[ksen]

No, it's plain ordinary tobacco. No explanation of why tobacco - or potatoes! - are in proto-Europe thousands of years ago, though.

They may be "proto-", but they're a hip "proto-", after all you can't be hip without potatoes.

Are potatoes a recent invention?

-Kevin

[JenB]

They were imported to Europe from the New World sometime after Columbus showed up. They took very well to the climate; after all, when the potato blight showed up, millions of Irish starved to death. Now that's a staple crop!

But no, there were no potatoes, tomatoes, tobacco, or even chocolate around all those years ago, unless the Elves had them and took them back to Valinor with them...

[Overtaxed]

Are potatoes a recent invention?

Potatoes are native to the New World...maybe the Elves brought them.