Yams

When you think of yams in the US, you generally think of sweet potatoes and Thanksgiving, and a slightly sweet and highly nutritious vegetable. But here in Togo yams are large white repositories of pure starch. They are pounded into a sort of thick paste called fufu, which is then eaten with different sauces -- peanut, okra, fish, or red sauce. It's the foundation of the Togolese diet, along with another pounded starch called pate, usually made of corn or millet. Here are photos of a roadside stand where yams are sold and some kids pounding fufu.