Sweet potatoes are a vegetable eaten around
the world – here in America and in Africa
as well.
But did you know that the leaves of the sweet
potato plant can also be eaten, as a leafy
green vegetable?
My name is Lauren Howe, and I learned this
as a UC Davis student, when I had the chance
to work with farmers who are growing sweet
potatoes in Ethiopia.
I helped an organization there called Send
a Cow Ethiopia do taste tests with farmers,
teaching them how to harvest and cook sweet
potato leaves, something available in their
backyard as part of a healthy, nutritious
diet.
This work was supported by the U.S. government’s
“Feed the Future” initiative, focused
on boosting global food security.
Beforehand, I heard that farmers were mostly
unaware that sweet potato leaves could be
eaten by humans.
So I suggested that we conduct a blind taste
test, so that the farmers could compare cooked
sweet potato leaves versus cooked kale.
Through this process, and because of the language
barrier, I came to appreciate how food is
truly a universal language and the preparation,
cooking and act of eating itself are relatable
across cultures.
For cooking sweet potato leaves, I like to
keep it really simple.
Sautéing the leaves with a little oil, salt,
and pepper is delicious.
It is definitely best to cook the leaves for
the least amount of time needed, just until
they're wilted, as overcooking the leaves
will actually reduce the nutrient content.
Once the leaves were cooked, it was all about
gathering families, friends and neighbors
to sit down for a communal meal.
This is an Ethiopian tradition, breaking bread
together and sharing stories.
What mattered was the farmers enjoying this
new dish with the rest of their community.
And they liked it!
I was shocked by how easily they took to sweet
potato leaves, a completely new ingredient.
In Ethiopia, people were overwhelmingly generous
and hospitable to me.
We shared many meals and even when I insisted,
they refused to let me pay.
Eventually, I learned to just smile and say
“አመሰግናለሁ ” or thank you,
and wait for my turn to give back.
