Paying attention to proportions is very important when following a gastronomic recipe.
In order to find the etymological origin of the term proportion, we have to “go” to Latin. And it derives from the word “proportio”, about which there are various theories. Thus, there are those who consider that it is the result of the sum of the prefix “pro-” (forward) and the noun “portio” (portion), while there are those who believe that it directly emanates from the phrase “pro portione”. This means “according to each one's part.”
Proportion is a term that comes from the Latin word proportĭo . It is about the correspondence , balance or symmetry that exists between the components of a whole . The proportion can be calculated between the elements and the whole or between the elements themselves.
For example: “To prepare this cocktail, you must use cognac and rum in a proportion of two to one: for every two measures of cognac, add one of rum” , “The proportion of unemployed neighbors is increasingly higher” , “The authorities They announced that the proportion of retirees who are taking classes in various subjects in public centers has increased .
Proportion in mathematics
If the issue is analyzed from a mathematical perspective, it can be indicated that the proportion implies an equality that exists between two ratios . Proportions are usually written as fractions : this way, by cross-multiplying, you can set up an equation and know the different proportions.
Let's take a specific case. One recipe indicates that, to prepare a dough, it is necessary to use one cup of water for every four cups of wheat flour . If we have sixteen cups of flour, how many cups of water should we use?
The proportion would be the following:
Wheat flour / water = wheat flour / water
4 cups of wheat flour / 1 cup of water = 16 cups of wheat flour / x cups of water
4x cups of water = 16 cups of wheat flour
x = 16 / 4
x = 4
To use sixteen cups of wheat flour in the recipe, therefore, you will have to use 4 cups of water since that is the correct proportion.
Image inspired by "The Vitruvian Man", a drawing in which Leonardo Da Vinci studies the proportions of the human body.
Da Vinci and the “Vitruvian Man”
One of the artistic works that has become one of the most recognized and valuable in history and that precisely revolves around the proportion of the human body is the so-called “Vitruvian Man”. It is a drawing made in 1490 by Leonardo da Vinci, which is the result of the study and analysis that he is carrying out of the human body. Thus, this document is made up of the figure of a gentleman, with his arms and legs open, inside a circle and this in turn inside the square.
The annotations of the aforementioned artist, who was based on certain studies carried out by Vitruvius (architect of Ancient Rome, are those that appear around that drawing, with which he carried out certain considerations about proportions such as these:
-From the beginning of the knee to the beginning of the pelvis, the measurement will be identical to that of the torso.
-The beginning of what the genitals are is what determines the half of the man.
-From the tip of the fingers to the center of the chest, it is the same length as the entire leg.
Proportion, finally, can be used with reference to the dimension , size or impact of something: “It was a scandal of immense proportions.”