Plates: origin, types, selection and care

Among connoisseurs of beauty, there are those who love to choose and buy new dishes. In the department of ceramics and porcelain, their eyes run wide, and serving gives them a special aesthetic pleasure. Plates are the most popular choice. Small desserts and exquisite large ones for serving cuts, plates for soup and pies, menageries and other interesting items... Only the hostess herself knows what is in her arsenal of dishes and why it is worth updating it.

Plates appeared before knives and spoons, they arose in the Neolithic era. Then the plates were molded from clay, burned and used for food. The modern plate looks a little different, because its analogue in our ancestors is more correct to call the word "container". And these containers changed: from rather coarse they became elegant. A person experiencing a natural craving for beauty, decorated dishes with patterns and ornaments, covered them with glaze.

In Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece, ceramics flourished. In those days, the division of tableware into ceremonial, everyday and decorative appeared. China gave the world porcelain: they began to make it there around 600 AD.

In Medieval Europe, large plates were taken out on the table, they were initially common. Everyone could take food from them with their hands or use the help of the servants: there were no personal plates. It took centuries for people to realize the necessity of using individual dishes for their meals.

By the way, the word "dish" in Russia has been known since the 11th century: the dish also served food for several people at once. Clay, wood, pewter, steel, silver - that's what plates were made of. The royal dishes were gold.

The origin of the word "plate" is no less interesting: the kings awarded the so-called tarels to their servants. For special merits, they received beautiful dishes decorated with monograms, intended for display in a prominent place.

Tarel (original - German "thaler") came to replace the word "bowl". The variations were as follows: Toler, Thalera, Tarel. At the end of the 18th century, the plate became a necessity for eating, and the individual use of the plate also became ubiquitous.

There are two classification branches of the types of plates. The first divides the dishes according to their intended purpose, the second - according to the material of manufacture.

Cymbals for their intended purpose (use) have many varieties.

• Deep dining or soup plate. It is customary to serve soups, broths and other variations of first courses in such dishes. The diameter of the soup plate is 20-24 cm.

• Shallow dining room. The dishes are designed for serving second courses, the optimal diameter is 27-32 cm.

• Diner. It serves light snacks, a distinctive feature of this dish - it is absolutely flat.

• Dessert. The name speaks: the dishes are needed to serve desserts and fruits. The diameter is small - only 20 cm. Often such dishes have wavy edges.

• Saucer. This cute word refers to the smallest round plate, which is used as a support for a cup or glass.

• Showplate (serving plate). Suitable for serving other plates, its other familiar name is wildcard. It is needed so that another plate can be put on it, for example, a deep soup plate.

• Pie. Serves to serve sliced ​​bread, rolls and cakes. Sometimes cheese and fruit are brought here.

• Broth cup and saucer. If you want to serve thin soup or broth, it is better to do it in cups rather than deep soup bowls. Not to be confused with bowls - kumis or green tea is served in such cups without handles.

• Deep bottom plate. There are also such special plates in which it is convenient to serve spaghetti, pasta, etc.

• The bowl. This is the name of a vase on a leg made of glass. It serves ice cream, fruit and dessert cocktails.

• Chill plate. Suitable for appetizers (for oysters, for example). It can also serve salads and vegetable stews.

• Salad bowl. Portion salad bowls - for each of the guests, common - for serving the entire volume of salad on the table. Both options are appropriate, do not contradict table etiquette.

• Herringwoman. Herring and cold canned fish are served on such a plate.

Some sets have a special lemon saucer... Also included can be extended plates for meat and cheese cuts. But there are no strict requirements for their shape and volume. How to properly serve cold cuts or cheese platter, the hostess decides for herself.

Another interesting type of plates - menazhnya (in some sources they may be called low-income women, this is a regional variation). In essence, it is a puzzle plate equipped with removable segments that represent complete meals. It is installed on a special stand.

Usually, when setting the table, the dish is used as a dish for serving salads. But it happens in an interesting way: each cell contains a separate ingredient, one of them contains the sauce, and the salad is served separately on the table. Before a meal, the hosts or one of the guests combine the ingredients and mix with the sauce.

