Getting To Know Ubi Yakon, Foods That Are Viral In Central Foods With Raw Foods

TikTok/NanaKoot

JAKARTA - Ubi Yakon has recently gone viral on social media, especially TikTok. The virality of yakon sweet potatoes was triggered by the upload of a Malaysian netizen who showed off tasting the sweet potatoes.

Then some content of TikTok Indonesia's culinary creators also tasted yakon sweet potatoes, one of which was Nana Koot. He bought yakon sweet potatoes from Wonosobo and tasted them directly in raw conditions, as Malaysians do.

In the video shared by Nana Koot, yakon sweet potatoes have a similar look to sweet potatoes. However, yakon sweet potatoes have a different taste and Nana says it feels like a rickshaw.

After that, yakon sweet potatoes made many netizens curious even more. For those who do not know, yakon is an tubing plant with the Latin name Smallanthus soncifolius.

Quoting from Indigo Herbis, on Monday, February 10, 2025, yakon sweet potatoes grow a lot in the South American region. Ubi is usually eaten in raw circumstances.

However, some people have also tried to boil yakon sweet potatoes. After boiling, the texture of yakon sweet potatoes is not like pure sweet potatoes, but it becomes like potatoes and the skin is easier to peel with their hands.

Some studies say that yakon sweet potatoes are food ingredients with low nutritional value. This is because yakon sweet potatoes only contain fiber, water, and fruktooligosakaride, which is a type of fructosa that cannot be digested by the body.

However, yakon sweet potatoes are classified as low in calories. Sweet potatoes also have several benefits for the health of the body, such as managing diabetes, controlling cholesterol levels, to supporting digestive health.