The photography exhibition, Seeds of Identity–31 Foods Mexico Gave the World, describes the flora of Mexico and why we owe our sustenance to it. lensmen Ariadna Cuadriello and Juan Pablo Cardona share their experiences with Angela Paljor
What was the inspiration behind putting together such an unconventional photo essay IJ
Editorial Artes de México wanted us to portray the 31 ingredients that Mexico gave the world. We were very excited about the process right from the start as it gave us the opportunity to represent our food culture through artistic photography. We travelled through the countryside, relearnt the flora and seeds that we had never seen before and engaged directly with the farmers. It was a multi-sensory and immersive discovery.
Tell us about the cultural heritage associated with Mexican FoodIJ
Due to its climate and territoriality, Mexico has a great diversity of flora that combines traditions, history, mestizaje (inter-breeding of people considered to be of different races) and gastronomy. It is culturally rich in flavours and colours that provide ingredients of great culinary value and are esential basics of the gastronomy of several countries.
How much time did the assignment takeIJ
The project started a year ago. During the first six months we took numerous photographs in agricultural fields, markets, towns, roads and houses. We used the last two months for editing, selection and printing of photographs. It gives us a great sense of satisfaction to see what our photographs are able to deliver.
What are the various ingredients that are being exhibitedIJ
There are 31 photographs representing the ingredients: nopal, avocado, peanut, vanilla, zucchini, yucca, capulin, pitaya, pitahaya, chicozapote, guanabana, cherimoya, epazote, nanche, pumpkin, maguey, turkey, jicama, chayote, amaranth, escamoles, mamey, sweet potatoes, cacao, chilli and tomatoes.
Do you see any commonalities with Indian cuisine in terms of spices or floraIJ
Yes, There are many similarities between both countries, especially in the use of spice. For Mexicans and Indians, food does not have the same meaning without the chilli that is of Mexican origin and is believed to have come to India through the Philippines. Chilli is an important ingredient in Indian curries and masalas. In both cultures, the food is exceptional and cook is perceived as an artform. The recipes which are passed down from generation to generation are considered a part of both our histories.
Any anecdote that you may want to recountIJ
We arrived at a small town in the state of Veracruz called Misantla. We had watched a documentary which said that vanilla was discovered here. So we entered the jungle to learn the process of planting and drying and we had a very productive day. We were enthusiastic about the photographs we got but little did we know that we would get a disease transmitted by the mosquitoes called chikungunya. It caused high fever and body pain. Fortunately the symptoms appeared at the end of the trip and disrupted our schedule by three days.
The vanilla vine is an orchid which is indigenous to southeastern Mexico. Dating back to Cortez’s conquest of the Aztec Kingdom in 1519, it is one of the most ancient flavours. Many people have tried to re-locate the vanilla plant but initially failed because those locations did not have the Melipone bee endemic to this country. In other parts of the world, humans must hand-pollinate the vanilla vines. A stick, the size of a toothpick is used to hand-pollinate the vanilla beans. It is possible to grow the same vanilla vine in Madagascar, Indonesia, Tahiti, Papua New Guinea and India, but all five cured beans have their own distinctive flavour due to differing soil and climate conditions.
Vanilla is an orchid, and one of the few that produces fruit. The flower blooms for 24 hours, and must be pollinated or dies. Vanilla is extracted from the cured pods (beans). When the beans are harvested, they are treated with hot water or heat and are then placed in the sun every day for weeks to months until they have shrunk to 20 per cent of their original size.
On a personal note, how has the whole experience beenIJ
We have a great personal and professional satisfaction with the scope of the exhibition and are happy to transmit our food culture to other countries through our photographs.