Raleigh has been credited with bringing potatoes and tobacco back to Britain, although both of these were already known via the Spanish. Raleigh did help to make smoking popular at court. Raleigh first came to the attention of Elizabeth I in 1580, when he went to Ireland to help suppress an uprising in Munster.
Who brought the potato into England?
English explorer Sir Francis Drake discovered potatoes during his first, and the world's second-ever, circumnavigation of the world in the late 16th century in Latin America. He brought them back to England and they have been a mainstay in British diets ever since.
Where did Sir Walter Raleigh bring potatoes from?
Potatoes were first grown on Raleigh's estates in Ireland, and he has been credited with bringing potatoes and tobacco to Britain. He also popularised smoking at court.
Where did England get potatoes from?
The potato arrived in England from Virginia, brought here by the colonists sent there in 1584 by Sir Walter Raleigh. They arrived back here in 1586 and Joseph Banks says that they probably brought the potato with them.
Who introduced potatoes to Europe?
Basque fishermen from Spain used potatoes as ships' stores for their voyages across the Atlantic in the 16th century, and introduced the tuber to western Ireland, where they landed to dry their cod.
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