Charger plates or service plates are large plates used at
full course dinners or to dress up special events like
parties
A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature ...
and
wedding
A wedding is a ceremony where two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes. Most wedding ceremonies involve an exchange of marriage vo ...
s. Charger plates have been in use since the 19th century.
North America
Food is not actually served on chargers; they are often called underplates or chop plates.
The word "charger" originated around 1275–1325 from the Middle English "chargeour". Formerly, a charger signified either a large platter or a large, shallow dish for liquids.
They are usually larger than most common dinner plates. Since they are not used for food, charger plates can be found in a variety of materials, from traditional china, to metal, wood, glass, plastic and pearl, and they may be decorated with substances that can be toxic if ingested.
Charger plate
etiquette and use vary. Some professional
catering
Catering is the business of providing food service at a remote site or a site such as a hotel, hospital, pub, aircraft, cruise ship, park, festival, filming location or film studio.
History of catering
The earliest account of major services be ...
companies remove the decorative charger plate as soon as the guests are seated. In other instances, when the design of charger plates complements the design of dining plates, charger plates are left on the table throughout the course of the meal. Charger plates are always removed before serving desserts.
Europe
In ''
service à la russe
The historical form of (; "service in the Russian style") is a manner of dining that involves courses being brought to the table sequentially, and the food being portioned on the plate by the waiter (usually at a sideboard in the dining room) bef ...
'', charger plates are called service plates and are kept on the table during the initial courses. Service plates thus act as a base for soup bowls and salad plates. After the soup course is finished, both the soup bowl and service plate are removed from the table; a heated plate is put in their place. The fish and meat courses are served from
platters
The Platters was an American vocal group formed in 1952. They are one of the most successful vocal groups of the early rock and roll era. Their distinctive sound bridges the pre-rock Tin Pan Alley tradition and the new burgeoning genre. The ac ...
. (This was not the case historically, nor is it often followed in restaurants.) Directly before dessert, everything is removed from the place settings except the wine and water glasses and crumbs are cleared. The rule is as such: a filled plate is always replaced with an empty one, and no place goes without a plate until just before the dessert course.
Culture
In Mark 6:25, KJV, and Matthew 14:8, KJV, the
"daughter of Herodias" requested
John the Baptist
John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...
's head in a “charger” from
Herod Antipas as her reward for dancing at his birthday party.
See also
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Table setting
Table setting (laying a table) or place setting refers to the way to set a table with tableware—such as eating utensils and for serving and eating. The arrangement for a single diner is called a place setting. It is also the layout in which ...
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Charger (Table Setting)
Serving vessels