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Potluck

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(Redirected from Potlucks) Communal gathering where each guest contributes a different dish of food to be shared For other uses, see Pot luck (disambiguation).Not to be confused with Potlatch.
An assorted spread of different dishes at a potluck in Alberta, Canada

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, covered-dish-supper, fuddle, Jacob's Join, bring a plate, and fellowship meal.

Etymology

The word pot-lucke appears in the 16th-century English work of Thomas Nashe discussing wine, 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.

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

Various Korean dishes at a potluck

Potluck dinners are events where the attendees bring a dish to a meal. 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.


See also

References

  1. "carry-in dinner". Dictionary of American Regional English.
  2. "Definition of COVERED-DISH SUPPER". www.merriam-webster.com.
  3. "World Wide Words: Jacob's Join". www.worldwidewords.org.
  4. "What does it mean when you're asked to 'bring a plate'?". Food. 2021-07-09. Retrieved 2022-10-13.
  5. Nash, Thomas (1870). Strange Newes, of the Intercepting Certaine Letters and a Convoy of Verses ...
  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. "Potluck Dinner Party Rules for Both Host and Guest". Bon Appétit. 2013-10-29. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
  8. Brown-Micko, Julie (30 October 2015). "Culinary Curiosities: What's the History of the Potluck". foodservicenews.net. Retrieved 2023-04-19.


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