Message #105518

[Bianca]

Woman and child sitting in field of
Oxalia tuberosa in Central Mexico.

Photo by Steven R. King, 1996.









                                             FOODS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD






Steven R. King, Ph.D.,
Shaman Pharmaceuticals, Inc.,
South S.F., CA
Adapted from Pacific Discovery,
Vol.45, No. 1, pp.23-31,
Winter, 1992.

For many foods which we now enjoy and rely upon, we must thank the people of the Americas who domesticated or discovered them. Many of our everyday foods originated in the ancient New World. Of the world's top 26 crops by tonnage, eight originated in the Americas. A third of United States crop value depends on foods that were first grown in the Americas. Without food crops from the New World, Indonesian satays, Indian curries, and even pizza would be unrecognizable. Let's look at some of the incredible variety of foods from the Americas and their impact on history.