Table Etiquette and Superstition

 

Throughout history, bread at the table has seen many changes: Rolls or slices of bread have been placed directly on tablecloths, snuggled into napkins placed atop each diner’s plate, passed ‘round dining tables in “bread baskets” or in silver bread trays, served in their own bread plates with matching plates for butter, called “butter pats,” and most notably, Queen Victoria popularized having an entire loaf of bread at the table, from which guests could cut off their own slices.

Why is it a curse to place breads or rolls  upside-down at the table?

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen of the 21st century, you must have heard it: placing bread upside-down on the table is a curse! Do it, and there will most likely be some people feeling uncomfortable. There is a reason for this discomfort that goes back through a long, tragic history.

During the Middle-Ages in Europe, each city had its own executioner, in charge of executing the justice decision, including the most extreme ones. It was also a time when bread was the main food for the majority of the people. Bakers had a central place in people’s life. Bakers’ shops were visited every day. Nobody wanted to take the bread meant for the executioner and bakers began to place one loaf of bread facing down. This was the loaf which was meant for him. Seeing a loaf of bread in such a position was already synonym of the worst for those common people, and left everyone feeling uneasy.

Another event would make placing a roll or loaf of bread upside-down definitely a terrible faux-pas at a dining table was the French Revolution. In 1793-1794 there took place “La Terreur” during which many people were sentenced to death through the too-famous Guillotine. Before their execution days, they were all kept in jail, in which they were brought every day a jug of water with a portion of bread on top. None of them knew when would be the day of their death, the only clue they would had was this bread: the night before the execution, they would receive their one portion upside-down. It would mean they only have the night to pray for their soul, going through their sins and hoping God would forgive them.

Marie Josèphe Rose Tascher de La Pagerie, wife of the Viscount Alexandre de Beauharnais, was one of them. Later known as “Joséphine de Beauharnais,” which was how her 2nd husband, Napoléon Bonaparte called her, she spent several months in jail, terrified by the bread facing down brought every day to other inmates. She lived every day praying not to receive it, and had to go through the execution of her husband Alexandre on 23rd July 1794, but she was spared and survived.

The 28th July, Maximilien de Robespierre, the man who started “La Terreur”, was arrested. Executions stopped, Joséphine was freed. She eventually married Napoléon Bonaparte, and became Empress. But the sight of a bread upside down was absolutely unbearable for her! At the Imperial court all the servants made sure to place bread properly in her presence, and so did all the restaurants of Paris. As the trend of restaurant went throughout Europe, the custom of considering bread down has a curse was reinforced.

Nowadays, we should remember this is a mere superstition, and we should not forget it is one, but it is still shared by many. Whether you believe in the curse or not, let’s all place the bread facing up, by respects of those who saw their death in it, and also because that’s more beautiful that way to serve breads.

Etiquipedia contributor Guillaume Rué de Bernadac is the President & Founding Director of the luxury etiquette institution, Académie de Bernadac in Shanghai and Paris. He has been featured in Michelin Guide, L’Officiel, Global Times, The Guardian, M6, CNN, etc... Académie de Bernadac

Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia