Original work based on the geography of a certain food. 

Geography of Food Exercise: Checklist (Rubric)

Include your name, date, and a title in the first page of your work. Your work must include the following
sections in this order: Title, Table, Map, Essay, and Bibliography.

Table (25%)*:
Your table must include the following information:

A. Title: with the name of the dish and the claimed country of origin of your dish at the top and
before introducing your table.

B. Table: must include two columns with the following information:

 First column: a list of at-least 10 ingredients.
If using a by-product of any plant or animal, then the main source of your ingredient
must be included first and then, using parenthesis, include the name of the by-product.
For example: tomato (paste); goat (cheese); wheat (flour), olive (oil).

If your dish does not include 10 ingredients, you can add sides to complete this
requirement (i.e., a salad, steamed vegetables, etc. that are traditional “companions” –
sides- when these dishes are served).

 The second column: the region of domestication of these ingredients using the

“Centers of Plant and Animal Domestication” map provided, or any other reputable
source. If you are using another source, meaning a reputable source (which must be
included in your Bibliography), the regions of domestication of these ingredients must
be included in your table using the regions provided on the map. For example, if the
source you are using states that an ingredient was domesticated in ancient Egypt or
Mesopotamia, this ingredient would have been domesticated in the Mediterranean or
the Southwest Asia region of domestication, respectively.

If your dish includes an animal or plant that is native (also called indigenous) to the
claimed country of origin of your dish, you must include it in your table as “native” or
“indigenous.” In most cases these will apply to seafood caught locally or salt. Note that
the map “Centers of Plant and Animal Domestication show that parts of Europe are
included in the Mediterranean region of domestication (not including France). So, in
case you are using a dish from, for example, Spain (which is included in the
Mediterranean region), you must include in your table all ingredients domesticated here
as either Mediterranean or Native, but not both.

If your dish includes an ingredient that was domesticated in two regions, include the
one that is closest to Europe. Some examples include cattle (Mediterranean and
Southwest Asia) or rice (West Africa and South and Southeastern Asia).

C. Chart (Not Required) your work may include a chart with the basic statistics of your dish next to
your table. This information is required in your essay when you answer the ‘where’ question
(origin of these ingredients). In this chart include the contributions of each region of
domestication to the make-up of your dish. Completing this portion will be very easy because
you are required to include ten items (ingredients) in your work, and each item equals to ten
percent of the total number of ingredients included in your dish (i.e., 5 items will correspond to
50%).

*Note: If your table includes incorrect information (plants and animals not domesticated in the regions
cited in your work/table), this fact will make your work inaccurate (including your table and essay), and

will be reflected in your grade (5% discount in the final grade for each item that falls within this
category).

Map (25%)*:
Your map must include the following information:

A. Title (i.e., “The Geography of _________ (name of your dish)” (country of origin).

B. Orientation arrow pointing to the geographical north.

C. A legend that includes all symbols used in your map (i.e., flow lines, native ingredients icon).

D. Labels:
E. Labels for each region of domestication included in your recipe, and the shapes of these

regions’ boundaries.
F. A label for the claimed country of origin of your dish located in its exact position. Use an arrow

connecting the country label to the exact position of this country if necessary.

G. Flow lines that connect the regions of domestication of the ingredients included in your dish
and the claimed country of origin. The width of the flow lines must represent the contribution
of each region of domestication as well.

*Note: Each of these items is worth 5% of the final grade for this assignment.

Essay (45%)*:
Your essay must include the following information and other requirements listed below:

A. Meet the minimum required number of words for the essay (800 words). This word count
does not include the Bibliography, Table, Map, and other information included in other sections
of your work.

B. Demonstrate knowledge of the topic using key definitions (i.e., cultural diffusion –relocation
and expansion diffusion-, the Columbian Exchange, globalization, etc.).

C. Include at-least one pertinent reference (textbook or a reputable source) that relates to your
dish, and introduce this source by making a notation in your work (as a direct quote or in your
own words; see PPT for details).

