Food is a source of life. It is no surprise that throughout time, eating habits have changed and adapted. Fortunately, a lot of these habits can be traced back through for example documentation, or, art. Paintings once served the function photography now has -- to capture. The Centraal Museum in Utrecht has a big part of her collection online. A splendid opportunity to see what food related paintings they have in their collection.

Bron: Centraal Museum

Perhaps one of Utrechts’ most iconic characters: Nijntje. First brought to life by Dick Bruna in 1955, the little bunny has found its way into the childhoods of many. But, Nijntje is no regular bunny as we should know -- she eats her food from her plate, like a normal person would. The Centraal Museum has a lot of Bruna’s work in its collection. This image is a still from a book called Nijntje’s letter. It amplifies the relation between humans and food - even in a children's book, where food is no necessity for survival, it is portrayed because for humans it is an essential part of life. It looks as though Nijntje will eat some tasty peas with carrots, accompanied by a lovely slice of bread. Maybe Bruna wanted to set an example for all children -- enjoy your meals kids, Nijntje sure does.