Yesterday I brought what I thought was a sweet potato but I have peeled and cut it up and it is the colour of a normal potato (i.e. white) - I very rarely have them but I always thought sweet potatoes were orange. Does it mean that it could be overripe/not ripe enough or I have brought something completely different? there was no sign on the box it was in at the greengrocers.

Update: it's just finished cooking and it doesn't taste like a sweet potato at all. What could it be? I wanted to give it to my 7 month old for her dinner but can't really until I have some idea what it is. And, yes, I am feeling pretty stupid right now

There are different varieties of sweet potatoes, and their colours can be white, purple or orange.

Your baby should be fine!

I think it must be the white sweet potato which is starchier. It will have a diffferent texture from the orange one. Its all good.

I've bought ones before that looked like a regular sweet potato but turned out to be white inside. I presumed they were not ripe, so didn't bother to cook them.

I was watching a program the other day where an African lady said she always used white sweet potatoes because that's what they had at home, never the orange ones that the UK is probably more accustomed to.

Spuds don't ripen, they just grow.