D. Your essay must answer three broad questions (Where? Why [and how]? and, So what?) that
any geographically-based work must include.

E. Do not include the preparation (recipe) of your dish in your essay. This is irrelevant to the
purpose of this exercise, and will not be counted towards the minimum word requirement. A
10% discount in the final grade for this assignment will also apply.

F. Format your work following all technical aspects: 12-point font (Arial, Times New Roman,
Garamond, or Book Antiqua), one-inch margins all around, double-spaced, and, number the
pages. Not following this format will result in a 10% discount in the final grade for this
assignment.

*Note: In this section you will be evaluated in terms of the detail and thoroughness of the information
you provide, showing knowledge of the key definitions used by geographer when analyzing such topics.
This means that your analysis should be as descriptive and detailed as possible. Remember that this is a
geography exercise and spatial distribution should be highlighted in your analysis (essay).

Bibliography (5%)*:
This section can also be referred as References or Works Cited (use only one title) in your work.

A. Include on a separate page using one of the following titles only,
Bibliography/References/Works Cited, a full reference of all the works cited in your essay.

B. Include all the reference cited in the Bibliography/References/Works Cited in your Essay.

*Note: Missing to include either a) or b), or both in your work will lead to a 5% deduction in your final
grade of this assignment.

Individual Exercise:
The Geography of Food

Deconstructing a Dish: “Claimed”
country of origin & Ingredients

• In this exercise you will compose an essay based oa
traditional European dish.

• Only one student will be allowed to work on a particular
dish, so you must send me a message with the name of
the dish you wish to use to compose your exercise and the
Europe country where it originates.
• i.e., Shepard’s pie (Scotland)
• Moussaka (Greece)

• Assignments will be based on a first-come first-serve basis,
so it is a good idea if you send me more than one choice.

Deconstructing a Dish: “Claimed”
country of origin & Ingredients

• In this exercise you will compose an essay based o a traditional
European dish.

• Only one student will be allowed to work on a particular dish, so you
must send me a message with the name of the dish you wish to use to
compose your exercise and the Europe country where it originates.

• The title of your essay will be: “The Geography of _” (here
you will add the name of the dish you are using).

• Your essay must first describe the “claimed” area of origin of the dish.
– Many countries claim to be theplace where a dish originates; recipes are

not the same.
• Ceviche (lime-marinated raw seafood);
• Arroz con pollo (chicken andrice).

After selecting your dish…

• Enumerate all the ingredients that are includedin
your recipe.
– Your recipe must have 10 ingredients.

• If your dish does notinclude 10 ingredients, include some
sides (i.e., salad).

– Include the basic elements that make up your recipe
and, in parenthesis, its “form.” not any processedfood.
• Some examples:

– oil (i.e., olive, corn, etc.),
– sausages (i.e., beef, pork, turkey?),
– tomato (paste).

Area of Domestication

• Next, you will find the area where each of these
elements (ingredients) were domesticated.

• Note that most plants and animals that are used in
many recipes have been domesticated in faraway
regions where these recipes were developed.
– For example, although arroz con pollo is a local favorite

in some European and Latin American countries, chicken
were domesticated in Southeast Asia, garlic and cilantro
were domesticated in the Mediterranean region, and
introduced to the Americas after the arrival of the
European conquistadors.

Centers of Plant and Animal
Domestication

Source: Getis, A., Getis, J. and J. Fellmann. 2008. Introduction to geography. New York:
McGraw Hill.

Native/Indigenous Ingredients

• If your recipe include/s ingredient(s) that were
domesticated in the same region where yourdish is
original from, or it is harvested locally like a mineral
(i.e., salt) or a native plant or animal species that is
caught locally (i.e., fish, shellfish, etc.), these will be
referred to as “native” or“indigenous” ingredients.

• For example: if you are using an Italian or Greek
recipe, and it includes garlic, olives, grapes,these
will be noted in your tableas native/indigenous.
• You can also use the name of the region of domestication

(i.e., Mediterranean).

