A brief history of napkins

So have you ever wondered about the humble napkin you use on a regular basis?  There is a rich and wonderful history of how the napkin evolved from a lump of dough that was rolled and kneaded between the hands to the napkins we use today.

The Spartans in ancient Greece used lumps of dough to remove food residue from their fingers and hands, this custom is believed to have let to using sliced bread to wipe the hands.  Ancient Romans had two types of napkins, one about the size of a handkerchief used to blot your brow as you ate in the hot Mediterranean sun and a larger cloth that was spread over the couch to protect it from food and used to blot the lips.  Alter tablecloths and large towel rolls that were hung on the walls for communal use were the predecessor of the actual napkin. 

In the early middle ages napkins disappeared from recorded history and people wiped their hands and mouths on anything that was available; the back of the hand, clothing or bread were the most commonly used items.  Later as a few amenities returned the table was laid with three cloths approximately 4 to 6 feet long by 5 feet wide. The first cloth was laid lengthwise before the master's place. A long towel was laid over the couch; this indicated a place setting for an honored guest. The third cloth was a communal napkin that hung in a swag from the edge of the table. An example can be seen in The Last Supper by Dieric Bouts (1415-1475). In the late Middle Ages the communal napkin was reduced to about the size of our average bath towel.

By the 16^th century the napkin was an accepted refinement of dining and available in different sizes to be used at different events.  A diaper was white cotton or linen woven into small repetitious diamond shaped patterns that came in different sizes depending on the event they were needed for.  A serviette was a large napkin used at the table while the serviette de collation was a small napkin to be used while standing, similar to a cocktail napkin today.  By the 17^th century napkins were about 35 inches wide by 45 inches long, used to accommodate people who ate with their fingers.  When forks were accepted by royalty around 1770 napkins fell from use among the aristocracy and neatness in dining was emphasized.

The acceptance of the fork in the eighteenth century by all classes of society brought neatness to dining and reduced the size of the napkin to approximately 30 inches by 36 inches. Today, the napkin is made in a variety of sizes to meet every entertainment need: large for multi-course meals, medium for simple menus, small for afternoon tea and cocktails.

By the end of the 1800’s, creative hosts invented many ways to fold these cloths to enhance the place setting, creating a new art form at the dinner table.  Today we enhance the decorations on our tables with the napkins we choose and how we fold them.  It may be a simple trifold tucked under the charger plate to add a touch of color to a full on origami looking napkin to add some pizzazz to the tablescape.