Q & A

What was Indian and Italian food like before the introduction of American ingredients such as tomatoes, chillies and potatoes?

The concept of national cuisines – ‘Indian’ or ‘Italian’, for instance – did not really exist before the 19th century. What we can say, though, is that Christopher Columbus’s arrival in the Americas in 1492 had lasting ramifications for diets across the world. Before so-called ‘new world’ crops came into circulation, Italians ate grains, olives and locally available fruit and vegetables, while