Chronological list of products from the New World
15th century (First expeditions of Christopher Columbus)
- Corn, Maize, lat. Zea mays — brought personally by Columbus in 1493, initially as a garden exotic.
- Chili pepper, lat. Capsicum annuum — brought by Columbus in 1493 as a substitute for Asian black pepper.
- Common pumpkin, lat. Cucurbita pepo — seeds delivered by the first Spanish ships in 1493.
- Sweet potato, lat. Ipomoea batatas — encountered in the Caribbean in 1493, took root in Spain earlier than the common potato.
- Pineapple, lat. Ananas comosus — found by Columbus on Guadeloupe in 1493 and presented to King Ferdinand.
- Prickly pear (Indian fig), lat. Opuntia ficus-indica — introduced in 1493, quickly began to be cultivated in the arid regions of Southern Europe.
- Allspice, lat. Pimenta dioica — discovered by Columbus on the Caribbean islands (Jamaica) in 1493, who mistook it for a variety of black pepper. However, the first documented mention of commercial import to Europe dates to 1601.
16th century (Age of the Conquistadors and conquest of empires)
- Cassava, lat. Manihot esculenta — brought by the Portuguese in the 1500s, but did not gain widespread use in Europe (later sent to Africa).
- Peanut (groundnut), lat. Arachis hypogaea — used by Spanish sailors as cheap provisions from the 1500s.
- Sunflower, lat. Helianthus annuus — planted in the Madrid Botanical Garden as an ornamental flower in 1510.
- Turkey, lat. Meleagris gallopavo — the only large domestic bird of the Indians, quickly spread across farms from 1511.
- Avocado, lat. Persea americana — reached Spain in 1519, sailors used the pulp instead of butter.
- Tomato, lat. Solanum lycopersicum — brought by Cortés in 1519–1521 after the fall of the Aztecs, long considered poisonous.
- Vanilla planifolia, lat. Vanilla planifolia — introduced in 1521–1523 along with cacao, but for a long time did not bear fruit without Mexican pollinator bees.
- Cacao, lat. Theobroma cacao — introduced in 1528, the recipe for the bitter drink was modified by the Spanish with the addition of sugar.
- Tobacco, lat. Nicotiana tabacum — the first seeds reached Spain in 1528 as a remedy for migraines, mass import began in 1559–1560.
- Common bean, lat. Phaseolus vulgaris and Scarlet runner bean, lat. Phaseolus coccineus — in the 1530s quickly displaced the European broad bean.
- Mexican marigold, lat. Tagetes erecta — reached Spain in the 1530s, used as a dye.
- Guava, lat. Psidium guajava and Papaya, lat. Carica papaya — discovered in the Caribbean in the 1520s–1540s, later transported by Europeans to Asia.
- Yam, lat. Dioscorea spp. — introduced to Europe by the Portuguese from West Africa and Brazil in the mid-16th century, but did not gain widespread popularity.
- Muscovy duck, lat. Cairina moschata — delivered by the Portuguese from Brazil in the 1550s.
- Passion fruit, lat. Passiflora edulis — described by scientists in 1553, the flower was brought to the Vatican as a religious symbol.
- Amaranth, lat. Amaranthus caudatus and Chia, lat. Salvia hispanica — reached Europe in small quantities in the mid-16th century as botanical specimens.
- Potato, lat. Solanum tuberosum — delivered from Peru in 1565, long considered food for the poor.
- Quinoa, lat. Chenopodium quinoa — called by the Spanish in the late 16th century "food for Indians," long remained unknown in Europe.
- Cashew, lat. Anacardium occidentale — the Portuguese transported from Brazil in the late 16th century only shelled nuts due to the toxic husk.
- Peruvian maca, lat. Lepidium meyenii — imported locally for the royal court of Spain in the late 16th century.
- Coca bush, lat. Erythroxylum coca — leaves spoiled during transport in the late 16th century, mass import only began in the 19th century.
- Sapodilla, lat. Manilkara zapota and Achiote (annatto), lat. Bixa orellana — introduced in the 16th century, annatto began to be used as a cheap dye for cheeses.
17th–18th centuries (Colonization of North America and scientific gardens)
- Jerusalem artichoke, lat. Helianthus tuberosus — reached France from North America in 1605–1610, competed with the potato.
- Yerba mate, lat. Ilex paraguariensis — monopolized by the Jesuits for supplies to Spain in the early 17th century.
- Black cherry, lat. Prunus serotina — introduced to France as an ornamental and furniture tree in 1623.
- Virginia strawberry, lat. Fragaria virginiana — reached France from North America in 1624.
- Brazil nut, lat. Bertholletia excelsa — Dutch traders began regular exports from the Amazon in 1633.
- Chilean strawberry, lat. Fragaria chiloensis — brought from South America in 1714. Its crossbreeding with the Virginia strawberry gave rise to the modern garden strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa).
- Cherimoya, lat. Annona cherimola — seeds were introduced to Spain in 1751, where the tree took root on the southern coast.
- Pecan, lat. Carya illinoinensis — introduced to Europe by explorers from the Mississippi River basin in the 1760s.
- Cranberry, lat. Vaccinium macrocarpon and Highbush blueberry, lat. Vaccinium corymbosum — entered botanical collections in England in the late 18th century.
19th century (Late introductions)
- Oca, lat. Oxalis tuberosa and Ulluco, lat. Ullucus tuberosus — were attempted to be introduced as a potato substitute during the famines of the 1840s–1860s, but they did not take hold.
- Feijoa, lat. Acca sellowiana — brought by French botanist Édouard André to France from Brazil in 1890.