Cranberries and blueberries are New World too, right?

Yes, as are some types of grapes. Also peanuts and vanilla.

...but not coffee.

Kind of a dealbreaker, for me.

More hot cocoa for the rest of us!

I'm not particularly good at New World stuff, but emmer and einkorn wheats, barley, lentils, peas, vetch and chickpeas are the first crops in the Near East, as near as we can tell, and they moved through Europe, excepting chickpeas, weirdly. Rye and spelt came later, but not much. There's still controversy over which was first and whether cultivation began once for each species, or a number of times in different areas.

I'm not up to speed on Asian cultivation, but I think rice began to be cultivated about the same time, and people are starting to talk about bananas too.

Years ago I read the theory that cultivation began so folks would have a ready supply of the ingredients for beer. Is that theory still... around?

Speaking of grains, I saw a package at the grocery store a few days ago labeled "Kosher for Passover only for those who eat kitniyot." (Kitniyot being beans, rice, corn, and a few other things not expressly forbidden, but not eaten for Passover by most Eastern European Jews.) I'm glad to see the Ashkenazic Passover monopoly fading a bit, even if it is only for peanut butter Bamba.

Timelies all!

Mmmm, vanilla. (Sorry, I've got nothing else)

Veganomicon

Damn, I want that just for the name. And I'm not even a vegetarian!

My friend in Cleveland bought that cookbook. She is a vegetarian, though. Her license plates also say, "Cthulhu." Really. Deb got a HUGE kick out them.

Years ago I read the theory that cultivation began so folks would have a ready supply of the ingredients for beer. Is that theory still... around?

Um, sort of. I think the general consensus is that some form of cultivation (or at least management of wild resources) has to occur before brewing can happen, as the most likely way that spontaneous fermentation would occur is when storing crops. Proper beer needs a prior knowledge of malting, also, which again probably wouldn't be seen except in crop storage.

There's an increase in the growing of fruit crops that coincides with the beginning of centralised settlement which has been proposed as indicative of the beginnings of alcohol production.

This is fun. It's been ages since I've had to think about anything outside of Irish archaeobotany.

This is fun.

We exist to serve.

Ma Cherie Amour. Stuck in my head. Off to a meeting. Spork me now, dog, spork me now.

Oh crap. Tell me I'm smart! Quick! I think I have that Simpson's gene and I'm getting dumber!