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A Brief History and Etymology of Buffets

 

The buffet is a server or serving table and cabinet used in the dining room. Derived from the French “buffe” and the Italian “buffetto” the true etymology of buffet is lost but may refer to translated terms like “cuff” or “hood”. Since it was a serving piece at wrist’s height and often had a covering shelf, or hood, these may be the original inferences for the name buffet.

Many attribute what is most likely a quaint but fake origin of the name buffet to a myth about Pierre-Alphonse Buffet, alive from 1692-1756. A Paris-born Frenchman and gentleman gambler, he is attributed to having introduced the custom of serving food laid on a side-board for guests to serve themselves. Variants on the tale say that he was first forced to sell his dinner table during a run of bad gambler’s luck, while another says he simply gave it away because formal dining took time away from his beloved card games.

Originally conceived in Italy it was refined in England and France. The court cupboard was an English form of buffet in the Tudor design. Usually the court cupboard was double-bodied, or wide, double-door cabinet with shelves on top, table in center and doors below. These court cupboard buffets were heavily carved and used to hold wine and eating miscellaneous

Much like a dining room dresser the sideboard can be decorated but primarily functions as a utilitarian piece. When not in use the buffet has historically been used to display fineries like vases, urns, pictures, flowers, plates, candlesticks, etc. Although first designed to display the household’s gold and silver plates and fine tapestries the buffet was also functional for private or group dining, becoming a receptacle for items that were not wanted on the table.

Later it became fashionable to serve breakfasts, brunches or luncheons from the buffet. At the “buffet” meal the guests may eat standing or served at small tables but are usually self-served. Using a buffet creates less formal dining and less elegant than table service but it is still a preferred serving method for large groups or relaxed casual settings.

Today fine buffets are made available by Amish craftsmen. They have carefully preserved fine details like cut-away finger pulls, European style hidden hinges, bone-shaped walnut inlays, adjustable wood shelves or optional wine racks, soft-close drawers and pull-outs on the wither side above the drawers. All are available in a wide variety of stains and hardwoods.

Tags: Amish Furniture Styles, Buffet, court cupboard, Dining Room, etymology of buffet, origin of the name buffet, Pierre-Alphonse Buffet, Sideboard

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 23rd, 2008 at 1:40 am and is filed under Dining Room Furniture, History of Furniture Making, Organization and Storage, Party & Event Hosting, The Art of Dining at Home. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.