Yam, or Elephant yam, is the edible bulb or corm of a very unique looking single-stalked, flowering plant. After a year underground, the corm develops a unique flower with a central flowering stalk encircled by one large, maroon petal and topped with a similarly colored bulbous knob. The stalk can reach up to one meter in height. Once the flower dies, the corm produces one or two tall, green and white spotted stalks topped with several leafy branches.

Yam is a nutrient-dense tuber and good source of carbs. In Indonesia, Suran is the third most important source of carbohydrates after rice and corn. The tubers are rich in vitamin C, B-complex (thiamine, riboflavin and niacin), potassium and manganese. The corm also contains beta-carotene, as evidenced in its orange-hued flesh.