Gilded Age Savories and Desserts

 It has always been poor manners for a guest to take more than his or her share of the foods offered.– “One American young woman, given the honor of dining at the Tsar’s table, was very embarrassed when she clipped off a grape stem with some ten or twelve grapes. Everyone else was careful to take only two or three. She received many hard looks from the other ladies for her greed.” -Above is shown an 1880’s butterfly design pair of grape shears. These were also marketed as “flower shears.” 

The Savory Course

The savory was seen as the last chance to whip up the jaded appetite for the end of the meal. It consisted of some extremely tasty food served as a sort of appetizer before the last course of the meal— the dessert course.

This course was normally dropped from American Victorian meals, which instead featured two types of sweet foods. The sweet course was often a pudding or cake. Then ice cream was served as the savory. The English moved this course to the end of the meal, following the dessert. They often served anchovies, which seems very odd to Americans today who are used to ending a meal on a sweet note. The French often served cheese as their savory course, or would combine the cheese with the fruit of the dessert course.

The Dessert Course

Dessert in the French tradition meant “fruit.” Fruit for many years was one of the few sources of a sweet taste. By the seventeenth century sugar from sugarcane was available, although at a high price, but the tradition of serving fruit at the end of the meal remained common.

With fruit becoming more common and less important as a source of sugar, the method of showing status in the dessert course changed. Upper-class Victorians gloried in serving fruit in winter. This serving of fruit out of season showed that the host had gone to the expense of buying fruit shipped in from southern areas (which in the early days before refrigerated box cars and ships bespoke expense because of the large waste due to spoilage) or grown in local hot houses. 

To serve grapes, oranges, and so on while the snow laid high on the ground outside was a sign of wealth and taste. The Tsars often showed their wealth and power in this way. But, even the wealth of the tsars had limits. One American young woman, given the honor of dining at the Tsar’s table, was very embarrassed when she clipped off a grape stem with some ten or twelve grapes. Everyone else was careful to take only two or three. She received many hard looks from the other ladies for her greed. – From Forgotten Elegance, 2002

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

Nut and Fruit Dessert Etiquette

We have well established, both in New York and London, large vegetarian societies, many with separate branches of “fruit and nut eaters.” Personally, I have tried the experiment, and find it most satisfactory. The difficulty is, one must always eat at home. The untrained cook does not understand “delicate feasting.” Nuts must be carefully prepared, and fruits correctly chilled and daintily served.

The word “nut” is used to express fruits of trees, enclosed in hard, woody covers, which remain closed even after the fruit is ripe. In some, the fruit is drupaceous. Of the almond, for instance, a drupe, we eat the stone kernel, and reject the pulpy covering; of the peach, a drupe of the same family, we eat the fleshy covering, and cast away the seed or stone with its kernel; the one we call a nut, and the other a fruit.

Nuts and fruits furnish the principal food for the inhabitants of many countries, and were, no doubt, the food of primitive peoples. To the vegetarian they are indispensable; they furnish his meat, milk and butter. They are palatable, nutritious, and, if well prepared, easy of digestion. Being of vegetable origin, they are free from the danger of disease germs. Their food value is frequently overlooked by Americans, as they are generally served as a dessert. Under such circumstances, they naturally disagree, as one is adding concentrated, highly nutritious food to a heavy dinner. Then, too, Americans eat rapidly and masticate imperfectly. Nuts of all foods require most thorough mastication; in fact, grinding is to be preferred.

From the general awakening in regard to healthful diet, societies have sprung up all over the world, recommending the use of vegetable foods, especially fruits and nuts. We have well established, both in New York and London, large vegetarian societies, many with separate branches of “fruit and nut eaters.” Personally, I have tried the experiment, and find it most satisfactory. The difficulty is, one must always eat at home. The untrained cook does not understand “delicate feasting.” Nuts must be carefully prepared, and fruits correctly chilled and daintily served.— Sarah Tyson Rorer, 1898

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

Etiquette of 11 to 12 Course Dinners

Course 11 is the “Dessert Course” - This is a rich, sweet and decadent course, which is usually accompanied by a glass of dessert wine or coffee.  

Eleven and twelve course dinners were popular in the Gilded Age. One course not shown below is the “Removes” the most confusing of courses,“The Removes” or “Remove” wasn’t originally referring to a food. Its name was merely referencing the time used to remove and switch out side dishes and crumb the table perhaps, in the preparation for the “Second Main Course” or the British “Roast Course.” 

Of the 5th or “Remove Course” of the 11 course meal, offered in Titanic’s First Class on its tragic, final night, the authors of “Last Dinner on the Titanic” write: “In the choreography of an Edwardian meal, a lighter course generally followed a heavier one. With the remove, we reach the solid center of the Titanic’s last dinner. It is the only course that closely resembles a main course served in a restaurant today.” – Quote and image from the book “Last Dinner on the Titanic” 

Suggested Dinner of 12 Courses

1. Hors d’oeuvres - typically served during cocktails or as guests are arriving, these are usually finger-foods not served at the table.
2. Amuse-Bouche - a French term, meaning to “amuse the mouth” or in other words, to please guests’ palates with a small flavorful taste, to stimulate the appetite or simply hint at flavors to come in the next course(s).
3. Soup - it’s smart to avoid soups that are too hearty so guests don’t fill up quickly.
4. Appetizer - this course is referred to as the “entree” in many parts of Europe, because it introduces the main courses in the meal. Usually served on serving trays or small appetizer plates, featuring small cuts of meat, seasonal vegetables and sauces.
5. Salad  - in some parts of Europe, salad is served after the main course.
6. Fish - a flavorful, light protein, before the main courses.
7. First Main Course - often a white meat, such as chicken, duck, or turkey.
8. Palate Cleanser - usually a sorbet, the frozen dish not only helps freshen,  but numbs the taste buds (lemon, melon or mint flavor.)
9. Second Main Course - a red meat like lamb, venison or premium beef
10. Cheese Course - a selection of different cheeses along with fruits, crackers and other complementary accompaniments.
11. Dessert - this is a rich, sweet and decadent course, which is usually accompanied by a glass of dessert wine or coffee.
12. Mignardise - a tiny, bite-sized dessert or pastry, served with tea, coffee, port, brandy, or scotch. 

Sources: KaTom blog, Webstaurant Store.com, The RSVP Institute of Etiquette,  

“Last Dinner on the Titanic”

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