Food on the Move: Global Kitchens

Food is one of the clearest records of globalization, because so many national dishes depend on ingredients and techniques from far away. Chili peppers, native to the Americas, reached India and Southeast Asia through Portuguese traders in the 16th century and became central to their cuisines. Tomatoes were treated with suspicion in Europe before Antonio Latini published one of the first Italian tomato sauce recipes in the 1690s. Tempura in Japan is linked to Portuguese visitors, who began arriving in 1543.

Migrants also carry food: Sake Dean Mahomed opened the Hindoostane Coffee House in London in 1810, and Chinese, Italian and Lebanese dishes changed as migrants adapted them to local tastes. Food can become a powerful symbol of national identity even when its ingredients are global. This tension between local pride and global origins makes food history a lively way to study cultural exchange.