Plate

Plates appeared much earlier than spoons and knives.

The very first plates appeared in the Neolithic era. They were molded from clay and burned. Actually, the modern word “plate” did not suit them much, it was more correct to say “capacity”. Gradually, the capacities changed, turning into dish dishes, they became flat bottoms for convenience, and for beauty they were covered with ornament, later glaze . Ceramics appeared. In ancient Greece and Rome, the art of making pottery reached its peak. There was a division into household, decorative and ceremonial dishes. All kinds of dishes were popular, which depicted scenes from the life of gods or heroes . Tin utensils first appeared in ancient Rome . Expensive dishes were made of silver and gold.

In China, began to create porcelain in approximately 600 BC. e. They learned how to create transparent solid porcelain and products from it. In the 1300s, Chinese porcelain plates began to appear at European royal courts, but were richer wonders than tableware.

In Europe in the Middle Ages it was customary to serve dishes on the table in large dishes; wooden crafts appeared that hollowed out in the middle. At first, the “plates” were common, from where everyone took their own food or servants took care of. Put food on large bread cakes. Only gradually, over the centuries, began to use the dishes individually. In the VIII century, in the royal courts of Europe, cooked food was laid in recesses carved in oak tables; in the 13th century, aristocrats laid food on round pieces of bread; and only in the XIV-XV centuries plates of tin and wood were first used in France. In rich homes, metal utensils were used. The first plates were not much like modern plates; they even had a quadrangular shape.

In 1708, German potters in Meissen opened the Chinese porcelain manufacturing process, the emergence of European pottery dates back to this time. Very soon European pottery manufacturers appeared, supplying products to the royal courts: Saxon in 1710, Wedgwood in England in 1759, in Copenhagen in 1775 and others.

In Ancient Russia , starting from the XI century, the word "dish" is used. On the dish served food for several people at once. A dish was made of clay, silver, tin, steel, wood. The royal dishes were golden. The foreigner Ulfeld , who had fallen for a gala dinner with Ivan the Terrible , recalled that usually ambassadors, after drinking honey, were put in the bosom and the vessel from which they drank. “For such unscrupulous ambassadors, copper vessels, silvered or gilded, were deliberately made vessels in Aglinsky land” ^[2] .

The Russian word "flat" has long been known - that is, dishes with a flat bottom.

For a long time in Russia, the tsars awarded “plates” of their faithful servants, as orders, for special merits. Such dishes were decorated with monograms and placed in plain sight. For the first time the word "plate" (a remade German "thaler") is found in the will of one of the Moscow princes in 1509, it replaced the ancient word " bowl ". Even in the XVI century, the plate was called thaler, plate, torrel. The first written mention of the use of individual plates dates back to the time of Tsarevich False Dmitry . In " Domostroy " it was said that at lunch time you should "inspect the table, tablecloth the white bread, salt, liars (small spoons), plates collect." Only in the XVII century, individual dishes (plates, spoons) in Russia began to enter the everyday life of the wealthiest part of the population. In the “Primer” by Karion Istomin (1692), there are distinguished utensils “torrell” and ceremonial award dish “plate”: “Torrell on the table there is a plate in front of you”.

Only in the 18th century did a table plate become indispensable for eating food. But the decorative history of the plate continued, souvenir plates appeared - they are not used for food, but quite compete with the types of fine art.

By use

• deep tables or soups - deep plates for soups
• small dining rooms for hot "second" dishes
• small eateries
• small patties
• dessert
• saucers - plates on which they put cups or glasses

According to the material of manufacture

• Ceramic
• Glass
• Glass ceramic
• Porcelain
• Wooden
• Metal
• Plastic (disposable tableware)
• Paper (disposable tableware)

• Tarel
• Cymbals (musical instrument)
• Flying saucer

•   Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dish
• The history of the plate. Plate Collecting