I'll give you the answers on Friday April 25. No peeking.

Be as precise as you can about the geographic and time origin of the following Food commodities and when they entered "world" cuisine.

1. Potatoes

2. Sugar

3. Coffee

4. Bananas

5. Maize/Corn

6. Cranberries

7. Cassava

8. Tomatoes

9. Strawberries

10. Eggplant/Aubergines

I'll have to learn the precise answers to 8 9 and 10 myself so we'll all get something out of this. :)


EXTRA CREDIT QUESTIONS:

1. Where is the earliest example of pottery from?

2. What did the word "Corn" refer to before the English people knew of Maize?

3. Where was beer first brewed and what was it brewed from?

3. Coffee - introduced to the world from Central America after the spanish conquests of the 1500's

4. Bananas - same as coffee, I think.


E.C.

1. Where is the earliest example of pottery from? - Japan. Some examples have been dated to around 10,000 b.c.

3. Where was beer first brewed and what was it brewed from? - Ancient Egyptians made beer from honey, I think.

In 1580 potatos were introduced to Ireland from Chile.
In 1599 potatos were introduced to England from Ireland.
In 1565 potatos were introduced to Spain from Peru.
In 1566 potatos were introduced to Belgium from Spain.
In 1600 potatos were introduced to France from England.
In 1566 potatos were introduced to middle and south Italy from Spain.
In 1625 potatos were introduced to northern Italy from middle Italy.
In 1621 potatos were introduced to Germnay and Denmark from England.
In 1580 potatos were introduced to Austria from Spain.
In 1654 potatos were introduced to Hungary from Austria.
In 1708 potatos were introduced to Poland from Austria.
In 1726 potatos were introduced to Sweden from England and Denmark.
In 1735 potatos were introduced to Finland from Sweden.

So protestantic countries+France have potatoes from Chile, while Catholic countries have potatoes from Peru.

EXTRA CREDIT QUESTIONS:

1. Where is the earliest example of pottery from? Japan

2. What did the word "Corn" refer to before the English people knew of Maize? 'Corn' used to mean 'grain' during the middle ages

3. Where was beer first brewed and what was it brewed from? Ancient Egypt from barley.

Originally posted by Antonius Block
I'll give you the answers on Friday April 25. No peeking.

Be as precise as you can about the geographic and time origin of the following Food commodities and when they entered "world" cuisine.

1. Potatoes

2. Sugar

3. Coffee

4. Bananas

5. Maize/Corn

6. Cranberries

7. Cassava

8. Tomatoes

9. Strawberries

10. Eggplant/Aubergines

I'll have to learn the precise answers to 8 9 and 10 myself so we'll all get something out of this. :)


EXTRA CREDIT QUESTIONS:

1. Where is the earliest example of pottery from?

2. What did the word "Corn" refer to before the English people knew of Maize?

3. Where was beer first brewed and what was it brewed from?

1- Potatoes: Came from South America to Europe in the XVI century.

2- Sugar: there are two different plants for sugar, but I don't know their names in english. Nevertheless it firstly came from India, and was already known by the romans.

3- Coffee: comes from the region of Ethiopia and was introduced in Europe by the arabs.

4- Bananas: I think they come from Central America.

5- I'm not familiar with this duplicity in english language, but one of those come from central america too.

8- Tomatos: I don't know, but I'd say from the Americas too.

The others I have to go look what they mean in a dictionary. Food and cuisine words are my weak point in english.

I looked in the dictionary, but don't have much to add:

6,10 - Stranberries: don't know.
7- Cassava: if it's what I'm thinking it comes from western Africa.
9- India?

Cassava is the same plant as Yucca and manioc.

Only a few have been nailed down. Come one folks, now I feel like I can't wait till Friday...

Originally posted by Antonius Block
Cassava is the same plant as Yucca and manioc.

Only a few have been nailed down. Come one folks, now I feel like I can't wait till Friday...
Why don't you let us know the ones that are correct as people get them right?

Okay. Yoda Power nailed potatoes.

MCDread has coffee correct; started in Ethiopia, spread by Arabs through the near east and Europe. He's right about Maize coming from Central America; Mexico to be precise, I'll get more into the time depth in my official response.

Those are the only commodities that we've seen correct. The extra credit answers so far are also correct- Japan's Jomon culture has the oldest archeological evidence of potter, corn was barley, wheat, etc. in English before maize, beer was brewed in Egypt but may be as old in Sumer.

2. Sugar came from India. First mention of its use is 350 BC. Alexander the Great's general Nearchus discovered the sugar cane in 375 BC.

4. Bananas: came from south-east Asia. They made their way to India as early as 2500 BC by man and from there to Madagascar and Africa. From Africa the trees were brought to the Canary Islands (and hence Europe - though never grown there due to climate restrictions) by a Portugese missionary in the 16th century. From the Canary Islands they went to Haiti and from there to the Caribbean and South America (read Gabriel Garcia Marquez' book "A Hundred Years of Solitude").

6. Cranberries: North America (easy). Cultivated in 1800's and shipped to Europe around the same time (surely by 1860's).

8. Tomatoes: Mexico, introduced to Europe in mid-16th century. Italians called it the Golden Apple (pom d'oro) Much later in England and America (1830's).

9. Strawberries originated in North America (Cherokee areas) and South America (Chile). The North American version was exported to Europe in the late 1500's while the South American one was brought to France in 1714 by A.Z Frezier. From these two plants the hybrid strawberry we eat today was created.

10. Eggplant: South-East Asia/India/Pakistan areas. Spread to China in 500BC, then Mid East. Arrived in Spain in 7th century via the Moors and from there to Europe.

Originally posted by Antonius Block
1. PotatoesFr the Americas I think (?).

2. SugarAmericas too?

3. CoffeeThe Americas. Unsure on date, but after the Spaniards arrived obviously.

4. BananasFr SE Asia; brought to tropics elsewhere along the trade routes probably a few thousand years ago.

5. Maize/CornFr the Americas. Unsure on date...

3. Where was beer first brewed and what was it brewed from?Fr barley I believe. In the Persian highlands. Or was it the Kurdish highlands...

Bananas are from Indonesia, the eastern part. From 700 to 1500 they spread to India, sourthern China, Most of Africa and the middle east. They caused the population of africa to rise from 20millions to 35millions.

2, 4, 6, 8, 9, and 10 have been named by Propliopithecus (sorry if I forgot your name...) with Yoda power also successfully proveniencing bananas. By the amount of bananas you see in a country like Uganda today you would think it was an African invention. Indian Ocean trade is one of my historical interests.

To my knowledge the Sumerians brewed beer a few hundred years earlier than the Egyptians (their peak of civilization was 500 years before the Egyptian Pyramids).

Originally posted by Antonius Block
2, 4, 6, 8, 9, and 10 have been named by Propliopithecus (sorry if I forgot your name...) with Yoda power also successfully proveniencing bananas. By the amount of bananas you see in a country like Uganda today you would think it was an African invention. Indian Ocean trade is one of my historical interests.

Then I had number 2 myself right? :confused:

Yes, I wasn't sure to begin with but India is the correct answer; see http://www.geocities.com/sugarstuffus/origin.html


Sugar dates back to 350 BC This comes with the reference of people in India eating rice pudding and sipping drinks that contained sweetener. Then in 327 BC Alexander The Great's general, Nearchus, is quoted to have said, "a reed in India brings forth honey without the help of bee's." Suggesting they have discovered sugar cane on a trip to India.


I had been thinking the Indians had got it from SE Asia but haven't found the evidence.