Potluck Explained

A potluck is a communal gathering where each guest or group contributes a different, often homemade, dish of food to be shared.

Other names for a "potluck" include: potluck dinner, pitch-in, shared lunch, spread, faith supper, carry-in dinner,[1] covered-dish-supper,[2] fuddle, Jacob's Join,[3] bring a plate,[4] and fellowship meal.

Etymology

The word pot-lucke appears in the 16th-century English work of Thomas Nashe discussing wine, [5] and in his play "Summer's Last Will and Testament", spoken in a dialogue concerning wine. The modern execution of a "communal meal, where guests bring their own food", most likely originated in the 1930s during the Great Depression.[6]

Some speakers believe that it is an eggcorn of the North American indigenous communal meal known as a potlatch (meaning "to give away"). There are others who acknowledge the mixed traditions of Potluck.

Description

Potluck dinners are events where the attendees bring a dish to a meal.[7] The only traditional rule is that each dish be large enough to be shared among a good portion of the anticipated guests. Guests may bring in any form of food, ranging from the main course to desserts.[8]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: carry-in dinner. Dictionary of American Regional English.
  2. Web site: Definition of COVERED-DISH SUPPER. www.merriam-webster.com.
  3. Web site: World Wide Words: Jacob's Join. www.worldwidewords.org.
  4. Web site: 2021-07-09 . What does it mean when you're asked to 'bring a plate'? . 2022-10-13 . Food . en.
  5. Book: Nash, Thomas. Strange Newes, of the Intercepting Certaine Letters and a Convoy of Verses .... 1870. en.
  6. Flora, Martin. "Potluck Meal Innovation Due to Depression: Guests Chip in With Part of Dinner", Chicago Tribune, Chicago, 27 January 1933. Retrieved on 5 March 2017.
  7. Web site: 2013-10-29 . Potluck Dinner Party Rules for Both Host and Guest . 2023-04-19 . Bon Appétit . en-US.
  8. Web site: Brown-Micko . Julie . Culinary Curiosities: What's the History of the Potluck . 2023-04-19 . foodservicenews.net . 30 October 2015 . en.