Why do people eat sweet potatoes? Because they are sweet! A new variety, Evangeline, just released by the LSU AgCenter, will satisfy those who want a really sweet sweet potato. What makes Evangeline so special is its sugar profile with twice as much sucrose as Beauregard, another widely grown LSU AgCenter-developed variety. Evangeline does, however, have less maltose, a sugar produced during cooking. But this is a great tradeoff. People perceive sucrose (table sugar) as being much sweeter than maltose. Not only is Evangeline sweeter out of the oven, it also makes a great microwaved sweet potato. AgCenter research has shown it has twice the sucrose content and similar levels of maltose as Beauregard when microwaved. Evangeline also has excellent processing qualities, and the deep orange flesh color has wide appeal.
