Biscuit, Pork, and Ceviche: Trans-Pacific Supply and Culinary Exchanges on the Manila Galleon (1565-1815)

• In Event: Re-Imagining Colonial Latin American History through Trans-Pacific Spaces

Abstract

For 250 years, the exchanges that took place between the American territories of the Viceroyalty of New Spain and Asia through the Manila Galleons substantially shaped cultural manifestations of every sort on both sides of the Pacific. These included the culinary traditions of colonial Mexico and the Philippines. This paper analyzes these forms of Trans-Pacific cultural exchanges. Firstly, the paper discusses the logistics of food involved in the proper functioning of the trade route and how they impacted the production and distribution of edible supplies on both ends of the Trans-Pacific link. The vessels that braved the perilous journey from Acapulco to Manila needed to be well supplied to endure the many months at sea. Unsurprisingly for such a long journey, scurvy became a real problem, and various foods were experimented upon to remedy the malady. Secondly, the paper explores evidence for early importation of Asian cultivars to New Spain and relates it to the phenomenon of Asian migration from 1565-1815, as Filipino traditions of alcohol distillation and seafood preparation took root in the Mexican-Pacific coast. Thirdly, the paper addresses the heritage of Trans-Pacific culinary exchanges in Mexican culture today and analyzes how they made their way into the representations of "Mexicaness" of food. In bringing these three themes together, ultimately, the purpose of this research is to analyze how Trans-Pacific encounters shaped ethnicity and identity in colonial Mexico and underscore the emergence of truly global exchange networks as catalysts for these transformations.

Author

• Rubén Carrillo