South America Is One Of The World’s Primary Centres Of Agricultural Biodiversity. Many Staples Now Central To Global Diets Originated In The Andean Highlands, The Amazon Basin, Or The Tropical Lowlands Of The Continent. Discover the Fruit & Vegetables of South America Here.
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It its easy when gardening to forget where our fruit and veg originated. Few of us think beyond potatoes and Maize from the Americas. But the reality is that South America has provided us with dozens of staple food crops … such as beans, chillies, peppers peanuts and pineapples.
Below I list some of the Fruit & Vegetables of South America by type. The list is not however complete in both the species and varieties sense. For example there are several thousand types of potato grown in South America.
Tubers and Root Crops
The Andes region is particularly famous for its diverse range of high-altitude tubers.
Potato (Solanum tuberosum): First domesticated in the region of modern-day southern Peru and northwestern Bolivia.
Mashua (Tropaeolum tuberosum): A pungent tuber related to the garden nasturtium.
Oca (Oxalis tuberosa): A tangy, colourful tuber and the second most widely planted root crop in the Andes after the potato.
Ulluco (Ullucus tuberosus): Prized for its firm texture and bright, waxy skin.
Cassava/Manioc (Manihot esculenta): Native to the Amazon basin; it is now a primary carbohydrate source for millions globally. Parts of Africa now depend on cassava.
Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas): Evidence suggests domestication occurred in the tropical regions of Central and South America.
Jerusalem Artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus): Though common in North America, its cultivation spread extensively through indigenous trade routes.
Yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius): A “ground apple” known for its crisp texture and sweet, resinous flavour.
South American Grains and Pseudocereals
Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa): A “superfood” staple of the Inca Empire, native to the Andean Altiplano.
Kañiwa (Chenopodium pallidicaule): A close relative of quinoa, exceptionally resilient to high-altitude frosts.
Amaranth/Kiwicha (Amaranthus caudatus): A nutrient-dense grain used in South America for millennia.
Maize (Zea mays): While originally domesticated in Mexico (Mesoamerica), South American varieties (such as Peruvian Purple Corn) evolved distinct characteristics over thousands of years of independent cultivation.
South America Fruit
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum): While further domesticated in Mexico, the wild ancestors originated in the coastal and highland regions of western South America.
Chilli Peppers (Capsicum spp.): Most Capsicum species, including the ancestor of the habanero and the bird’s eye chilli, originated in South America.
Pineapple (Ananas comosus): Native to the region between southern Brazil and Paraguay.
Passion Fruit (Passiflora edulis): Originating in Brazil, Paraguay, and northern Argentina.
Açai (Euterpe oleracea): A palm fruit native to the Amazonian floodplains.
Guava (Psidium guajava): Native to the Caribbean, Central America, and northern South America.
Legumes and Seeds Originating in South America
Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris): Distinct gene pools evolved in both Mesoamerica and the Andes (e.g., kidney beans and lima beans).
Peanut (Arachis hypogaea): Native to the valleys of Paraguay and Bolivia.
Cacao (Theobroma cacao): Though long associated with the Maya and Aztecs, genomic studies indicate the tree originated in the upper Amazon.
Note on Verification: These origins are supported by the Vavilov Centres of Origin theory and contemporary genetic mapping. I will be writing more about Vasilov in another article.
