The Columbian Exchange, which was initiated by Christopher Columbus in 1492 on his quest to reach the West Indies, was not only a historic meeting between the eastern and western civilizations from across the Atlantic, but also an opportunity for the sharing of two vastly different cultures. The initial encounter between Columbus and the natives of the New World provided a defining moment for humanity as diseases, crops, and religions that had not previously been known to either side now became staples of life for both civilizations.
When most people think of Columbus’s arrival to the New World they only wish to see the immediate benefits that came out of the expedition, such as the discovery of new land, ecosystems, and crops. The most …show more content…
While Columbus’s primary objective was to find a new path into the Indian Ocean trade his secondary objective given directly from the crown was to further the spread of Christianity to foreign lands. Despite it being the royal mandate for Columbus and the ships that followed to attempt to convert natives to Christianity often times the Spanish missionaries would give a meager effort at converting the locals and when they refused to convert, or simply did not understand what was going on, the Spanish would butcher them. Along with disease the mixing of religious culture only seemed to worsen relations between the two forces, although the prolonged exposure to the stubbornness of the Spanish eventually broke native peoples as the majority of Spanish held colonial territory is now Roman Catholic in the present …show more content…
The connection between the New World and Old Europe led to the exchange of foods such as potatoes, corn (maize), chocolate, and tomatoes coming from the Americas. This exchange went both ways with the Europeans bringing livestock, wheat, barley, oats, and horses to the New World. It is often argued by some scholars of the Columbian Exchange that this merging of food culture ended up bringing distinctive national identities to nations such as Ireland, Spain, and Italy in Europe. With the introduction of a food like potatoes in Ireland the population of the country was able to rapidly increase as the potato became an extremely well suited crop for the agricultural conditions of Ireland. So, logically when the most abundant and easily grown food available to an Irishman is the potato he will make it a staple of his diet, thus developing distinctive dishes and building a national cuisine identity for his
When most people think of Columbus’s arrival to the New World they only wish to see the immediate benefits that came out of the expedition, such as the discovery of new land, ecosystems, and crops. The most …show more content…
While Columbus’s primary objective was to find a new path into the Indian Ocean trade his secondary objective given directly from the crown was to further the spread of Christianity to foreign lands. Despite it being the royal mandate for Columbus and the ships that followed to attempt to convert natives to Christianity often times the Spanish missionaries would give a meager effort at converting the locals and when they refused to convert, or simply did not understand what was going on, the Spanish would butcher them. Along with disease the mixing of religious culture only seemed to worsen relations between the two forces, although the prolonged exposure to the stubbornness of the Spanish eventually broke native peoples as the majority of Spanish held colonial territory is now Roman Catholic in the present …show more content…
The connection between the New World and Old Europe led to the exchange of foods such as potatoes, corn (maize), chocolate, and tomatoes coming from the Americas. This exchange went both ways with the Europeans bringing livestock, wheat, barley, oats, and horses to the New World. It is often argued by some scholars of the Columbian Exchange that this merging of food culture ended up bringing distinctive national identities to nations such as Ireland, Spain, and Italy in Europe. With the introduction of a food like potatoes in Ireland the population of the country was able to rapidly increase as the potato became an extremely well suited crop for the agricultural conditions of Ireland. So, logically when the most abundant and easily grown food available to an Irishman is the potato he will make it a staple of his diet, thus developing distinctive dishes and building a national cuisine identity for his