Question 1 of 10Correct: 0
Why did spices become so expensive on their way to Europe?
What happened to spice prices when they were grown off the islands?
Why were coffeehouses banned?
How did such bans usually end?
Why did early potato plantings in Europe produce almost no tubers?
Why was late blight especially devastating in Ireland?
Where did people learn to make sugar crystals?
What made sugar widely available?
🥖 From “How Bread Began”9 / 10
What appeared first?
🥖 From “How Bread Began”10 / 10
Why does dough rise?
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Why Spices Cost as Much as Goldin the app0/2Why Coffee Was Once Banned0/2How Potatoes Got to Europein the app0/2Where Sugar Came From0/2How Bread Began0/2
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Answers and explanations10 questions
- Why did spices become so expensive on their way to Europe? They passed through rare sources and chains of middlemenSpices were rare, and every transfer added duties, middlemen, and a markup.From “Why Spices Cost as Much as Gold”
- What happened to spice prices when they were grown off the islands? They collapsed because rarity disappearedOnce seedlings were taken away and spices took root elsewhere, their inaccessibility disappeared.From “Why Spices Cost as Much as Gold”
- Why were coffeehouses banned? Because people discussed news and those in power while soberUnlike in a tavern, conversations took place with clear heads and could last all day.From “Why Coffee Was Once Banned”
- How did such bans usually end? Licenses, taxes, and owner responsibilityThere were too many establishments, and the revenue they brought to the treasury was too obvious - regulation proved more convenient than closure.From “Why Coffee Was Once Banned”
- Why did early potato plantings in Europe produce almost no tubers? Long summer days delayed tuber formationPotatoes form tubers when days shorten, while long northern European daylight produced foliage instead.From “How Potatoes Got to Europe”
- Why was late blight especially devastating in Ireland? Potatoes were almost the only food thereFor the poorest tenant farmers, potatoes were the basis of their diet, and fields were planted with nearly identical plants.From “How Potatoes Got to Europe”
- Where did people learn to make sugar crystals? In IndiaThe cane itself was domesticated in New Guinea, while the method of evaporating its juice developed in India.From “Where Sugar Came From”
- What made sugar widely available? Plantation production, then sugar beetsIn medieval Europe, it was sold by apothecaries and cost as much as a spice.From “Where Sugar Came From”
- What appeared first? FlatbreadsCharred remains of flatbreads made from wild grasses are thousands of years older than the beginning of agriculture.From “How Bread Began”
- Why does dough rise? Because of fermentation: yeast and bacteria release gasThe discovery was almost certainly accidental: someone left mixed dough sitting and did not throw away the result.From “How Bread Began”