Foods in the Classical World
Foods They Didn't Eat in the Classical World

You may know that the civilizations of the ancient Mediterranean and Middle East did not have potatoes or yams, that these foods came from the New World and were brought to Europe after the explorers started crossing the Atlantic. More arresting is the fact that Italy, whose culinary sphere we associate with tomato products, and southern Asia/India whose cuisine we may associate with hot peppers, had to wait for the same explorers for their flavor: Tomatoes and peppers (capiscum, not the spice Piper nigrum) are not native to Eurasia.

Here is a list of 40 foods that are indigenous to the western hemisphere and therefore would probably be inappropriate in a work of historical fiction set in classical antiquity:

1. Avocado
2. Blueberries
3. Cranberry
4. Strawberry
5. Chokecherry
6. Concord grape
7. Cactus pear
8. Grapefruit
9. Guava
10. Papaya
11. Passion fruit
12. Pineapple
13. Bell peppers
14. Chile peppers
15. Pumpkins
16. Winter squashes
17. Summer squashes
18. Tomatillo
19. Tomato
20. Amaranth
21. Corn (maize)
22. Quinoa
23. Wild rice
24. Green beans
25. Kidney beans
26. Lima beans
27. Peanut
28. Chocolate
    No, the ancient Greeks did not refer to chocolate as the food of the gods. [See Say What?]
29. Sassafras
30. Vanilla
31. Arrowroot
32. Jerusalem artichoke
33. Jicama
34. Potato
35. Sweet Potato
36. Black walnut
37. Brazil nut
38. Hickory nut
39. Macadamia
40. Pecan

Should a work of fiction be set in the Americas, the list of inappropriate items would, of course, be entirely different. Source: (www.foodmuseum.com/foodlist.htm) Food Museum