Imagine a world without chocolate or vanilla, Italian food without tomatoes, Ireland without the potato, Hungary without paprika, and the world's cuisines with no corn, peanuts, chile peppers, true beans, avocados, squash, and a host of fruits including pineapple, and much more. That world is the Old World diet, based around cereal grains and starches along with meats and dairy products. The food crops of the New World transformed Europe, Asia, and Africa. The diets of many people improved, and whole regions were better able to support a larger population. Many scholars believe that these foods, as well as the gold, silver, tobacco, and tropical products (including Old World sugar grown in the Americas) played a significant role in industrialization.