Social Science (087) — CBSE Class 10 board question

Food offered many examples of long-distance cultural exchange in pre-modern times:

1. Spaghetti and Noodles: It is believed that noodles travelled west from China and became spaghetti in Italy. Arab traders may have carried pasta to fifth-century Sicily, showing cultural exchange between Asia and Europe.

1. Potato and other crops: Foods like potatoes, maize, tomatoes, and chillies were unknown to Europe and Asia until Christopher Columbus reached the Americas. These crops were then introduced globally, transforming diets across continents.

Source: Food Travels: Spaghetti and Potato, Chapter 3, Section 1.2

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• Examiners expect two distinct, developed examples — one example alone will not fetch full marks.
• Name the food item, its place of origin, and where/how it travelled — that three-part detail earns the mark for each example.
• The concluding idea (these show "long-distance cultural contact in the pre-modern world") ties the answer to the exact wording of the question — a good habit for board exams.