Unexpected Foods That Changed World History

Throughout history, food hasn’t just been a matter of survival—it’s shaped empires, fuelled revolutions, and shifted global economies. Some of the most unexpected ingredients and dishes have left outsized marks on the world stage, altering the course of history in subtle and not-so-subtle ways. Whether by sparking wars, building trade routes, redefining national identities or enabling industrial growth, these foods changed the world in ways few would have predicted. Here are some of the most unexpected foods that had a huge impact on history.

Sugar

Today it’s a pantry staple, but sugar’s history is anything but sweet. Once considered a luxury, sugar became a driving force behind European colonisation and the transatlantic slave trade. Demand for sugar exploded in the 17th century, leading to the establishment of brutal plantation economies in the Caribbean and the Americas.

By the 18th century, sugar plantations in the British West Indies produced over 80% of the sugar consumed in Europe, made possible by the labour of millions of enslaved Africans. Sugar became one of the economic cornerstones of the British Empire. It funded industries, influenced global shipping routes, and created entire economies based on exploitation. Even after the abolition of slavery, indentured labour replaced it on many plantations, continuing the legacy of suffering tied to this so-called sweet commodity.

Coffee

Introduced to Europe from the Islamic world in the 17th century, coffee quickly became more than just a drink. Coffee houses in cities like London, Paris, and Vienna became centres of political discussion, artistic exchange, and revolutionary ideas.

Known as “penny universities” for the cost of entry, these coffee houses helped ferment everything from Enlightenment thinking to political uprisings. In London alone, by the late 1600s, there were over 3,000 coffee houses. As the British Coffee Association explains, these places became informal stock exchanges, newsrooms, and debating chambers. The role coffee played in the Age of Enlightenment can’t be overstated—it fuelled minds as well as bodies.

Potatoes

When first introduced to Europe from South America, potatoes were viewed with suspicion. But over time, they became a vital food source, particularly for poorer populations. Ireland’s heavy dependence on the potato eventually led to one of the most tragic events in its history: the Great Famine of the 1840s.

That famine, caused by potato blight and compounded by British mismanagement, killed over a million people and forced another million to emigrate. According to History Ireland, the potato had become Ireland’s staple crop precisely because it was calorie-dense, easy to grow in poor soil, and productive even on small plots. Its failure exposed the vulnerabilities of monoculture and colonial policy.

However, potatoes didn’t just affect Ireland—they helped drive population booms across Europe and Russia and were vital to the growth of industrial cities. Cheap, filling, and nutritious, they became a linchpin in urban working-class diets.

Cod

It may not seem glamorous, but cod was central to the rise of European maritime power. Cod fishing off the coasts of Newfoundland and Scandinavia sustained sailors, fed armies, and created trading networks for centuries.

The race to control cod-rich waters was a key factor in England’s and France’s Atlantic ambitions. Cod became one of the first truly global commodities, central to diets and shipping logistics. Salted cod fed enslaved populations in the Americas, helped build global empires, and shaped naval provisioning strategies.

Control of cod-rich waters even contributed to geopolitical conflicts and colonial land grabs. Wars weren’t just fought for gold; they were fought for fish.

Salt

Before refrigeration, salt was essential for preserving meat and fish. Control over salt mines and trade routes made cities rich and empires stronger. In ancient China, the state salt monopoly provided up to half the government’s income during certain dynasties, helping to fund massive infrastructure projects like the Great Wall.

In France, the gabelle, a deeply unpopular salt tax, became a symbol of royal excess and helped fuel resentment that contributed to the French Revolution. And in India, Gandhi’s 1930 Salt March, which defied British law forbidding Indians from collecting or selling salt, became a watershed moment in the fight for independence. Salt became a symbol of control, and of resistance.

Salt’s influence is buried deep in language too. The word “salary” comes from the Latin for salt—soldiers were once paid in it. In every sense, salt was power.

Tea

Tea has played major roles in diplomacy, rebellion, and empire-building. It was a prized commodity in Britain and central to trade with China. When Chinese authorities tried to curb the opium trade, which the British used to balance tea imports, it led to the Opium Wars—conflicts that weakened China’s Qing dynasty and opened the country to foreign exploitation.

The British obsession with tea reshaped their foreign policy, led to the forced acquisition of Hong Kong, and was instrumental in the expansion of imperial interests in Asia. In the American colonies, the 1773 Boston Tea Party became a flashpoint in the lead-up to the Revolutionary War. As outlined by the UK National Archives, it wasn’t just about tax. It was about sovereignty, identity, and control.

Meanwhile, the cultivation of tea in British India, especially in Assam and Darjeeling, transformed regional economies and reshaped entire landscapes, often at the expense of indigenous communities.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes were originally feared in Europe, as many thought they were poisonous due to their relation to deadly nightshade. But once accepted, they transformed cuisines across the continent, especially in Italy.

Despite being introduced to Europe in the 16th century, tomatoes didn’t become common in Italian cooking until the late 18th century. It wasn’t until the 19th century that tomatoes became central to southern Italian diets. The transformation of Italian food culture from a mix of regional dishes to a tomato-based national identity owed everything to this once-distrusted fruit.

The tomato’s journey also reflects broader themes: colonial exchange, global migration, and culinary reinvention. Its impact was agricultural, cultural, and even nationalistic.

Chocolate

First consumed as a bitter ceremonial drink by the Maya and Aztecs, chocolate was transformed in Europe into the sweet confection we know today. Like sugar, it became a luxury item tied to slavery and colonisation.

By the 18th century, chocolate was so popular in Britain and France that plantations in the Caribbean and West Africa were established to produce cacao using enslaved labour. During both World Wars, chocolate was included in military rations, valued for its caloric density and morale-boosting properties. According to the International Cocoa Organization, chocolate evolved into one of the world’s largest global food industries, with lingering inequalities in the supply chain.

Chocolate has also shaped industrial food production, from the development of mass production techniques in 19th-century Europe to modern issues around fair trade and child labour. Its cultural impact, from Valentine’s Day to luxury branding, shows how far-reaching its journey has been.

Chillies

Native to Central and South America, chillies were unknown outside the Americas until the Columbian Exchange. But after their introduction to Europe, Asia, and Africa in the 16th century, they were embraced with astonishing speed. Today, chillies are central to cuisines as varied as Indian, Thai, Ethiopian, and Szechuan.

Their rapid adoption in Asia is a striking example of culinary globalisation. Within a few generations, chillies had transformed entire food cultures. Their capsaicin content also spurred research into medicine and agriculture.

Maize (Corn)

Maize was a staple of Indigenous American diets for thousands of years, but its export to Europe, Africa, and Asia helped reshape global agriculture. It grows in a wide range of soils and climates and became a cornerstone crop in parts of Africa and Eastern Europe.

In parts of southern Africa, maize became the dominant staple, overtaking indigenous grains. Its success also introduced problems—monoculture, malnutrition (due to lack of niacin without proper preparation), and vulnerability to crop failure. Still, it fed armies, enabled settlements, and underpinned the expansion of empires.

Whether you’re sipping tea, sprinkling salt, biting into chocolate, or spooning tomato sauce over pasta, it’s worth remembering that these everyday ingredients were once world-changing forces. They helped build empires, start wars, inspire revolutions, and reshape societies. Food has always been more than just sustenance—it’s power, politics, resistance, and culture—all rolled into one bite.