African Tuber of Yam (1 Tuber) Average sized yams, not as big as the ones in Ghana or other African countries. Yam refers to the edible tuber that is a part of the plant belonging to the genus Dioscorea, and the family Dioscoreaceae. It is mainly cultivated in countries such as Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean and Oceania. The yam is flexible to different types of cooking and can be consumed barbecued, roasted, fried, grilled, boiled, baked, smoked and even grated in some dessert recipes. The African species of yams are usually consumed by boiling, frying and roasting. Traditionally, boiled yams are consumed with palm oil, but are sometimes also served with pepper sauce or palaver sauce.