Jean-Baptiste Debret (1768-1848) A Brazilian dinner, 1827. Watercolor, 15,7 x 21,9 cmMuseus Castro Maya, Rio deJaneiro IBRAM MinCA Brazilian DinnerPaulo SeidlUniversite Francois RabelaisAbstractThe watercolor ABrazilian dinner painted by Jean-Baptiste Debret and the homologous textthe artist has written provide substantial information on the eating habits andtable manners of upper class Brazilians in the 19th century. Amongthem, the type of food they ate indicates a large amount of meat, the presenceof manioc meal on the table, and the lack of rice as a staple side dish. Also,it confirms the Caucasian, African, and Indigenous influences of Braziliancuisine. ResumoA aquarela Um jantar brasileiro de Jean-Baptiste Debret e o texto homologo que escreveu forneceram diversas informacoes sobre os habitos alimentares e as maneiras a mesa da classe alta brasileira no seculo XIX. Entre essas, o tipo de comida que comiam revela uma grande quantidade de carne, a presenca da farinha de mandioca na mesa, e a ausencia de arroz como alimento basico. Alem disso, confirma as influencias europeias, africanas e indigenas da cozinha brasileira.1. IntroductionThe objective of this short article is to provide insighton Brazilian eating habits and table manners in the 19th century, inlight of the analysis of the watercolor ABrazilian Dinner by Jean-Baptiste Debret, who lived in Brazil between 1817and 1831. This was a critical historical time for Brazil, when a number ofimportant historical events took place and marked the birth of a nation.Debret was a keen observer of Brazilian society. Hewas particularly interested on street scenes, food trade, and people of allwalks of life, including enslaved black people, who were the object of a greatmany art works he produced during his long stay in the tropics (Straumann, 2002).Upon his return in France, he wrote Voyagepittoresque et historique au Bresil, which was published in 1834 (volume I)and 1839 (volume II). In his book, extremely detailed information is given oneach of his paintings, adding a substantial surplus to the already richcollection of information he had left by means of his paintings.The watercolor ABrazilian Dinner is among those commented works. It stands out as a uniquepiece, as most of his works depict the underprivileged class and popularevents. Instead, the Brazilian Dinnerportrays a wealthy family, but at the same time provides paramount input forthe study of eating habits of a society at its wake.2. Brazilian society in the 19th centuryDebret painted the BrazilianDinner in 1827, when theindependence of the country had been proclaimed only five years before. Rio deJaneiro was a bustling city at that time, with an estimated population of500,000 inhabitants (Gomes, 2007). Slavery was still legal, and Africansdominated the street scenes because they were in charge of supplying thehousehold of their masters with food, water, charcoal, and other basic needs ofthe carioca families. As a result,slaves were a very common site on the streets, shops, and markets.Most families, regardless of their economic status,had at least one slave in the household. Wealthy families, naturally, had more than one and it was customary formasters to send their slaves to the street to sell food in order to supplementthe domestic income. Freed men equally carried out these tasks. Life