The variety of materials from which the plates are made, will allow you to choose dishes of a wide variety of options.

• The most common material for dishes is ceramics. While these cymbals are often relatively thick and heavy, they have little strength. They often fall and fight unsuccessfully. The main raw material for ceramic dishes is clay with additives.

• Faience. We can say that this word means improved ceramics. Improved its special additives and single firing. From above, the faience is covered with glaze or enamel.

The material has a drawback: the dishes are porous, and therefore rather fragile. But if you take good care of the earthenware dishes, it will definitely last for many years.

• Porcelain. This is also a crockery of the earthen group, but its distinctive feature is that the best varieties of clay are used for its manufacture. The product is fired several times at high temperatures. Unlike other materials, porcelain is thin and light, but due to the absence of pores, it is strong enough.

The most expensive dishes are made of hard porcelain. Despite its outstanding characteristics, Do not expose porcelain dishes to such stress as a microwave oven, very hot water, and concentrated detergents.

• Glass. Glassware looks stylish and modern on the table. You can buy plates of any size and diameter, deep (250 ml) and saucers. The decorative side assumes a modest version (just a transparent plate without a pattern) and various shades of glass, patterns, plots, ornaments, structures.

• Metal. Cookware exclusively for field conditions and situations close to them. You can't put a metal plate in the microwave, but on the grill - please.

• Plastic. Dishes will help out in a situation when there are no catering places nearby, and you cannot take pottery or its alternative with you. It is not suitable for reusable use, the level of environmental friendliness of such dishes is very low.

• Wooden. More often it serves for decorative purposes, but recently wooden salad bowls and fruit bowls have returned to fashion.

If you do not like to buy things without a brand at home, you will have to compare the dishes and the reputation of their manufacturer. Someone is an adherent of one brand and rarely dilutes the collection with another brand, someone likes to collect dishes from different manufacturers in the kitchen and in the buffet.

We offer options that housewives most often turn to.

• Tescoma. These dishes are almost entirely made of Czech glass. There are products that are matte, and there are transparent ones. But the main thing is that these plates will fit into almost any serving, will merge with any interior.

• Luminarc. Flagaman in the production of glass products. The manufacturer relies on classic design and focuses on practicality. Therefore, when purchasing these dishes, you can be sure: the plates are made of impact-resistant glass.

• Posud de Luxe. The brand offers both high-quality ceramics and exquisite porcelain. The products of this company will appeal to those who appreciate the original shape of the dishes and non-trivial design.

• Helfer. Austrian porcelain is a popular choice for restaurants. Probably because it is quality, classic and dazzling whiteness.

• Krauff. Once the manufacturer was engaged in the production of stainless steel cookware. Today the company offers porcelain tableware. A distinctive feature is lace bright patterns.

This is just a small list of brands that are well known, and the quality of which deserves the buyer to consider this option.

First, decide what you need the plates for. Someone sorely lacks dishes for the festive serving, someone wants to update the dishes for every day. Of course, for a ceremonial presentation, the option with a service looks ideal. This is not a "hodgepodge" of plates that do not match each other stylistically or in color. Everything is harmonious in the service: form, design, and color.

Another trendy option is a spinning (or rotating) saucer. And if you speak correctly, it is called a cake maker. But it is not always practical, albeit spectacular: just in case, it is better to have a classic cake stand in the buffet.

Care rules depend on the material from which the dishes are made. Although the basic principles are universal: protect, wash and dry in a timely manner, store in a specially designated place.

There are several tips to help you clean your dishes.

• Earthenware can be easily washed with soapy water. These plates should always be kept open. If you put a lid on, the smell will not be pleasant.
• Faience and porcelain love warm soapy water. But very hot water can crack the glaze.
• To revive the whiteness of porcelain you need to wipe the china plate with salt or baking soda. With stains on porcelain, ammonia copes well.
• And so that porcelain plates retained their splendor longer, they should be shifted with white paper.

First of all, you should like the dishes visually.... If its decor attracts, if the food looks appetizing in it, if the plates are ideal for your cozy kitchen - these are the main selection criteria. But you shouldn't forget about quality either.

The following video will tell you even more about tableware.