A trencher (from Old French tranchier; "to cut") is a type of tableware, commonly used in medieval cuisine. A trencher was originally a piece of stale bread, cut into a square shape by a carver, and used as a plate, upon which the food could be placed before being eaten. At the end of the meal, the trencher could be eaten with sauce, but was more frequently given as alms to the poor. Later the trencher evolved into a small plate of metal or wood. Colonists used this utensil to eat the many stews and porridges that made up their daily diet. An individual salt dish or squat open salt cellar placed near a trencher was called a trencher salt.
A "trencherman" is one devoted to eating and drinking, often to excess. A secondary use, generally archaic, is one who frequents another's table, in essence a pilferer of another's food.
See also
- bread bowl, modern version of Trencher
- sop
- frumenty
- medieval cuisine
- great hall
 |
This bread-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 6 January 2009, at 20:30.
Wikipedia Authorship and Review
Wikipedia content provided here is not reviewed directly by PediaView.com. Wikipedia content is authored by an open community of volunteers and is not produced by or in any way affiliated with PediaView.com.
Wikipedia Usage Guidelines
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article on "Trencher (tableware)".
The URL for this specific entry is:
All Wikipedia text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details). Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.