Comlumbian Exchange

Essay Questions Set 2

1.Columbian Exchange

        The Columbian Exchange refers to a period of culture and biological exchange between the New and Old worlds.  It is an exchange of plants, animals, and diseases. At the beginning of the discovery in 1942, the exchange lasted throughout the years of exploring and discovering many things, which was called the “Age of Exploration”. Throughout out world, the period from 1492-1650 can be seen as the first globalization of food, when crops and animals were transferred between the hemisphere.

        There were many food plants and animals that were transferred from the old world to the new world. In 1493, Columbus returned to the Americas and brought cattle, chicken, dog, goat, horse, pig and sheep. As in plant wise, Columbus transferred onions, reddish, salad greens, barley, chickpea, sugar cane, wheat, grains and legumes. For fruits, they transferred grapes, melons, apples, bananas, cherry and watermelons. Other than that, there are vegetables such as broccoli, cinnamon, cucumber, eggplant, garlic, lavender, lettuce, olive, black pepper, soy and yam.

        Food that were transferred from the new world to the old world were much less than transferring from the old world to the new world. The reason why is because the western hemisphere ad a giant plantation for the eastern hemisphere made familiar to the old world food more available to people in the old world. Turkey, Muscovy duck were sent to Europe, Africa and Asia. For vegetables and spices, artichokes, green beans, bell peppers, white potatoes, squash, sunflowers and vanilla were also transferred. Beans, cashew nuts, corns and quinine (anti-malaria drug). Lastly, the fruits were avocado, blueberry, cacao, cherimoya, papaya, pineapple, and tomatoes.

        Besides transferring food and animal, the old world has also brought their diseases to America that were from animals. “In three-quarters of a century, from 1520 – 1595, there were at least 14 major epidemics of smallpox, plague, measles, typhus, and influenza from Mexico and Panama. The lowest mortality rates were more than 25 %, the highest, 90 %”. (Page 121, Civitello)

        Between the years 1540 – 1550, Spain transplanted foodstuff to Peru; wine grapes, figs, pomegranate, quinces, wheat, barley, and citrus. There was wealth to be made in cultivating the new foods, but getting them to survive and thrive in the new world wasn’t that easy. One of the foodstuff the Europeans invented in the Caribbean and that Brazilians took right away was Rum. Brazilians are magician with alcoholic beverages however, the history of rum beings with the history of sugar, which is and old world food that grows well in the new world.

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