# Food ingredients now essential that were unavailable before Columbian exchange **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 6, 2019, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-ingredients-now-essential-that-were-unavailable-before-columbian-exchange/838230 "2019-08-06T12:39:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-ingredients-now-essential-that-were-unavailable-before-columbian-exchange/838230/1 "2019-08-06T12:39:47Z")
There seem to be a lot of food ingredients that now seem essential to Old World cuisine that were unavailable before the Colombian exchange. Can we discuss what some of the most important and what they replaced? Corn (maize) Potatoes Sweet potatoes Tomatoes Chilis (including sweet peppers/capsicum) Turkeys Chocolate/cocoa Vanilla Tobacco (stretching the definition of food ingredients to consumables) Cassavas ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-ingredients-now-essential-that-were-unavailable-before-columbian-exchange/838230/2 "2019-08-06T12:44:34Z")
Ok, I’ll start with potatoes. In England, potatoes have long been a staple. Before that (and post, I think) it was heavily based on grains, made into bread and vegetable/grain stews (pottage). ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-ingredients-now-essential-that-were-unavailable-before-columbian-exchange/838230/3 "2019-08-06T12:49:03Z")
Wild rice ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-ingredients-now-essential-that-were-unavailable-before-columbian-exchange/838230/4 "2019-08-06T12:51:05Z")
Sunflowers. Sunflower seed oil is a staple in many places. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-ingredients-now-essential-that-were-unavailable-before-columbian-exchange/838230/5 "2019-08-06T12:51:44Z")
I’m surprised at how popular corn is in Korea; it’s in every salad and on most pizzas, and the steamed ears they sell at street vendors is a weird kind that’s unpopular in America. By contrast, during the Berlin Airlift, Germans were insulted to get corn in their care packages because they regarded it as food for pigs and cows, not something humans would eat. I think the English feel about halfway between these extremes about it. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-ingredients-now-essential-that-were-unavailable-before-columbian-exchange/838230/6 "2019-08-06T12:54:57Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > Ok, I’ll start with potatoes. > > In England, potatoes have long been a staple. Before that (and post, I think) it was heavily based on grains, made into bread and vegetable/grain stews (pottage). I think turnips served in the “potato” role pre-Columbian exchange. Probably other root vegetables like rutabagas/swedes, too. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-ingredients-now-essential-that-were-unavailable-before-columbian-exchange/838230/7 "2019-08-06T13:18:47Z")
It’s hard to imagine a world without french fries (potatoes). They’re available in so many countries with burgers. Burgers & fries seemed to arrive at similar times. I can’t think of anything else that would be paired with a burger. I eat a lot of sweet potatoes. Thank you so much to the Colombian exchange. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-ingredients-now-essential-that-were-unavailable-before-columbian-exchange/838230/8 "2019-08-06T13:54:20Z")
Are sweet potatoes really that important an addition? Many parts of the old world had a variety of sweetish, starch-laden tubers. Taro root in the far east and yams from southern Africa are two examples that had spread widely prior to standardized contact with the new world. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-ingredients-now-essential-that-were-unavailable-before-columbian-exchange/838230/9 "2019-08-06T14:06:27Z")
Vanilla didn’t really replace anything. The kind of thing where it’s used, like custards and baked goods, used to be spiced with a variety of flavours but no one dominant one. So cookies might be lightly spiced with cinnamon and ginger, a custard may be flavoured with elderflower, or a creme would just be eggs and sugar and cream. If anything, possibly “treacly” would be what it replaced, since a lot of sugar would have been less refined. 3 old world plant foods the OP missed: common (_Phaseolus_) beans (which largely replaced broad beans in a lot of cuisines) Peanuts, which have largely replaced other ground nuts Squashes and pumpkins (_Cucurbita pepo_) mostly replaced other gourds Oh, and turkeys largely replaced Guinea fowl. > [@Broomstick](#): > > I think turnips served in the “potato” role pre-Columbian exchange. Probably other root vegetables like rutabagas/swedes, too. Parsnips were quite common. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-ingredients-now-essential-that-were-unavailable-before-columbian-exchange/838230/10 "2019-08-06T14:10:09Z")
