Final answer:
Before the triangular trade, Europe traded manufactured goods, including cloth, spirits, tobacco, beads, metal goods, and guns to Africa, receiving gold, ivory, spices, and other commodities in return. These trade interactions occurred prior to the more structured and infamous triangular trade which involved the exchange of enslaved people as well as goods.
Step-by-step explanation:
Before the establishment of the triangular trade, Europe and Africa exchanged a variety of goods with each other. Notably, European countries traded manufactured goods like cloth, spirits, tobacco, beads, metal goods, and importantly, guns. The guns were of particular significance because they were used to expand empires within Africa and eventually for resistance against European colonizers. These items were highly valued by African traders and were exchanged for gold, ivory, spices, and other local commodities that Africa had to offer.
In return, Africa provided Europe with these natural resources and raw materials which were scarce or not found in Europe. Food items were also traded, though specific historical records about these might not be as robust compared to the trade of commodities like gold and ivory.
Additionally, as part of the triangular trade, slaves were captured and sold by African traders to Europeans, beginning a dark chapter in history stretching from the late 15th to the early 19th centuries, where millions of Africans were transported across the Atlantic and sold into slavery in the Americas.