Etiquette of Cleansed Palates and Forks

Ices, sherbets and sorbets became an integral part of fine dining in warm weather in Georgian and Regency era dining. 

Visitors to England were continually criticizing the lack of forks, as they thought the English custom most unsanitary. Even after forks attained a fair amount of popularity, rich people did not possess many of them. Hence it has been suggested that the custom of serving a sherbet in the middle of the meal was introduced in order to permit the servants time to wash the forks for the next course.— From “The Book of Old Silver,” by Seymour B. Wyler, 1970

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