When Hunger and Abundance Meet

When Hunger and Abundance Meet
The permanent exhibition When Hunger and Abundance Meet presents food culture from the eighteenth to the mid-twentieth century, a period which saw significant changes in eating habits as a result of a cultural change in attitudes towards food that occurred in the first half of the twentieth century.
Food is essentially a cultural phenomenon, which is why the diet of previous periods is treated as an important part of cultural heritage. Diet, eating habits and the rules associated with them reflect the status of a specific social group at a specific point in time: its wealth or poverty, its privileged or unprivileged status, its abundance or hunger. The upper classes were also privileged as regards eating habits; there were great differences particularly in the quantity of food and methods of preparation, and in the possession and use of tableware and cutlery. This is demonstrated by the surviving kitchenware and tableware of various origins (including the most prestigious manufacturers) with which the homes of the inhabitants of coastal towns were equipped.
The exhibition is divided into three sections: food storage items, food preparation items and tableware. It is complemented by an educational corner called “Bepo and Juća’s Inn” and a web application called “Little Table, Set Thyself!”