Well, I guess we need to have a common understanding of the term
"native" in order to converse clearly on this subject. Peanuts
originated in South America, and diffused to the north prior to European
colonization. Corn and squash certainly originated in Mexico, and their
wild progenitors grow there today. They diffused further north and
south from Mexico. So yes, corn and squash are native to North America.
I would say that peanuts are not, though when Europeans arrived they
were being cultivated by some Native Americans. That doesn't make them
any more native there than they are to Africa or China, where they were
taken during colonial times. I believe that the usual use of the term
"native" for a crop would be the location of original adaptation into
agriculture from wild progenitors. Maybe not, maybe Bill's use of the
term as being grown in a location when Europeans arrived is ok.
David
On Mon, Jan 18, 2010 at 8:07 AM, William Silvert wrote:
Hmmm, "native to North America" seems to have turned into "originated
north of Mexico". Aside from the fact that at least when I went to
high school Mexico was considered part of North America, there were
certainly foods like peanuts, corn and squash that were native to
North America even though they may have originated south of the
border. But I think that this discussion may have wandered a bit away
from ecology, although the origin of foods is a fascinating topic
which is why I am so proud of my mother's book.
I might add a note about what happened to these American foods after
the globalisation of 1492. My wife grew up in East Timor and one day
we were sitting at dinner eating a traditional Timorese vegetable stew
and discussing what we could serve at a Thanksgiving dinner we were
planning. Suddenly I looked down at my plate and realised that almost
everything in the stew came originally from the Americas, and that it
would make a fine Thanksgiving dish.
Of course not everyone is happy with these observations. My mother
received an angry letter pointing out that the Chinese have cultivated
peanuts for hundreds of years, so they couldn't have come from North
America. And don't try to tell an Italian that pomodori are not native
to Italy!
Bill Silvert
----- Original Message ----- From: "Henebry, Geoffrey" To: "William
Silvert" ; Sent: segunda-feira, 18 de Janeiro de 2010 13:08
Subject: WAS: RE: [ECOLOG-L] now I've seen it all - says Orwell; NOW:
origin of foods
Bill's mother is certainly correct: Central and South America have
yielded many foods now widely cultivated and enjoyed.
I still maintain that few contemporary foods appear to have originated
north of Mexico: specifically, Jerusalem artichokes, blueberries, and
cranberries. Are there others?
Geoff Henebry
-----Original Message-----
From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of William Silvert
Sent: Sunday, January 17, 2010 4:06 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] now I've seen it all - says Orwell
I must take issue with the phrase "one of the few foods native to
North
America" and would like to reciprocate Geoffrey's reference with a
reference
to a book that my mother wrote called "The Taste Makers: How New World
Foods
came to Old World Kitchens" which describes numerous foods from the
Americas
which have made their way to the rest of the world. I believe that she
describes 16 different foods, and while some are from South America,
many
are from the north. She did not include the Jerusalem artichoke, and I
am
sure that there are other omissions as well. Since my mother, Vicki
Oppenheimer, was an anthropologist, she focussed on foods that had
cultural
significance.
Information on the book can be found at
http://milpah.silvert.org/tmfinal/
and the entire book can be downloaded there in PDF format for free,
although
it is also in print and available for sale. Even for those who are not
foodies, there is some material of ecological interest as well.
Bill Silvert
----- Original Message ----- From: "Henebry, Geoffrey" To: "William
Silvert" ; Sent: domingo, 17 de Janeiro de 2010 19:24
Subject: RE: [ECOLOG-L] now I've seen it all - says Orwell
With respect to the biofuels potential of one of the few foods native
to
North America, Helianthus tuberosus, let me suggest an entertaining
read:
The Great Jerusalem Artichoke Circus: The Buying and Selling of the
Rural
American Dream by JA Amato.
Here's the synopsis from the publisher's website
(http://www.upress.umn.edu/Books/A/amato_great.html):
In 1981, near the end of America's second post-World War II energy
crisis,
and at the onset of the nation's most recent farm crisis, American
Energy
Farming Systems began to sell and distribute what it deemed a
"providential
plant" destined to be a new and saving crop-the Jerusalem Artichoke.
This
volume recounts this story of the bizarre intersection of evangelical
Christianity, a mythical belief in the powers of a new crop, and the
depression of the U.S. farm economy in the 1980s.
Enjoy!
Geoff Henebry
