Editing Sweet potato (section)

====United States====
[[File:Veggie burger flickr user bandita creative commons.jpg|thumb|Sweet potato fries with a vegetarian burger]]

Candied sweet potatoes are a side dish consisting mainly of sweet potatoes prepared with [[brown sugar]], [[marshmallow]]s, [[maple syrup]], [[molasses]], [[orange juice]], ''[[marron glacé]]'', or other sweet ingredients. It is often served in the US on [[Thanksgiving]]. Sweet potato [[casserole]] is a side dish of mashed sweet potatoes in a casserole dish, topped with a brown sugar and pecan topping.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://southernfood.about.com/od/sidedishcasseroles/r/bl90911u.htm |title=Sweet potato casserole recipe with crunchy pecan topping |author=Diana Rattray |work=About.com |department=Southern Food |access-date=26 November 2010 |archive-date=16 November 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101116004202/http://southernfood.about.com/od/sidedishcasseroles/r/bl90911u.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The sweet potato became a favorite food item of the French and Spanish settlers, thus beginning a long history of cultivation in Louisiana.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.yambilee.com/content/view/12/26/ |title=History of the Louisiana Yambilee |website=Yambilee.com |access-date=14 April 2008 |archive-date=13 May 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513140217/http://www.yambilee.com/content/view/12/26/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Sweet potatoes are recognized as the [[state vegetable]] of [[Alabama]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Ivey OKs Naming Sweet Potato as Alabama's State Vegetable |publisher=[[usnews.com]] |date=17 April 2021 |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/alabama/articles/2021-04-17/ivey-oks-naming-sweet-potato-as-alabamas-state-vegetable |access-date=20 April 2021 |archive-date=20 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420110134/https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/alabama/articles/2021-04-17/ivey-oks-naming-sweet-potato-as-alabamas-state-vegetable |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Louisiana]],<ref>{{cite web |title=RS 49:170.11 |work=Revised Statutes |publisher=Louisiana State Legislature |url=https://legis.la.gov/Legis/Law.aspx?d=181346 |access-date=28 July 2018 |archive-date=28 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180728221322/https://legis.la.gov/Legis/Law.aspx?d=181346 |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[North Carolina]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.secretary.state.nc.us/pubsweb/symbols/sy-sweet.htm |title=Sweet Potato – North Carolina State Vegetable |publisher=State of North Carolina |access-date=17 February 2014 |archive-date=22 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120422140045/http://www.secretary.state.nc.us/pubsweb/symbols/sy-sweet.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Sweet potato pie]] is also a traditional favorite dish in [[Cuisine of the Southern United States|Southern U.S. cuisine]]. Another variation on the typical sweet potato pie is the [[Purple sweet potato haupia pie|Okinawan sweet potato haupia pie]], which is made with purple sweet potatoes.

[[File:McDonald's sweet potato fries.jpg|thumb|right|Sweet potato fries served at a [[McDonald's]] restaurant]]

The fried sweet potatoes tradition dates to the early nineteenth century in the United States.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |url=https://hearttohearthcookery.wordpress.com/2011/10/02/sweet-potato-fries-are-not-new/ |title=Sweet potato fries are not new |date=October 2011 |website=hearttoearthcookery.com |publisher=Historical Society of York County, Pennsylvania |last=McLellan Plaisted |first=S. |access-date=3 May 2018 |archive-date=4 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180504012759/https://hearttohearthcookery.wordpress.com/2011/10/02/sweet-potato-fries-are-not-new/ |url-status=live }}</ref>{{Better source needed|reason=The current source is insufficiently reliable ([[WP:NOTRS]]).|date=March 2024}} Sweet potato fries or chips are a common preparation and are made by [[julienning]] and [[deep-frying]] sweet potatoes in the fashion of [[French fried potatoes]]. Roasting sliced or chopped sweet potatoes lightly coated in animal or vegetable oil at high heat became common in the United States at the start of the 21st century, a dish called "sweet potato fries". Sweet potato mash is served as a side dish, often at [[Thanksgiving dinner]] or with [[Barbecue#American South|barbecue]].

John Bettencourt Avila is called the "father of the sweet potato industry" in North America.<ref>{{cite book |last=Johns |first=Stephanie Bernardo |date=1981 |title=The Ethnic Almanac |publisher=Doubleday |isbn=9780385141437 |page=373}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Hook |first=Julius Nicholas |date=1983 |title=Family Names: The Origins, Meanings, Mutations, and History of More Than 2,800 American Names |publisher=Collier |isbn=9780020800002 |page=178}}</ref>