Tobacco. Not a food but an enormously important plant. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-ingredients-now-essential-that-were-unavailable-before-columbian-exchange/838230/11 "2019-08-06T14:11:55Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Vanilla didn’t really replace anything. The kind of thing where it’s used, like custards and baked goods, used to be spiced with a variety of flavours but no one dominant one. So cookies might be lightly spiced with cinnamon and ginger, a custard may be flavoured with elderflower, or a creme would just be eggs and sugar and cream. If anything, possibly “treacly” would be what it replaced, since a lot of sugar would have been less refined. > > 3 \*\*\*old world \*\*\*plant foods the OP missed: > common (_Phaseolus_) beans (which largely replaced broad beans in a lot of cuisines) > Peanuts, which have largely replaced other ground nuts > Squashes and pumpkins (_Cucurbita pepo_) mostly replaced other gourds > > Oh, and turkeys largely replaced Guinea fowl. > Parsnips were quite common. You mean New World plants? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-ingredients-now-essential-that-were-unavailable-before-columbian-exchange/838230/12 "2019-08-06T14:32:05Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Peanuts, which have largely replaced other ground nuts That’s one I definitely meant to put on the list! > [@](#): > > Squashes and pumpkins (_Cucurbita pepo_) mostly replaced other gourds Ah, right, I completely forgot about those. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-ingredients-now-essential-that-were-unavailable-before-columbian-exchange/838230/13 "2019-08-06T14:32:52Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **Jonathan Chance** : > > Are sweet potatoes really that important an addition? Many parts of the old world had a variety of sweetish, starch-laden tubers. Taro root in the far east and yams from southern Africa are two examples that had spread widely prior to standardized contact with the new world. In fact, a lot of modern American sweet potato recipes are actually adaptations of yam recipes. They were eaten by native Americans, but their popularity is largely from Africans (especially in the Caribbean) attempting to re-create their traditional cuisine using local ingredients. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-ingredients-now-essential-that-were-unavailable-before-columbian-exchange/838230/14 "2019-08-06T15:32:18Z")
As an Australian, thinking about the Columbian Exchange, I wondered what my part of the world contributed to world cuisines. [Macadamia nuts](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macadamia). And that’s it. I couldn’t identify any other native Australian food that’s **commonly consumed** outside of this country. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-ingredients-now-essential-that-were-unavailable-before-columbian-exchange/838230/15 "2019-08-06T16:47:50Z")
Pineapples are native to South America. Quinine is not just a drug but also the flavoring agent in tonic water. Coca with the cocaine removed is still an ingredient of Coca-Cola, though I don’t know if it really contributes significantly to the flavor. Agave is used to make tequila and mezcal. Chicle, the base of traditional chewing gum, is a New World product. It has now been largely replaced by synthetic materials though. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-ingredients-now-essential-that-were-unavailable-before-columbian-exchange/838230/16 "2019-08-06T16:49:45Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > As an Australian, thinking about the Columbian Exchange, I wondered what my part of the world contributed to world cuisines. > > [Macadamia nuts](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macadamia). And that’s it. I couldn’t identify any other native Australian food that’s **commonly consumed** outside of this country. Bananas came from that general area. I wonder if tomatoes “replaced” anything in Europe, or if they were just a whole new thing that eventually took hold. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-ingredients-now-essential-that-were-unavailable-before-columbian-exchange/838230/17 "2019-08-06T17:01:05Z")
Most strawberries varieties grown commercially everywhere in the world are hybrids of New World species. They have largely replaced wild-type European strawberries in cuisine. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-ingredients-now-essential-that-were-unavailable-before-columbian-exchange/838230/18 "2019-08-06T17:06:32Z")
If you’re going that route… most of Europe’s wine grapes grow on North American root stock, because the North American grapes are immune to a pest that nearly wiped out Europe’s grapes (a negative trade of the Columbia Exchange). The only way to save the grapes of Europe was to graft them to American roots. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-ingredients-now-essential-that-were-unavailable-before-columbian-exchange/838230/19 "2019-08-06T17:08:12Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Sunflowers. Sunflower seed oil is a staple in many places. _goes off in search of her salted sunflower seeds_ Excuse me, I just got the crunchies. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-ingredients-now-essential-that-were-unavailable-before-columbian-exchange/838230/20 "2019-08-06T18:17:53Z")
Please change thread title to “Columbian” Exchange. This has nothing to do with “Colombia”. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-ingredients-now-essential-that-were-unavailable-before-columbian-exchange/838230.md?page=2)