Today the table setting has its own vocabulary. There are many words which are not very clear to many of us. Let’s look at the basics of the table vocabulary.
Afternoon tea is a British food tradition of sitting down for an afternoon treat of tea served with sandwiches, scones and cake. Afternoon tea is served around 4 p.m. It is also called ‘low tea’ since it was enjoyed on low tables with comfortable chairs and sofas in the drawing room.
Afternoon tea was never meant to replace dinner but rather to fill in the long gap between lunch and dinner at a time when dinner was served as late as 8 p.m. Lifestyles have changed since those times and afternoon tea is now a treat, rather than a stop-gap.
Breakfast is the first meal of a day. The word ‘breakfast’ is derived from the phrase ‘breaking the fast’. We fast while we sleep and breaking that fast should make breakfast the most joyful meal of the day, as we have lived through the night and are beginning a new day.
Brunch is a meal usually taken late in the morning which combines breakfast and lunch. The very word “brunch,” a portmanteau of the words breakfast and lunch was first used in the print in 1895 by British writer Guy Beringer. He wrote that it was a Sunday meal that was lighter than the typically heavy, traditional Sunday supper. ”Brunch is cheerful, sociable and inciting,” Beringer said. ”It’s talk-compelling. It puts you in a good temper, it makes you satisfied with yourself and your fellow beings, it sweeps away the worries and cobwebs of the week.” It is believed that the first brunches have been England’s hunt breakfasts, which were a feast of meats hunted that day, along with eggs, stews, fruits and sweets. Some believe that it was the Catholics who first enjoyed a late-morning brunch, a result of their early-morning pre-church fasting.
Cutlery are eating utensils with the sharp edges such as steak knives.
Prehistoric implements used for cutting, hunting, and defense were fashioned from stone, especially flint; from obsidian, a volcanic glass; and from bones and shells. Cutting edges were formed by rubbing the implement in the hollow of a stone, a method still employed by aborigines of central Brazil, Australia and New Guinea. By 1500 BCE bronze cutting implements were being used from the British Isles to China.
The Egyptians fashioned cutting implements from flints chipped to form serrated edges and then glued into slots in wood that had been appropriately shaped for the intended purpose. Knives served mainly for hunting and as weapons, but the wealthy used small ornamental eating knives. The Greeks produced bronze knives, and the Romans spread blade-making techniques throughout the Mediterranean and Europe. As in Egypt, small ornamental eating knives were used by the wealthy. Steel-bladed eating knives dating from the Roman period have been found in Italy and Britain.
Dinner is the main meal of the day, usually the meal eaten in the evening but sometimes, in Britain, the meal eaten in the middle of the day. Dinner is derived from the verb to dine, originating from joining a couple of Latin words.
Dinnerware is a collective term for plates, bowls, cups and saucers.
Etiquette , the word etiquette itself originates from the French estiquette –“to attach or stick”. The modern understanding of the word can be linked to the Court of the French King Louis XIV, who used small placards called etiquettes, as a reminder to courtiers of accepted ‘house rules’ such as not walking through certain areas of the palace gardens.
Flatware are spoons, forks, and serving utensils used at the table. The term flatware was introduced toward the end of the 19th century. Strictly speaking, it excludes knives, which are classified as cutlery.
Formal dinner is one of the strict protocol, dinner which is reserved for ceremonial occasions, such as diplomatic affairs, weddings, anniversary parties, corporate banquets, fundraisers and catered events. (minimum of four courses but usually five, six, seven or more courses served)
Glassware are non-stemmed drinking vessels such as glasses and tumblers, as well as glass plates, bowls and cups.
High tea is a light meal composed of three course of tea sandwiches and savories, followed by scones with clotted cream and jam, and ending with sweet pastries. The expression ‘high tea’ is attributed to the XIX century English Midlands, an industrial area. With the Industrial Revolution a century earlier, stores became open until 8-9 p.m. to accommodate the needs of late-shopping workers.
Dinner was served after the shops were closed. Workers took tea around 6 p.m., a time numerically ‘high’ in the day. Today high tea is served later than afternoon tea, around 5 p.m.
Holloware is a serve ware with height and depth that is hollow in the center like water pitcher or coffeepot.
Implement is a tool, utensil, or other piece of equipment that is used for a particular purpose.
Informal dinner is a simple two-to-four-course meal in an informal relaxed atmosphere usually cooked by the host and served unassisted.
Lunch is a meal eaten in the middle of the day (second meal of the day), the one which is typically lighter than the evening meal.
Order of precedence is a sequential hierarchy of nominal importance and can be applied to individuals, groups, or organizations. Most often it is used in the context of people by many organizations and governments, for very formal and state occasions, especially where diplomats are present.
Place Setting is the place on the table where the dinnerware, glassware and flatware are placed. Place setting is a table service for one person; ‘a place setting if sterling flatware”
Serveware is a utility ware used to serve a meal. ‘Serveware’ comes from the Latin – servire, “to serve,” and the Anglo-Saxon waru, meaning “special merchandise.” It is a collective term for bowls, compotes, bowls, platters, beverage pots, salt cellars and salt shakers, pepper shakers and pepper mills, sauceboats and gravy boats, salvers, trays, and tureens.
Silverware is a flatware made of or coated with silver, or made of a material resembling silver.
Stemware is a glass with a bowl that rests on a stem anchored by a foot like a long-stem wine glass
Suite is a tableware which matches such as dinnerware, flatware and stemware ornamented with the same motif.
Table linens are fabric items used at mealtimes such as tablecloths and napkins. They are essential addition to most dining rooms or outdoor eateries, table linens help to convey the theme and level of service in your establishment, while also offering a pop of color and protection for your table.
Table service is a tableware consisting of a complete set of articles (silver or dishware) to be used at the table. Dinner service is a table service for serving dinner
Tea service is a set of small plates, cups, etc with a matching design for serving tea and some food such as cakes and sandwiches.
Tableware is a collective term for flatware, dinnerware and glassware, the ware from which food is taken Tableware are utensils used at the table for holding, serving, and handling food and drink. Tableware includes various types of containers (known as hollowware) spoons and forks (flatware), knives (cutlery), and a variety of dishes and accessories.