Columbian Exchange Research Paper

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One of the most significant aspects of the Columbian Exchange was the transfer of food between the two worlds. This movement of crops and plants not only reshaped diets but also had far-reaching effects on global history. An encyclopedia entry summarizes the transformative nature of this exchange, “Before the Columbian Exchange, there were no oranges in Florida, no bananas in Ecuador, no paprika in Hungary, no tomatoes in Italy, no coffee in Columbia, no pineapples in Hawaii.” This phrase highlights the flow of various fruits and vegetables across the Atlantic Ocean and beyond. It was described by the historian Alfred Crosby that the coming together of the continents was a prerequisite for the population explosion and certainly an important …show more content…
Additionally, this exchange provided an evolution of the local cuisine. For example, spicy curries in India, paprika in Hungary, and spicy kimchee in Korea became possible due to the exchange of crops. The second channel involved the discovery of the Americas, which provided the Old World with vast quantities of relatively unpopulated land well-suited for the cultivation of certain crops that were in high demand in Old World markets. Crops like sugar and coffee soon led the Americas to become the main suppliers of these crops globally. The introduction of these crops has significantly influenced today’s world diet. According to data from 2000, maize, potatoes, tomatoes, and cassava ranked among the most popular foods worldwide. The impact of these crops on population growth was notable—scholars using a difference-in-differences estimation strategy found a 12 percent increase in the average population across Old World countries after the adoption of potatoes. The study also indicated that 47 percent of the increase in urbanization following the adoption of potatoes could be linked to this crop, reflecting its significant role in economic development and …show more content…
Derived from the bark of cinchona trees native to the Andes, quinine was the first effective treatment for malaria, a disease caused by the Plasmodium falciparum parasite, which is transmitted by female Anopheles mosquitoes. These trees grow in scattered clumps across the eastern mountainous forests of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. Recognizing the importance of quinine in combating malaria, especially as the British Empire expanded into malaria-prone regions, the British government encouraged the Royal Society to research quinine's properties and explore the feasibility of farming it outside of its native regions. In 1858, the British Botanical Gardens, led by Kew Gardens in London, launched the "cinchona transfer project," a mission to ensure a reliable, sufficient, and affordable supply of quinine for the British Empire. This involved obtaining cinchona plants and seeds through a mix of buying, bribing, smuggling, and even stealing them from the Andes. The British were successful in transferring the plans to Kew Gardens in London, Calcutta, and the Nilgiri Hills of India. Within decades, production was also expanded to Singapore and Dutch Java. Estimates suggest that by 1880, enough was produced to supply ten million people with a daily dose. Quinine's role as an
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