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Globalization And The Collapse Of The Roman Empire

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Globalization is a process whereby distinct and distant societies interact with each other and blend their cultures. Globalization has been driven by different forces such as trade, colonization, territorial wars and most recently advances in communication technology. The blending of people’s culture can be evidenced from the food that people eat. The interaction between people who have different cuisines is likely to lead to the exchange of cooking methods and ingredients and thus leading to hybrid meals that incorporate ingredients from other cultures. Some cultures have altogether taken up eating foods that they previously considered unfit for consumption. The earliest evidence of globalization from culinary exchange can be traced to 30 BC when Rome conquered Egypt. The Roman Empire adapted the use of spices which were sourced from the Asian countries. Ships docked at the Egyptian Red sea port with a variety of spices such as pepper, cinnamon and ginger. The spices were then shipped to markets in Rome. However the collapse of the Roman Empire five hundred years later led to a decrease in the supply of spices to Europe. The resulting increase in the price of the spices led to spices being a preserve of the nobility who could afford them. Use of a large amount of …show more content…

European explorers thus set out to discover the source of the spices. However, the expeditions led to the discovery of America, and the Columbian exchange. The American continent itself had a wealth of food crops that the rest of the world did not have at the time. Food crops such as potatoes and maize and fruits such as pineapples were adapted by the European and Asian cultures in their diets while mangoes were brought into America. Thus the exchange of crops led to creation of cuisines that previously did not exist (Boivin, Fuller & Crowther,

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