Ceramic Analysis Shows Social Inequality in 19th-Century Brazilian Diet

A molecular analysis of over 180 ceramic vessels from Brazil's Babitonga Bay has revealed that diets in the late 19th and early 20th centuries varied sharply according to social status and ethnic origin, reflecting deep societal divides Source: infobae, lavanguardia. Hand-molded pottery linked to indigenous, Afro-descendant, and Luso-Brazilian communities contained higher amounts of marine resources such as fish and shellfish, along with maize. In contrast, wheel-made pottery used mainly by German immigrants showed a predominance of terrestrial products like meat and dairy Source: lavanguardia.

Diet and social divide

The study, published in Royal Society Open Science and led by researchers from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, employed molecular archaeology to analyze lipids and proteins preserved in the ceramics. Key findings include:

• Marine resources and maize were common in hand-made vessels associated with lower-income communities Source: infobae.
• Wheel-made vessels from German settlers contained more meat, dairy, and cultivated plants Source: lavanguardia.
• Specific foods identified include fish from the Sciaenidae family, chicken eggs, corn, rice, cassava, beans, fruits, vegetables, and animal fats Source: infobae, lavanguardia.

"Brasil es un país multicultural y étnicamente diverso, moldeado por una compleja historia de colonización, migración, esclavitud e intensificación económica," the authors note Source: infobae. Researcher André Colonese added, "Los restos conservados muestran que la alimentación cotidiana reflejaba las profundas diferencias sociales y culturales que caracterizaban al Brasil de finales del siglo XIX" .