List of food origins

This is a list of food items by the region of the world they originate or were domesticated in.

Items common to most regions

Vegetables

A wild raspberry

Fruits

Meats

Seeds/Nuts

  • Acorn (not present in Africa and South America)
  • Chestnuts (Northern Hemisphere)
  • Hickory nuts (species native to East/Southeast Asia, North America, and South Asia)
  • Pine nuts
  • Walnuts (Northern Hemisphere)

Herbs/Spices

Other

  • Birch syrup (produced from birch trees which are native to Europe, North Asia, and North America)

Africa

East Africa

Workers harvesting teff in Northern Ethiopia

Grains/Cereals

Vegetables

Fruits

Four workers sorting coffee beans for size in Hawassa, Ethiopia

Seeds/Nuts

Other

West Africa

Guineafowl in Kruger Park, South Africa

Grains/Cereals

Vegetables

Fruits

Meats

Seeds/Nuts

Other

Asia

A Vietnamese rice field

East and Southeast Asia

Grains/Cereals

Vegetables

An illustration of a peach in different stages

Fruits

Meats

Seeds/Nuts

Herbs/Spices

Eggplants that are yet to be harvested

Other

Southern Asia or Indian Subcontinent

Grains/Cereals

Vegetables

Fruits

Indian spice market

Herbs/Spices

Other

Western Asia or Middle East

A still life of bread and wine; products of wheat and grapes which were originally cultivated in Western Asia
Cattle

Grains/Cereals

Vegetables

Fruits

Meats

Seeds/Nuts

Herbs/Spices

Oceania

Australia

Various stages of the Macadamia nut

Vegetables

Fruits

Seeds/Nuts

Meats

Other

Austranesia and New Guinea

Banana tree featuring a full crop

Grains/Cereals

Vegetables

Fruits

Sugarcane for sale in a market in Kerala, India

Meats

Seeds/Nuts

Herbs/Spices

Other

Europe

Northern Europe

A head of cabbage

Grains/Cereals

Vegetables

Fruits

Meats

A basket of hazelnuts from Galiza, Spain

Seeds/Nuts

Herbs/Spices

Southern Europe or Mediterranean

A broccoli plant ready for harvest

Vegetables

An olive tree in Crete

Fruits

Herbs/Spices

Americas

North America

Various squashes such as Turban, Sweet Dumpling, Carnival, Gold Acorn, Delicata, Buttercup and Golden Nugget.

Grains/Cereals

Vegetables

Fruits

A wild male turkey with plumage on display

Meats

Seeds/Nuts

Herbs/Spices

Other

Central America and Caribbean

A diagram showing a stalk and cob of Maize/Corn

Grains/Cereals

Vegetables

Fruits

Herbs/Spices

A field of tobacco being grown in Pennsylvania United States

Other

South America

Various chili pepper species presented for sale in a market in São Paulo, Brazil

Grains/Cereals

Vegetables

Fruits

Varieties of potatoes and tubers presented for sale in a market in Huancayo, Peru

Meats

Seeds/Nuts

Herbs/Spices

Other

See also

References

  1. ^ Renner, Susanne S.; Wu, Shan; Pérez-Escobar, Oscar A.; Silber, Martina V.; Fei, Zhangjun; Chomicki, Guillaume (24 May 2021). "A chromosome-level genome of a Kordofan melon illuminates the origin of domesticated watermelons". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 118 (23): e2101486118. Bibcode:2021PNAS..11801486R. doi:10.1073/pnas.2101486118. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 8201767. PMID 34031154.
  2. ^ Francis, John K. "Coffea arabica L. Rubiaceae" (PDF). Factsheet of U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 August 2007.
  3. ^ "Catha edulis (Vahl) Endl. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
  4. ^ "Digitaria exilis (Kippist) Stapf | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 29 June 2025.