Ingredients not Listed in theMap?

• If some of the ingredients that are included in your
recipe are notlisted in this map, you can google it.

• However, I would highly recommend you to use the
following website develop by Purdue University:
(http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/)

• Here you can use their search engine to findthe
specific crops that you are looking for: (go to)
CropSearch.

http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/

http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/)

The Geography of Ceviche

• “Claimed”country of origin:

Peru

• Ingredients:
1. Fish/Shellfish
2. Salt
3. Chili pepper
4. Garlic
5. Cilantro
6. Lime
7. Black pepper
8. Onion
9. Corn
10. Sweet potato

Region of origin:?

Centers of Plant and Animal
Domestication
Source: Getis, A., Getis, J. and J. Fellmann. 2008. Introduction to geography. New York:
McGraw Hill.

Table (25% of your finalgrade)
The Geography of Ceviche

• “Claimed” country of origin: Peru

• Ingredients:
1. Fish/Shellfish
2. Salt
3. Chili pepper
4. Garlic
5. Cilantro
6. Lime
7.Black pepper
8.Onion
9. Corn
10. Sweet potato

Region of origin:
Native/Indigenous
Native/Indigenous
Meso-America
Mediterranean
Mediterranean
South and Southeast Asia
South and Southeast Asia
Southwest Asia
Meso-America
Meso-America

Basic Stats

• Ingredients (10) = 100%

• Native/Indigenous (2) = 20%
• Meso-America (3) = 30%
• Mediterranean (2) = 20%
• South and SE Asia (2) = 20%
• Southwest Asia (1) = 10%

Making your Map(25% of your
final grade)

Map Elements
• A) Title: “The Geography of Ceviche” (top center).
• B) Legend: in a box at the lower left (or right) corner.

– This must include all symbols used in the map (flow
lines/arrows using different colors for each region if you
wish).

• C) If the map you are using does not have thenames of
the regions were your ingredients originate, include
them in the map usinglabels.
• Your map must also include the shape of the regionsof

plant and animal domestication.
• D) Orientation arrow pointing tothe North (upper

right hand side).

Line Symbols
• Isoline maps

– Lines of constant value
• Flow-line maps

– Portray linear movement between places

Migration patterns
in the US in the 1950s.

Basic Stats

• Ingredients (8) = 100%
Legend

• Native/Indigenous (3) =
• Mediterranean (2) =
• South and SEAsia (2) =
• Southwest Asia (1) =

37.5%
25%
25%
12.5%

Note that the isolines used to represent the contribution of the Mediterranean and
South and SE Asia regions of domestication (2 ingredients each) are twice the size of
the one used to represent the contribution of SW Asia (1ingredients). Include each
symbol only once in your legend.

Don’t forget to include theseshapes
for the areas of domestication (see sample map)

Source: Getis, A., Getis, J. and J. Fellmann. 2008. Introduction to geography. New York:
McGraw Hill.

The Geography of Ceviche
Peru

Native Ingredients (2): 20%
1 Ingredient: 10%
2 Ingredients: 20%
3 Ingredients: 30%

N

M editerranean

SouthwestAsia

South and Southeast
Asia

Andean
Uplands

Meso-
America

Essay (45%) and Bibliography(5%)
• In this section you must de-construct and re-

construct all the elements (ingredients) that are
included in your dish, highlighting the area oforigin
of the ingredients, and the claimed area of origin of
the dish.

• This is an integral part of your work and must be as
detailed as

possible.

Remember that this is a
geography exercise and spatial distribution should
be highlighted in your analysis.

• Your essay must include comments of the number
of ingredients that can be considered native
(originated in the domestication region wherethe
“claimed” country of origin if this is the case) and
exotic (non-native/introduced species).

