The Little Secrets of Large Tables Laden with Food

Glimpses of the eating habits of the Carniolan nobility at the end of the 18th century

Abstract

Probate inventory is a rich source of information about various aspects of human existence. Among others, it also offers information regarding the eating habits of Carniolan nobility. Indeed, the least abundant information in it is that about the dishes themselves. We are limited to the inventories of foods that were kept in the pantries, garners and cellars, and to those of animals in the stables. As for the beverages, there is plentiful information about wine, coffee, tea and chocolate. Unlike with the dishes, much more is known about the cutlery and the vessels used during meals. All Carniolan noblemen used all three types of cutlery at the end of the 18th century: the fork, the spoon and the knife. The cutlery was most often silver. Kitchenware was limited to serving spoons and ladles, while the absence of serving knives and forks indicates that meat-cutting took place in the kitchen, away from the eyes of the eaters. Tableware, often displayed in glass cabinets in the dining room, was made of porcelain (the more expensive sets), Holič faience or tin. The existence of plates, cutlery and napkins for personalized use reveals the desire on the part of this noble society for a more individualized manner of food consumption that considered common bowls no longer acceptable. An individual secured himself his own little space at the table, which belonged solely to him for the duration of the meal. The position at the table (in terms of distance from the host) was reflective of the esteem that that person enjoyed in contemporary society.