Preparation of Dough, Tomb of Rehkmire

Information design in Ancient Egypt can be found through hieroglyphs and pictorial paintings. In this example we see two workers blending a mixture of tiger nuts (hab al-‘aziz) and honey to make cakes. This image was painted on the wall of Rekhmire’s tomb and further depicts the preparation of a popular nut cake dish. 

The painting serves as a symbol of royalty, as food scenes often were painted in the tombs of the wealthy. They also serve as a way for the deceased to carry that food in the afterlife. For the living, these walls serve as a way for people to recognize the deceased, identify their status, and replicate these dishes for other offerings. Tiger nuts were also only used for special occasions and were seen as a high-status symbol, further showing Rekhimre’s importance. This recipe depicts servants combining tiger nuts (hab al-‘aziz) and honey into cone-shaped loaves. These cakes were offered to the sun god Amun on behalf of Rekhmire. The images themselves also display Egyptian class structure as we see the servants preparing and serving the food as an offering to a noble.

Historically, information design such as this food recipe serves as a way for historians to understand Ancient Egyptian life and culinary practices. While also being able to recognize class differences and the importance of offerings such as this tiger nut cake.

Contextual Information provided by [Atlas Obscura] at https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/ancient-egyptian-recipes