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Iberian Peninsula
Both Portugal and Spain were expanding beyond just that of the New World in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth century. Their dominance on the coast of major ports opened up new trade routes by sea that linked food exchange across the world. Both countries that make up the majority of the Iberian Peninsula colonized: Canary and Azores islands, Goa--a coastal state of India, Malacca on the Malaysian coast, Ternate in Moluccas as well as the Spice Islands. In the Americas, they had possession of Brazil as well as prevalent Spanish viceroyalties through modern Mexico. Under Phillip II, Catholic cuisine elements inadvertently helped transform the cuisine of the Americas, Buddhist, Hindus, and Islamic cuisines of the South Eastern Asian region. In Goa, the Portuguese were encouraged by the Crown to marry local women following their conversion. This integration led to mixed cuisine between Portugal and Western India. The Portuguese brought round raised loaves, using wheat shipped from Northern India, as well as pickled pork. The pork was pickled in wine or vinegar with garlic (carne de vinha d’alhos) tied to Portuguese cuisine that later became vindaloo.

In an effort to help bring about converts to the Catholic religion, the Society of Jesus, also known as Jesuits, was established in 1534. The Jesuits could be found in several countries at this time; many were in the Americas, some in Angola, Japan briefly, and some parts of China. Their influence and affect on cuisine differed from country to country. They sold maize and cassava to plantations in Angola that would later grant provisions to slave traders. They exported sugar and cacao from the Americas to Europe, and in southern parts of the Americas they dried leaves of the local mate plant that would compete with coffee, tea, and chocolate as the favored hot beverage in Europe. Despite mate’s popularity and competition against chocolate, the Jesuits were the leading producers and promoters of chocolate. Using indigenous labor in Guatemala they shipped it across the world to Southeast Asia, Spain and Italy. Chocolate’s popularity was also in part to the theological consensus that, because it was not considered a food, it could be eaten while fasting. It was thought to have lust-reducing effects applicable to many nuns and monks at the time.

Among popular exports from the Americas, maize flatbreads or dumplings (tortillas and tamales) made its way into Europe. Despite its modern popularity, many conquistadors and Charles V did not eat the food as it was not considered high cuisine at the time. In Japan, Jesuits made no attempt to integrate Catholic cuisine into Chinese society and accepted the well established high Confucian-Taoist-Buddhistm cuisine. Although their stay was brief, deep frying (tempura), cakes and confectionary (kasutera, confeiti), as well as the bread still called by the Iberian name (pan) can be traced back to Jesuit influence.

The global dominance in the 16th century did more than just expand food styles for the Iberian Empires. Their control over sugar and confectionary exchange also advanced the processing of sugarcane. The advancement of the vertical roller mill, multiple boilers, and claying allowed sugarcane to become cheaper as well as of higher quality. The origin of the vertical roller mill is uncertain, but Catholic missionaries and the Manila galleon were essential in its widespread use at this time. Prior to the vertical roller mill, the horizontal roller mill went from India to China, until the early sixteenth century when artisans geared it for vertical milling. It did not reach Mexico and Peru until later in that same century. This cross Pacific innovation was standard in sugar production and laid the foundation for the technological improvement of these same mills in the nineteenth century during the Industrial Revolution.

Iberian Peninsula
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