and citrus fruits. Indigenous African crops
included related but distinct millets, sorghum,
rice, and bananas, as well as yams and
cowpeas. Mustard seed flavored foods in
Europe and in Asia, where ginger may also
have been used. Chilli “pepper” was probably
the chief spice in the Americas.
By the time of the earliest civilizations in
Sumer and Egypt about 5,000 years ago, most
of the plants native to that area and eaten
today were already in use (see box, p. 250).
Trade between the Middle East and Asia is
also ancient. Egyptian records of around 1200
BCE document huge offerings of cinnamon, a
product of Sri Lanka.
Greece, Rome, and the Middle Ages With
the Greeks and Romans we begin to see the
outlines of modern Western cuisine. The
Greeks were fond of lettuce, and habitually
ate fruit at the end of meals. Pepper from the
Far East was in use around 500 BCE and