UNIT+2+-+FOOD+AND+CULTURE+EXCHANGE

Identify common crops, their origins and describe an impact on cuisine and culture Identify the impact Columbus and the Exchange had on food and culture

**New World Crops** are crops that were native to North or South America before Columbus discovered the New World in 1492. Crops that originated in the New World spread quickly to Europe and Asia after the Exchange primarily because of their carbohydrate/nutrient content or in the case of cotton, their usefulness. Sometimes it is hard to imagine Italian cuisine without the tomato, or the Irish without their potatoes. Explorers impressed by the newness and variety of New World crops that Columbus returned with fueled a strong interest in returning to the Old World with many of these new discoveries. Today, tomatoes are a basic staple of the Mediterranean diet, as are chilis and peanuts in many Asian diets. A few very important New World crops include: Corn (maize) Common beans (lima, runner) Cotton Potato and Sweet Potato Tomato Pineapple Chile peppers Avocado Squashes Peanuts

Colonizers from the Old World added to the New World by bringing seeds and cuttings of familiar crops with them to the Americas. The wheat fields of Nebraska, the coffee plantations of Columbia and Costa Rica, the rice fields of Louisiana and Texas, the vineyards of California and Chile, and the orange groves of Florida and Mexico have their origins in the Old World. It is hard to imagine chocolate without sugar.
 * Old world crops** are crops are identifiable as crops that were native to Europe and Asia. To the New World, Europeans introduced crops like wheat, rice, bananas, sugar, and wine grapes, many serving as cash crops for export by the colonists. Europeans also brought a number of domesticated animals to the New World, including horses, cattle, pigs, sheep, and poultry, producing mixed results for the Indians since the animals destroyed their croplands but also served as valuable sources of food, clothing, and energy.

**Great exchange led to changes in cuisine and culture** Columbus did not discover the New World, native people were living in the Americas well before the arrival of Columbus. While disputed for what Columbus contributed, he did establish the trade routes which had never been established between Europe and the Americas. Amongst the trade items were many plants and animals. Beans, carrots, wheat, horses, pigs, cows, and much more were introduced to the Americas. Corn, potatoes, tomatoes, beans, and more were brought back to Europe. Over the centuries, as people migrated from place to place, conquered new territories, and opened new trade routes, they took food crops with them spreading them from their land of origin to other areas. Across the Atlantic, North American Indians farmed corn, beans, and squash which had been domesticated thousands of miles to the south. Although many food plants had traveled halfway around the globe by 1492, not one food crop had crossed the Atlantic Ocean. That is why 1492 is such a crucial date in the history of the world's food supply: Columbus' voyages initiated the interchange of plants between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres, which in effect doubled the food crop resources available to peoples on both sides of the Atlantic.

You should allow 40 minutes for reading, 30 minutes for reflection Please read the attached PDF. This activity will require you to think and reflect about how the exchange of goods brought by Columbus and others has impacted your diet.

[|Nunn_Qian_JEP_Submission.pdf] Read Nunn-Quinn PDF

1. What do you consider America's three greatest "contributions" to World cuisines, why? 2. Make three comments or observations on the impact of the Columbian Exchange on World Cuisines.

Read the introduction of [|Notes of a Potato Watcher] by James Lang (15 minutes) 1. What cuisine or culture do you relate the potato to? 2. Why were the Irish so devasted by the potato blight?

**Additional Activities:**
 * Review the Origins Food and Animals page to see how the exchange moved products and animals around the world.
 * Freewrite about the at least 10 different types of foods you eat. Can you identify your origins. Use the Origin page to assist you.
 * Want to see what you might have left out of your lunch before 1492? Try this interactive activity: [|Whose Lunch is it Anyway?] -

...Unit 3