Mathematics in the Preparation and Sale of Colombian Rice Pies and Its Potential Contribution to Mathematics Education

Abstract

Background: The pastel de arroz [rice pie] is part of the traditional foods of the Colombian coast. Its preparation and sale encompass various unconventional mathematical processes. At this point, ethnomathematics allows the study of such processes without separating them from the social and cultural environment where they are employed. Objective: To study the mathematical processes involved in preparing and selling rice pies from an ethnomathematical perspective. Design: A qualitative methodology was applied for this purpose through an ethnographic approach. Setting and participants: Two cooks who are experts in making rice pies and are recognised for their work participated in the study. Data collection and analysis: Semi-structured interviews and participant observation were used as data collection methods, and electronic devices were also used to collect audiovisual material. The analysis of the information was categorical. Results: Among the main results, measurement processes, the use of non-conventional measurement units, and the use of mathematical processes, such as groping and the simple rule of three, for determining the quantities of ingredients and the price of the pies are identified. Conclusions: The stages of the preparation of the rice pies and the mathematical processes that are implicitly developed in them are exposed, and the importance of the connections of the results with topics related to school mathematics education and its potential contribution to this field is raised.