But where they common in ancient times? Or are they things like tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, corn, chocolate, etc. that were introduced after Columbus?
Actually, I was going to point out that growing up I'd eat the nuts extracted from the cone of the Araucaria tree, which - depending on shape and how ripe they are - could look remarkably like a green pineapple [1].
... but that introduces another issue, because I grew up eating those in South America and it turns out the tree originates in Australia. But it's not unthinkable that a similar pine cone could be found in Europe (and the vast Roman Empire of the time).
You wait for them to open and eat the seeds or nuts as some people call them. These particular pinecones dont grow in the north, so they are supposed to be some sort of delicacy.
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