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Consider the following fruits : I. Papaya II. Pineapple III. Guava How many of the above were introduced in India by the Portuguese in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries?
Explanation
All three fruits—pineapple (Ananas comosus), papaya (Carica papaya), and guava (Psidium guajava)—were introduced by the Portuguese and became part of Indian food culture.[1] These fruit plants were introduced and cultivated during the 16th and 17th centuries CE.[1] Pineapple, a crop found in the Americas, was brought by the Portuguese to India during the sixteenth century.[2] While the pineapple and papaya were introduced during the course of the sixteenth century, the guava, also an American species,[2] was similarly brought during this period. The Portuguese played a crucial role in the Columbian Exchange, introducing these American fruit species to India through their trading networks and colonial presence. All three fruits successfully adapted to Indian conditions and became integrated into local agriculture and cuisine.
Sources- [1] https://www.academia.edu/71688829/The_Portuguese_and_the_introduction_of_American_Fruit_Plants_Into_India
PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
Guest previewThis is a classic 'Columbian Exchange' question directly traceable to NCERT Themes in Indian History Part II. It sits at the intersection of History (Mughal economy) and Geography (Agriculture). If you skipped the single paragraph on 'New World crops' in the History NCERT, you missed a sitter.
This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.
- Explicitly lists pineapple, papaya and guava as New World fruits introduced and accepted in India.
- States the article examines their introduction and cultivation during the 16th and 17th centuries CE, tying those fruits to the Portuguese period.
- States that the pineapple was brought by the Portuguese to India in the sixteenth century.
- Says 'the pineapple, papaya ... were introduced during the course of the sixteenth century', and also references the guava as an American species in the same discussion.
- Specifically documents 16th-century transfers of pineapple (ananás) from Brazil to Indian territories under Portuguese influence.
- Supports the timing and Portuguese role for pineapple introduction in the 16th century.
States that vegetables from the New World were introduced 'at this time', and explicitly names fruits 'like the pineapple and the papaya' as introduced from the New World.
A student could combine this with the fact that Portuguese were the main New World-to-India maritime traders in the 16th–17th centuries to infer these two likely arrived via Portuguese contacts.
Explicitly says 'Pineapple was introduced in the sixteenth century' and mentions Portuguese elsewhere in context of introductions (grafted mango varieties by the Portuguese).
A student can link the 16th-century introduction date with Portuguese activity in India in that century to suspect Portuguese role in bringing pineapple.
Lists pineapple, papaya and guava among India’s tropical/subtropical fruits, confirming all three were established in India by the time of these sources.
A student could note that while papaya and pineapple are identified elsewhere as New World introductions, guava's inclusion without an origin note leaves its introduction route ambiguous and worth further checking.
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