About this item

How many of us still believe that the potato originated in Ireland? That the Mediterranean, and particularly Italy, is the ancestral hearth of the tomato and its tradition of savory sauces? That the fiery chile pepper is an ancient and enduring part of the cuisines of India and Southeast Asia? That the pineapple is as native to Hawaii as chocolate is to Vienna?We believe such things for the good reason that these foods have become very heavily identified with certain cuisines and certain areas of the world. But before the fateful day in 1492, these foods, and many more, were not known and could not have been known to any but the inhabitants of the New World, for it was here that they originated and here that they were utilized exclusively. They include corn, tomatoes, potatoes, the capsicum peppers, many kinds of beans, squashes, and pumpkins, turkey, pineapple, chocolate and vanilla, peanuts and pecans.