RICE · THE FORM
A broken grain.
Senegal’s UNESCO record describes Ceebu Jën with broken rice. Broken refers to the kernel’s physical form, not a separate species.
Explore rice
THE CONNECTIONS 04 / 04
A SHORT STORY ABOUT MAKING
A grain becomes
a meal.
Rice and maize. Three dishes shaped by technique and tradition.
EXPLORE THE CONNECTIONThe grain is
only the beginning.
A kernel can stay whole, break or become dough. Its form meets a cooking method—and a particular food tradition.
LOOK ACROSS THE COLLECTION
Three ways
to make a meal.
Choose a dish to connect the grain with the work around it.
SENEGAL / Rice, fish and shared knowledge
CEEBU JËN · THE MEAL
More than a method.
UNESCO recognises the dish and the knowledge around it. This exhibition’s selected cooking recipe uses basmati; the distinction stays visible.
Enter Ceebu JënVALENCIA / A grain in a wide pan
RICE · THE CHOICE
Short grain, chosen.
The regional recipe explored here specifies Valencia DOP rice. Variety and method belong together in this particular preparation.
Follow the grainPAELLA VALENCIANA · THE MEAL
A shallow pan.
Rice cooks with the broth in the selected Valencian recipe, alongside chicken, rabbit, beans and saffron. The pan gives the preparation its shape.
Enter paella valencianaMEXICO / From kernel to masa to parcel
MAIZE · THE TRANSFORMATION
A grain becomes dough.
Nixtamalization treats maize in an alkaline liquid before grinding into masa. The selected tamal recipe begins with rehydrated masa harina.
Explore maizeTAMALES · THE MEAL
Wrap. Then steam.
Mely Martínez’s red pork tamales bring dough and filling together inside corn husks. The wrapping holds the next transformation.
Enter tamalesThe story & its sources
These are three attributed preparations, not an account of all rice or maize traditions. The linked exhibitions retain their regional and recipe context.
