SC - New World Foods

[James F. Johnson]

lilinah at earthlink.net wrote:
> 
> Adamantius wrote:

> >and
> >things like sassafras? Maple sugar? And to the grainlike foods you can
> >add wild rice and, I think, buckwheat.

> Buckwheat? Gee, i didn't know. I thought it was north Asian. It's
> commonly used in Russia (sometimes called kasha) and Japan (mmm,
> soba!), but hey, so are plenty of other New World foods closely
> identified with modern European (like tomatoes) and Asian cuisines
> (like chilis).

Yes, buckwheat raises the question to me, as it's quite widespread in
Russia, and I'd be curious how it was introduced and so well spread in
two centuries. Oats, by the way, are food for livestock, especially
horses, over there. They found the concept of the morning oatmeal
amusing. Probably comparable to what we in the US would feel watching
someone boil alfalfa and eating it with milk and sugar.

Seumas