The great food exchange

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

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

MEXICO

NORTH AMERICA

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

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

Central America West Indies GREAT BRITAIN

FRANCE

SPAIN

ITALY

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

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. PERU

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

SOUTH AMERICA

BRAZIL

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

AFRICA

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

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.

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. 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.

Journey of tomatoes before 1600 Journey of cocoa before 1700 Journey of potatoes before 1600 Journey of sugar cane before 1600

Middle East

INDIA

ASIA

CHINA Crops in the colonies European powers possessed colonies with warm climates ideal for growing some crops. The Spanish grew tomatoes and cocoa in their Philippines colony.

Spread of sugar During the Crusades in the 12th century, sugar was brought into Europe from the Middle East. Sugar in Asia Granulated sugar arrived in India from Southeast Asia and was first produced in around 300 CE.

In 1500, 100 lb (45 kg) of sugar was worth the same as 1 oz (28 g) of gold.

PHILIPPINES

New Guinea

Origin of sugar cane

First grown on the island of New Guinea in 6000 BCE and used as a sweet juice, sugar soon spread through Southeast Asia. AUSTRALASIA

The great food exchange 6000 BCE –1600 CE

When cultures meet, they discover new foods by trading with each other. Possibly the greatest ever meeting of cultures happened when Europeans explored the New World (the Americas) for the first time in the 16th century. People on both sides of the Atlantic discovered a vast range of previously unknown food plants.