Food: A Cultural Culinary History

Lecture 17: 1492—Globalization and Fusion Cuisines

 The Columbian exchange went both ways. For the fi rst time in

human history, plants native to all fi ve separate continents were

suddenly jumbled together, transplanted, and mixed up, and it

completely changed eating habits practically everywhere on Earth.

 For example, the sweet potato was introduced to the Philippines

by the Spanish in the 16th century. There was a famine in China

in 1593, and commissioners were sent to Luzon in the Philippines

for help, and they came back with sweet potatoes, which were very

easy to plant and grew rapidly. According to some historians, the

rapid and economically disastrous population growth of China after

that date can be attributed to sweet potatoes. Resources cause the

population to rise too much.

 What is ironic, though, is that Europeans were usually the slowest

to adopt new foods. For example, for poor people from the Middle

East to China (and Africa), chili peppers became a replacement

for expensive spices. They were adopted and became basics in

Native to tropical America, sweet potatoes are widely grown in warmer climates.

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