Service: The Napkin

Great Service Series: The Napkin History

The napkin has gone through many evolutions to reach the present day cloth. The first item used for the purpose of cleaning one’s hands at the table was a lump of dough the Spartans called apomagdalie. The dough was cut in small pieces and rolled at the table. This practice ten moved to using sliced bread to wipe your hands.

Great Service: The Napkin History

In Roman days, napkins known as sudaria and mappe were made in both small and large lengths. The sudaria, Latin for “handkerchief” was a pocket size fabric carried to blot the face. The mappa was a larger cloth spread over the edge of the couch as protection from food while reclining. When a person was invited to a banquet, they would supply their own mappe. At the end of the feast, each person’s mappe was filled with leftovers, a tradition that continues today in restaurant “doggy bags.” In the Middle Ages, there were three cloths laid on the table. The first cloth, called a couch (from the French, coucher meaning “to lie down”) was laid lengthwise in front of the master’s place.