Question

Potatoes were not initially grown in Europe; however, they became a staple part of the European diet by the end of the eighteenth century. Which two factors are responsible for this change in diet?

Choose Two.

A) The introduction of a new variety of seeds helped the growth of potatoes.
B) Large quantities of potatoes were imported by Europe as a result of the Columbian Exchange.
C) Potatoes improved the European diet nutritionally.
D) Farmers in Europe refused to grow other crops, such as rice.
E) Potatoes were Exported to the Americas in the seventeenth century.

Answer 1

Potatoes were initially grown in Peru, but in the 16th century when the spanish conquistadors discovered them they liked the flavor and carried them to Europe. They started cultivating potatoes in the spanish coast and after more than ten decades it was spread to the rest of Europe. But in the 18th century the tuber was a startling novelty.

The two factors that are responsible for this change in the european diet are thar large quantities of potatoes were imported by europe as a result of the Columbian Exchange (B). And the other is that potatoes improved the European diet nutritionally (C). Potatoes became a staple in the European´s diet.

Answer 2

The answers are A. The introduction of a new variety of seeds helped the growth of potatoes.

Because the Spanish conquistadors found the potato when they arrived in Peru, mainly looking for gold. They failed to find gold but they also realized that potatoes were also a treasure.

And C. Potatoes improved the European diet nutritionally.

It began with recommendations from the Royal Society to cultivate potatoes, and then became popular during food shortages. With time, the European diet expanded and began to include potatoes in it because of the high nutritional value of the vegetable helped mitigate diseases like scurvy, tuberculosis and measles.