![]() Prodigal displays of plate were probably first revived at the fashionable court of Burgundy and adopted in France. In England, such a buffet was called a court cupboard. The 16th-century French term buffet applied both to the display itself and to the furniture on which it was mounted, often draped with rich textiles, but more often as the century advanced the word described an elaborately carved cupboard surmounted by tiers of shelves. While the possession of gold and silver has been a measure of solvency of a regime, the display of it, in the form of plates and vessels, is more a political act and a gesture of conspicuous consumption. Modern sideboard furniture, used for serving food Smörgåsbord became internationally known as "smorgasbord" at the 1939 New York World's Fair exhibition, as the Swedes had to invent a new way of showcasing the best of Swedish food to large numbers of visitors. The smörgåsbord buffet was often held in separate rooms for men and women before the dinner was served. The smörgåsbord table was originally a meal where guests gathered before dinner for a pre-dinner drink, and was not part of the formal dinner that followed. The smörgåsbord buffet did not increase in popularity until the expansion of the railroads throughout Europe. This custom had its prime during the early 18th century. Scandinavians like to claim that the buffet table originates from the brännvinsbord (Swedish schnapps, or shot of alcoholic beverage) table from the middle of 16th century. In a report on a ball in 1904, a departure from "the usual stand-up buffet supper", with parties being able to reserve tables, was praised. ![]() In fact John Conrade Cooke's cookbook Cookery and Confectionery, (London: 1824) says it was already "the present fashion". During the Victorian period, it became usual for guests to have to eat standing up. The term buffet originally referred to the French sideboard furniture where the food was placed, but eventually became applied to the serving format.Īt balls, the "buffet" was also where drinks were obtained, either by circulating footmen supplying orders from guests, but often by the male guests. Even when many servants were on hand, there might be an element of self-service. A large cooked English breakfast with various choices was also very often routinely served this way, for similar reasons. Even in a very large building, at a large ball there might not be enough space to seat all guests at the same time, or servants to serve them in the manner required by the prevailing customs. In the 19th century, supper, a lighter meal some hours after the main dinner, was sometimes served as a buffet (and so called), especially late at night at grand balls, where not everyone present eats at the same time, or in the same quantity. Buffets are effective for serving large numbers of people at once, and are often seen in institutional settings, business conventions, or large parties. The essential feature of the various buffet formats is that the diners can directly view the food and immediately select which dishes they wish to consume, and usually also can decide how much food they take. Hot or cold buffets usually involve dishware and utensils, but a finger buffet is an array of foods that are designed to be small and easily consumed only by hand, such as cupcakes, slices of pizza, foods on cocktail sticks, etc. Buffets usually have some hot dishes, so the term cold buffet (see Smörgåsbord) has been developed to describe formats lacking hot food. Buffet restaurants normally offer all-you-can-eat food for a set price, but some measure prices by weight or by number of dishes. A form of service à la française, buffets are offered at various places including hotels, restaurants, and many social events. ![]() A buffet can be either a sideboard (a flat-topped piece of furniture with cupboards and drawers, used for storing crockery, glasses, and table linen) or a system of serving meals in which food is placed in a public area where the diners serve themselves.
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