Arrieta's dining room paintings

Have you ever wondered if we eat the same as our great-grandparents or great-great-grandparents? A reference to find out are the dining room paintings by Tlaxcalan painter José Agustín Arrieta.

José Agustín Arrieta's dining room paintings portrayed the tables of the families who commissioned them, emphasizing the abundance of ingredients, as well as the tableware and silverware.

The works reveal the most consumed products in Puebla and Tlaxcala. Thus, fruits and vegetables harvested in different seasons appear, such as peaches and pears that were consumed in Puebla during October.

From the type of objects depicted, it has been inferred that they could also represent food consumed in different seasons of the year. A can of sardines could allude to winter.

Chocolate was consumed hot and foamed in clay pitchers with a frother. It was served in porcelain, which better conserved the temperature. The custom of soaking wheat, corn and butter-based dough was inherited from New Spain.

These paintings featured dishes, tools and utensils, such as cups, plates, mugs, pots and bottles, among others.

In 2010, Mexican cuisine was nominated as an Intangible Cultural Heritage by the United Nations Education, Science and Culture Organization (UNESCO).

José Agustín Arrieta's art inspired the authors of the following generations, such as Roberto Montenegro, Ángel Zárraga, Adolfo Best Maugard, Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo.

Now that you've seen the ingredients and utensils that were on the Mexican tables of the 19th century, do you recognize any? <br>Which are used where you live?