ABSTRACT
The early modern period has often been characterized as an era of profound intellectual upheaval connected to the scientific revolution in astronomy and physics. Nevertheless, the scientific revolution in astronomy and physics had little influence on the lives of the vast majority of early modern Europeans. From an early modern point of view, the upheavals of the times concerned other things: the opening up of regular contacts between faraway continents was what truly exposed Europeans to the notion that they did not occupy the centre of the world. The chapter examines in some detail the late Renaissance botanical scholarship, exotic botanicals in the age of exploration and their consumption.
