Frida Kahlo is known as a painter. You, the Mexican with the monobrow and the eccentric demeanor. Frida Kahlo is world famous. However, they tend not to be associated with cooking. She is said to have won the heart of her husband, the painter Diego Rivera, through an invitation to dinner, writes Gabriela Castellanos in her new cookbook “Visiting Frida Kahlo“.
Kahlo was probably not particularly good at cooking, but she did appreciate the cuisine – two cooks later took over the preparation for her. However, the painter obtained the ingredients herself from the markets, and she was also responsible for selecting the dishes. She found many of them in one of her mother’s cookbooks. Tradition, also in the kitchen, was very important at Kahlo. One of her favorite dishes: mole with duck.
In the Kahlo and Rivera home, “La Casa Azul,” one thing was never in short supply. “There was never a shortage of tortillas at home as long as they lived,” says Castellano. Tortillas are an integral part of Mexican cuisine and accompany almost every dish. They are the vehicle for eating, replacing cutlery. Rivera didn’t know what to do with a knife and fork, it was too “bourgeois” for him. An exception was only made for guests. And they weren’t uncommon for the artist couple, whether it was the neighbors or the Rockefellers.
Mexican food is shared
The Russian revolutionary and communist Leon Trotsky was a frequent visitor to the artist couple. Rumor has it that Kahlo even had an affair with Trotsky. That cannot be ruled out. Both she and Rivera lived a kind of open marriage with many liaisons. Even if Kahlo’s cooking skills are not exactly legendary, the gatherings in the artists’ house are. The painter is said to have been an excellent hostess. We ate at the big table, the dishes were placed in the middle, so that everyone could take as much as they wanted. Sharing was the motto.
Gabriela Castellano gives an idea of what was served there in her new cookbook, which is full of authentic Mexican dishes inspired by Frida Kahlo. We present four of these recipes in the photo gallery above.
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