WHEN ON EARTH

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Tomatoes to Spain

EUROPE

In the early 1500s, Conquistadors took tomatoes from Mexico to Spain; by 1600 they had spread to Italy and Britain.

Potatoes in Europe After reaching Spain, potatoes spread across Europe. They were also brought to Britain independently in 1599.

NORTH AMERICA

The origin of tomatoes First grown by the Aztecs in Mexico, tomatoes were used in cooking by 500 CE.

GREAT BRITAIN

FRANCE SPAIN ITALY Sugar in the New World In the mid-1500s, Europeans exported sugar cane from Asia to their New World colonies.

MEXICO

Cocoa in Europe Once the Spanish added sugar to cocoa, it became a popular drink and quickly spread through western Europe.

West Indies Central America

GHANA NIGERIA The origin of cocoa

In 1000 BCE, cocoa was used in Central America as a cold savory drink. It was taken to Spain in the 1520s.

AFRICA

SOUTH AMERICA PERU

The origin of potatoes Before the European conquest, potatoes were traded in the Andes as early as 5000 BCE.

BRAZIL Spread of potatoes Spanish Conquistadors first took potatoes from South America to Spain in 1565.

The Columbian Exchange When the Old and New worlds met in 1492–1600, they exchanged fruits, grain, vegetables, and livestock. This event is called the Columbian Exchange. Disease-causing organisms (germs) were also transferred by accident. Some of these killed huge numbers of Native Americans.

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New World (The Americas) Fruits, vegetables, and seeds, including avocados, beans, chile peppers, cocoa, peanuts, pineapples, potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, tomatoes, and vanilla; grains, such as corn; livestock, for instance, turkeys; nonedible plants, such as tobacco; diseases, including syphilis.

Cocoa in Africa The French introduced cocoa to their colonies in Brazil; from there it spread to west Africa.

Old World (Europe, Africa, and Asia) Fruits, vegetables, and seeds, including bananas, citrus fruits, coffee, olives, onions, peaches, pears, and sugar cane; grains, such as barley, oats, rice, and wheat; livestock, including chickens, cows, and sheep; diseases, such as chicken pox, smallpox, and malaria.

IN THE 1600S, COCOA WAS VERY POPULAR IN EUROPE AND CLASSED


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