Art from the table – arrangement of cutlery

Our lifestyle has changed a lot compared to that of our parents or grandparents. We are always on the run, always busy and rarely we have time to organize special meals, which respect the rules of organization of cutlery and veil.

When we are preparing to give a festive meal or wait for the guests of the dinner, most of us have dilemmas of the type: how should we correctly position the cutlery? Are those I put on the table are enough? Below, we will discover together what are the rules provided by the Code of Buon Maniere, as well as many other information and useful suggestions, which will help us be the perfect hosts.

To begin with, it is good to know that there are many ways to organize the table and that vary according to: the type of meal (formal or informal), the number of dishes, the number of guests, the size of the table, the dishes, the cutlery and the glasses, etc.
Therefore, it is very important to know and put into practice some simple rules, valid in the case of daily meals and when we organize more special events:
– Before positioning the dishes and cutlery, we must establish the place of each guest at the table. Ideally, we can leave a distance of about one meter between people, so that they have enough space.
– If it is a formal occasion, next to each guest, we will first put the support plate (or the service plate), and on this we will put the other plates in order. The support plate will remain on the table from the beginning and until we serve the main type. On it we will place, one by one, the napkin and the plate of soup, after which we will replace it with the plate of the main street.
– The glasses are positioned on the diagonal, in descending order, from left to right or in the form of a triangle. It is important that the glass of red wine is in the middle.
About the arrangement of the cutlery we will speak for a long time.

Photo: Mezoni

At any meal, whether we are talking about a family lunch or a stem dinner, the cutlery are the same. What differs is their number, which varies according to the dishes served. Therefore, in the case of an informal meal, every day, with a classic menu, consisting of three types, we will need a fork, a knife and a spoon, which we must organize as follows: the fork will be on the left side of the plate and the knife and spoon, on the right side. The idea is to distribute them symmetrically around the plate, in the order in which we will use them, from the outside to the plate. Another simple rule: spoons and forks should be positioned with the touched part (or with the cavity at the top) and the knives should be oriented with the sharp side. As for the butter knife, which is smaller, it will sit on the plate of bread.
If we also have desserts in the menu, add the table and a special teaspoon/fork, which we put on the plate, parallel to it or left, between the fork for steak and plate.

Photo: Mezoni

If we are preparing for a formal meal (a protocol lunch or a special holiday dinner, caused by an anniversary or an important holiday), which includes a menu composed of different dishes and drinks, we will have to use more cutlery, dishes and glasses.
However, the rules of arrangement of the table are the same as the case of daily meals, only a few will be added.

Photo: Pixabay

Therefore, for fish, steak and salad we will need three forks, positioned to the left of the plate, from the outside to the inside.
If at the table we have a preparation made of oysters, shells or seafood, then another fork will be needed, which it is recommended to position it to the right of the plate. In particular, on the right side we will position the following cutlery, from the outside to the inside: the rope for the oysters, the spoon for the soup, the fish knife and the steak knife.
However, it would be better to avoid wearing more than three cutlery of the same type on the table, except when we serve a dish based on Oyster.

We must also know that there are some other rules for cutting the cutlery at the table after eating, a kind of cutlery language, through which we send a certain message to the host. But it will surely make the topic of another article.

Opening of the photo: Pixabay