grown root plants. But sweet potatoes crossed the Atlantic with us, and we made them into a delicacy.
Starchy sweet potatoes were the closest thing our people could get to the yams from back home. Although different, we embraced what was available and spiced things up. Enslaved people craving something sweet would fire-roast the potatoes and mash them into a sweet potato pone with molasses and spices.
Eventually, with access to oven technology, it evolved into the pie-shell dessert we love today. Although sweet potatoes and their West African root vegetable cousins differ, food historians say candied yams likely got their name because they were a loving reminder of ancestral homes.
When millions of our people migrated North, they carried coveted recipes. Sweet potato pie is a staple of the comfort of our cuisine that keeps us connected to the culture. It's deeper than sustenance. It's a tasty symbol of our history, innovation, family, and, most importantly, love. A bonus is that biting into a sweet potato is packed with loving nutrients that promote gut health and support healthy vision—a reflection of our longtime farm-to-table diets.
Our food has always had deep communal love ties. With every bite, we honor our ancestors' and elders' ingenuity.