Columbus Day Villanelle; Or, An Ode to New World Fruits

Now add a splash of olive oil
From trees that once in Genoa grew.
The oven's hot; the peppers broil.

Columbus sought the seas that roil
And left his home for worlds new.
Now add a splash of olive oil.

No gold, nor spices for his toil,
But plants that ne'er in Europe grew.
The oven's hot; the peppers broil.

Tomatoes, corn! These fruits were spoils
For that explorer and his crew.
Now add a splash of olive oil.

What riches would laud their turmoil?
America, cross seas so blue!
The oven's hot; the peppers broil.

Columbus stepped on virgin soil
Which yielded crops once strange and new.
The oven's hot; the peppers broil.
Now add a splash of olive oil.

We had a festive (if belated) Columbus Day dinner, starring not one, not two, but five New World fruits! This salad contains roasted bell peppers, poblano chiles, and corn; plus raw tomato and avocado. In a fitting nod to Columbus' Italian roots, the veggies are tossed with pasta and olive oil. Lime juice and cilantro, while not relevant to the New World or the Italian theme, make the dish delicious.

Perhaps it's occurred to you that so far I've only named four New World foods. The fifth is chocolate! I tried out the Mexican Hot Chocolate cupcakes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. Like every other recipe I've made from that cookbook, these were great.

It's hard to imagine being vegan without partaking of any New World foods at all. So, despite any reservations I might have about canonizing colonialism, here's just a little "yay!" for Columbus Day.


*Yes, I know it was only "virgin soil" to the opportunistic Europeans who landed there well after native cultures had established complex civilizations and agricultural processes. But "Columbus stepped on virgin soil" is four perfect iambs! Really, how could I resist? Consider it poetic license.