The Colombian Exchange

The Columbian Explosion Imagine everything you know about America today. Think of the foods, the animals, the annoying sickness we all get come wintertime - and then imagine knowing that most of those things were not supposed to be on this land. Because of The Columbian Exchange, America and Europe were able to transfer good, and bad, commonalities amongst each other, and the end result was both unifying, and catastrophic. Most people would be surprised to learn that the “classic American hamburger” is not exactly, “American,” per say. Because cows were not native to the lands, and neither was the bread the bun consists of. Do you like sugar in your coffee in the morning? Well, sugarcane was brought overseas to the Americas from Europe. And even coffee itself isn’t a native American product. There are hundreds of beloved combination foods that would not have been possible without the effects of The Columbian Exchange. Europe brought over several crops that are essential parts of our present-day foods, as well as pesty weeds most present-day suburban lawns would love to be rid of. The list consists of, but is not limited to: rice, wheat, barley, oats, coffee, sugarcane, bananas, melons, olives, dandelions, daisies, clover, ragweed, and Kentucky Bluegrass (Brinkley, 20).The Americas transferred their own list of wondrous plant life to the European countries: corn, potatoes, beans, tobacco, peanuts, squash, peppers, tomatoes, pumpkins, pineapples, cacao, chicle, papayas, tapioca, guavas, and avocados (Brinkley, 20). Think of all the things that would not exist: peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, sandwiches in general even, spaghetti sauce on spaghetti, coffee for breakfast, popcorn, chocolate, and the list goes on and on. As far as plant life goes, The Columbian Exchange was obviously a positive transfer. Another positive aspect of it deals with the domesticated animals that we consume today. These animals were good for many things beyond simple nutrition as