A buffet is a system of serving meals in which
food is placed in a public area where the diners generally serve themselves.[1] Buffets are offered at various places
including hotels,restaurants and many social events. Buffet
restaurants normally offer all-you-can-eat (AYCE) food for a set price. Buffets
usually have some hot dishes, so the termcold buffet has been developed to describe
formats lacking hot food. Hot or cold buffets usually involve dishware and
utensils, but a finger buffet is an array of foods that are designed
to be small and easily consumed only by hand, including cupcakes, slices of
pizza, foods on cocktail sticks, etc.
The essential feature of the
various buffet formats is that the diners can directly view the food and
immediately select which dishes they wish to consume, and usually also can
decide how much food they take. Buffets are effective for serving large numbers
of people at once, and are often seen in institutional settings, such as
business conventions or large parties.
Since a buffet involves diners serving themselves, it has in the
past been considered an informal form of dining, less formal than table
service. In recent years, however, buffet meals are increasingly popular among
hosts of home dinner parties, especially in homes
where limited space complicates the serving of individual table places.
The buffet table from the middle of 16th century. This custom
had its prime during the early 18th century, and was developed into the more
modern buffet around the beginning of 19th century. The buffet did not increase in popularity until
the expansion of the railroads throughout Europe
The table
was originally a meal where guests gathered before dinner for a pre-dinner
drink, and was not part of the formal dinner that followed. buffet was often
held in separate rooms for men and women before the dinner was served.[3]
The term buffet originally referred to the French sideboard furniture where the food was served, but
eventually became applied to the serving format. The word "buffet"
became popular in the English-speaking world in the second half of the 20th
century after the Swedes had popularized the "smorgasbord" in New
York. The word is now fully accepted into the English language.
As displays of wealth
While the possession of gold and silver has been a measure of solvency of a regime, the display of it, in the form of
plates and vessels, is more a political act and a gesture of conspicuous consumption. The 16th-century French term buffetapplied both to the
display itself and to the furniture on which it was mounted, often draped with
rich textiles, but more often as the century advanced the word described an
elaborately carved cupboard surmounted by tiers of shelves. In England such a
buffet was called a court cupboard. Prodigal displays of plate were probably
first revived at the fashionable court of Burgundy and adopted in France. The Baroque displays of silver and gold that were affected
by Louis XIV of Francewere immortalized in paintings by Alexandre-François Desportes and others, before Louis' plate and his silver
furniture had to be sent to the mint to pay for the wars at the end of his
reign.[
The concept of eating a buffet
arose in mid 17th century France, when gentleman callers would arrive at the
homes of ladies they wanted to woo unexpectedly. Their surprise arrival would
throw the kitchen staff into a panic and the only food that could be served was
a selection of what was found in the cold room.
The informal luncheon or lunch
— originally the light meal eaten between breakfast and dinner, but now often
taking the place of dinner, the fashionable hour being one (or half after if
cards are to follow) — is of two kinds. The "buffet" luncheon, at
which the guests eat standing; and the luncheon served at small tables, at
which the guests are seated. The knife is tabooed at the "buffet"
lunch, hence all the food must be such as can be eaten with fork or spoon. As a
rule, friends of the hostess serve... The following dishes cover the essentials
of a "buffet" luncheon. Beverages: punch, coffee, chocolate (poured
from urn, or filled cups brought from pantry on tray); hot entrées of various
sorts (served from chafing dish or platter) preceded by hot bouillon; cold
entrées, salads, lobster, potatoes, chicken, shrimp, with heavy dressings; hot
rolls, wafer-cut sandwiches (lettuce, tomato, deviled ham, etc.); small cakes,
frozen creams and ices.To get details about Buffet launch facility visit Allindiayellowpage.com to find
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