Like chestnuts being sold on street corners in some big cities, roasted sweet potatoes are a popular winter food sold by street vendors. Instead of fancy food trucks or simple carts, the sweet potatoes are usually sold out of the back of trucks outfitted with ovens filled with hot stones.
The sweet smell wafts away from the trucks, drawing customers in. Some people take their sweet potatoes home in a paper bag, while others rip open the foil right there and eat it on the street. The one thing they don't typically do is walk around munching on their warm potato because walking while eating is considered rude.
The typical sweet potato sold in these trucks have a reddish purple skin and light yellow inside. Nothing is added to the potato, not even salt or butter.
Periodically we will see trucks selling purple sweet potatoes. I find this exciting. I don't think the purple potatoes taste better. In fact, they are a bit drier than the regular ones. They are just unique and pretty.
When my son and I saw a truck selling 5 different sweet potatoes, we wanted to try it. The paper cone came with 7 chunks of sweet potato for ¥700 ($6). It was a bit expensive for potatoes, but the varieties were intriguing.
We started with one of the yellow potatoes and worked our way through the colors. They were all delicious! My son and I agreed that one of the yellow ones and the orange ones were the absolute best. They were so creamy and sweet! The purple was a little bit dry, but only compared to the others.
A sweet potato is such a wonderful, healthy treat. It so filling, has a ton of fiber and vitamins, and the perfect level of sweetness. It is no wonder they are a beloved winter treat in Japan.
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