Essay (45%) and Bibliography(5%)
• In this section you will be evaluated in terms of the detail

and thoroughness of the informationyou provide. This
means that your analysis should be as descriptive and
detailed as possible.
– For example, you can start by making a basic statistical analysis

commenting the contribution of each region of domestication using
percentages.

• This essay should be at-least 800 words inlength.
• You must also demonstrate knowledge of the topic, usingkey

definitions, and include at-least one reference from our
course textbook and one additional reference (book or a
reputable website) that relates to your favorite dish (not
WIKIPEDIA!).
– This can include a source that describes the recipe you are using.

You must include this reference in a separate page
(Bibliography/Reference), making a full citation of thissource.

Suggested Structure of the Essay:
Questions that must be answered usinga

geographical perspective/analysis
• Any geographically-based essay must answer three broad

questions: Where? Why? (and how?), and, So what? (or, why is
this important?).

• For example:

– Where is the center of domestication of the plants and animals included
in your recipe?

– Why (and how) were these (plants and animals) ingredientsintroduced
to the region where these recipes weredeveloped?

– The “So what?” (or, in other words, “why is this important?”) question
is an overview of the principle elements of your recipe and must include
a conclusion’s paragraph of your analysis.

Structure of the Essay:
Introduction

• Introduce the topic of globalization in the context of this assignment, using key
definitions:

– Food as an indicator of cultural identity (ethnic, national, regional, etc.).

– Globalization (why your dish is or is not a good example of globalization?).

– Cultural Diffusion:

• Expansion Diffusion (i.e., The Agriculture Revolution; ingredients introduce
from nearby regions of domestication).

• Relocation Diffusion (i.e., the Age of Discovery and Colonization, the Slave
Trade, The Columbian Exchange; ingredients introduced from far away
locations – i.e., Andean Uplands or Meso-American ingredients used in
European dishes).

– Acculturation/Cultural Hybridization (i.e., the use of chili peppers (Meso-American) in
some European dishes.

Structure of the Essay:
Description and Analysis

Conclusions
• Describe the origin (region of domestication) of the ingredients included in

your recipe
– Answer here the Where question (how many ingredients are considered

native? how many are introduced –exotic? What is the relative contributionof
each region of domestication to the make-up of your dish?).

• Analyze how the exotic (non-native) ingredients were introduce to the
region/country of origin of your dish, answering the Why and How
questions.
– Show knowledge of the terms cultural diffusion by stating which ingredients

were introduced by expansion diffusion? which were introduced byrelocation
diffusion? [ingredients domesticated in the Americas and used in European
dishes are examples of relocation diffusion and its most salient example: The
Columbian Exchange).

• Conclusions: Answer the question, “Why is your dish a good exampleof
globalization (or not)?” (So what? or, why is this important?).

• Do not include the preparation
(recipe) of your dish in youressay.

• This is irrelevant to the purposeof
this exercise.

• Works that include this information
will receive a 10-point discount.

Key Definitions:
Mobility: Expansion and RelocationDiffusion
�Relocation diffusion occurs when individuals migrate to far awaylocations

carrying new ideas, materials (i.e., plant and animals), or practices with
them. Expansion diffusion correspond to nearby locations (i.e.,
introduction of plants of animals to Europe from Southwest Asia or
Mediterranean ingredients to northern Europe).

A prime example of relocation diffusion is the migration of Christianity with
European settlers who came to America, or the introduction of plants and animals.
In this last case we are referring to the Columbian Exchange (a prime example of

relocation diffusion).

M obility
• Types of diffusion:

–Relocation;
–Expansion:

• Contagious;
• Hierarchical;
• Stimulus.

Key Definitions and Example:
Relocation Diffusion: The Columbian Exchange

• The arrival of Europeans to the Americas brought two worlds
previously isolated into contact.

• This led to environmental changes thattransformed the
peoples, economies, and landscapes of both continents.

• The “Columbian Exchange” resulted from the introduction of
“exotic biological material” from both sides ofthe Atlantic.

