Christopher Columbus, Corn and Potatoes: How the New World Fed the Old

In the discovery of Christopher Columbus, how the new world provides a wide range of visibility and influence, but more importantly, what he brought back will pave the way for future development. Food is one of the most important factors for human survival, and it will be so from now on. It is not surprising that the old world (Europe) mainly developed it because of the influence of food mainly from the New World. Alfred W. Crosby explains this in his article "Potato Connections - How the New World Contributes to the Old World".

After Christopher Columbus traveled the New World for the first time in 1492, he brought sweet potatoes to Europe. In the 16th century, they were brought to the Philippines by Spanish explorers, and the Portuguese were brought to Africa, India, Indonesia and South Asia. At about the same time, sweet potato began to grow in southern United States where it remained as a staple of traditional cuisine. Approximately 80 million tons of sweet potatoes are grown every year in the world every year in the world, about 14 million tons in Africa, about 2 million tons in Latin America, and about 1 million tons in the United States. More than half of the commercially available sweet potatoes come from the southern states (especially North Carolina State) in the United States

Of the world's top ten food crops (ranked by tonnage), four of maize (maize), potatoes, cassava, sweet potatoes were first cultivated by indigenous peoples. If world food crops are ranked by dollars rather than by weight, tomatoes are also in the top ten. There are more than 20 different well known edible crops of American origin - these crops are familiar to ordinary North Americans. All of these crops have relatives who are still growing in the wild. If we find and preserve diverse wild populations for these crops, we will make a huge investment in the future. These wild gene banks are powerful for combating diseases and pests that attack our crops, expanding the capacity of each crop to survive in various climates, and creating new varieties with wide range of useful properties We provide tools. Even without all of these economic benefits it is good to preserve the natural aspects that may be lost forever.

Many new world foods were not widely recognized until after the Renaissance, but some crops from the United States first appeared in Europe after being introduced by Christopher Columbus and subsequent explorers. Tomatoes, potatoes, corn (corn), green peppers, certain types of pumpkins and beans, turkeys, allspices, tobacco and chocolate are all from the USA. In many cases, they are used with other foods. For example, maize is transformed into polenta, corn batter and potato into dumplings. However, in most parts of Europe, these foods are consciously avoided. Tomatoes have not been caught in Europe for centuries. (Many people think that watery vegetables are not suitable for human intake.) Some doctors think tobacco is dangerous.