What's up with our new purple sweetpotato variety?
During our 2023 crop season, we decided to grow a new purple sweetpotato variety called Purple Splendor. We began marketing it in late 2023 and into 2024 and saw tremendous interest. So what’s the deal with this new variety? What does it taste like? How does it differ from orange sweetpotatoes? We’re glad you asked!
Purple Splendor was developed by NC State plant breeders, Craig Yencho and Ken Pecota, after they imported purple sweetpotato plants from the International Potato Center in the early 2000s. These plants could not withstand North Carolina’s climate and growing conditions and lacked the flavor and shape consumers are accustomed to. So, the breeders did what they do best: they took the naturally occurring characteristics from these plants and cross-bred them over 10-12 years to arrive at the most ideal purple sweetpotato variety in the marketplace today.
This variety is one that can grow well in North Carolina’s climate while producing sweetpotatoes of ideal shape, size, taste, and texture without compromising the anthocyanin levels that contribute to the vibrant dark purple color and potent antioxidants. Purple Splendor’s pigment is so rich that it doesn’t fade when cooked, which happens with other purple sweetpotato varieties. The antioxidants in Purple Splendor sweetpotatoes can help reduce inflammation and boost the immune system while having a low glycemic index.
The Netflix series Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones explores the diet and lifestyles of people who live to be 100 or older (also known as centurions). The first episode of the series focused on Okinawa, Japan. For Okinawan centurions, 60% of their diet comes from purple sweetpotatoes and the episode highlights how the vibrant vegetable is a nutritional powerhouse. While the variety of purple sweetpotato found in Okinawa isn’t the exact same as Purple Splendor, they are very similar and many of the same nutritional benefits still apply.
Purple Splendor’s flavor profile is mildly sweet and more starchy than the popular orange-fleshed Covington variety, lending well to savory recipes or as a substitute for russet potatoes. Compared to other purple varieties that already exist like Purple Stokes, Purple Splendor’s flavor is superior and doesn’t have the bitterness that Stokes is synonymous with. Check out our collection of purple sweetpotato recipes to get inspired on how to enjoy this new variety for yourself!