• The exchange of plants is the most widespread and long-
lasting impact of the “exchange”, affecting peoples and
landscapes around the world (i.e., potatoes,manioc/cassava,
corn, tomatoes, chilies, chocolate, tobacco).

Transported European Landscape

• Spaniards introduced
horses, pigs, cattle, sheep,
wheat, barely, olives, and
grapes transforming the
Latin American and
Caribbean landscapes.
– Sugarcane!

• The two systems merged
and altered each other in
different ways, changing
the economic culture of
both groups.

Bibliography (5%)
• You must include at-least one pertinentreference

in your essay portion making anotation.
– i.e., Quotation: “This dish defines what it means to be a

true Cuban citizen” (Castro 2013: 55).
– i.e., In your own words: According to some authors,this

dish defines citizenship in Cuban culture (Castro 2013).
• You must also include a full reference of this source

in a separate page (Bibliography/References).
– i.e., Castro, F. 2013. Ropa vieja: The true story. La

Habana, Cuba: Fidelius Press.

Technical Aspects
• Your paper must conform to thefollowing

formatting:
• 12-point font (Arial, Times NewRoman,

Garamond, or BookAntiqua),
• One-inch margins all around,
• Double-spaced, and,
• Number the pages.
• Any exercise that does not follow this

format will receive a 10-pointdiscount
in the final grade for thisassignment.

The Checklist (Rubric)
• In the course website you will find in the

Individual Exercise section four items:
– The Instructions (word document).
– This presentation (PPT).
– The Checklist (Rubric).
– The Turnitin.com icon where you will upload your

work.
• The checklist (rubric) provides detail information

about the requirements of each section and their
weights.
– Before submitting your work, go through this list to

make sure your work is complete.

Final Details
• The deadline to submit this assignment to Turnitin.com is Saturday,

February 22.

• You must upload your work using the Turnitin.com link located inthe
Assignment Dropbox section of the coursewebpage.

• Your answer must be your own, original thoughts. If you plagiarize
your thoughts from a website, journal, or any other source, not only
you will be sad because you cannot write the small number of words of
your own, but because you will earn a failing grade in the class.

• LATE WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED BUT WILL RECEIVE A 10-POINT
DISCOUNT FOR EACH WEEK IT IS LATE. The weekly point-deductionwill
be applied starting on the next day afterthe deadline. NO LATE WORK
WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER TWO WEEKS OF THE DUE DATE (Saturday,
March 7).

• Please send me a message as soon as
possible with your selections, which must
include the name of the dish and the country
of origin.

• Remember, only one person will beallowed
to use a dish to compose their exercise.

Questions?
Send me a message as soonas

possible.

DISH ASSIGNMENT

You have been officially assigned to research Risotto (Italy) to compose your Individual Exercise. I also wanted to bring to your attention that, if you take a close look at the map Centers of Domestication included in the Instructions file, you will see that Italy is located within the Mediterranean region of domestication. For this reason, any ingredient included in your recipe that was domesticated here will be cited in your table using only one of the following term: either Native or Mediterranean -this includes salt. Furthermore, any ingredient domesticated in SW Asia (i.e., onions) will be examples of expansion diffusion, while all others (i.e., pork from South and Southeast Asia) will be considered examples of relocation diffusion.
While writing your essay always bare in mind how globalization has impacted the Italian culture. I mention this detail since this dish is an expression of this culture and a significant number of the ingredients included in your recipe were domesticated outside the Mediterranean.
By the way, in case your dish does not include the minimum number of ingredients (10) to complete this assignment, you may need to add sides that are usually served with this dish (i.e., a salad – lettuce, onions, etc.).
Finally, please remember that, any plant or animal by-product that is included in your dish (i.e., cheese, bacon, etc.), this/these must b ne cited in your table by including first the source (animal/plant), followed by the name of the ingredient. For example, cattle (cheese, milk), pork (bacon). These (several cheeses included in your recipe with the same origin – pork) will count for one ingredient only in your table.