Bread Etiquette for Formal and Less Formal Dinner
Bread is served with almost every meal in the western hemisphere. Knowing proper bread etiquette is a must.
Follow these simple bread etiquette rules;
First you look to see if a bread plate and butter spreader are being used, you will find the bread plate top left of your dinner plate above the forks
The butter spreader/knife is placed on top of bread plate with edge facing down, towards center of plate
You take a piece of bread and place it on your bread plate or on the corner of your dinner plate if no bread plate is being used
You take a little bit of butter with the butter spreader from the dinner butter dish and put it on the corner of your bread plate or plate
You can now start to butter your piece of bread [image source_type=”attachment_id” source_value=”703″ align=”right” size=”small”]
Bread etiquette stipulates to not place more than one piece of bread on your bread plate
You cut a small piece of bread with your fingers and spread a little of the butter you puton your bread plate and then eat, you repeat this process until you finish your piece of bread
There is no obligation to finish the whole piece of bread on your bread plate
Never butter the whole piece of bread, always small pieces that you cut with your fingers
If someone asks you for bread you never give them a piece of bread by hand but you place the basket in front of them
When dinner starts and the basket of bread is in front of you ask the person to your left if they would like bread, then serve yourself, and pass the bread basket to the person on your right
Bread is passed to the right
When olive oil is used instead of butter you do not dip your bread in the oil dish but pour some oil in your bread plate and then dip your small piece of bread in the oil in your plate
Do not sauce food with bread at a formal dinner
In British and American formal dinner do not use bread as a utensil to help you eat food or push food on to fork (in French Dinning it is acceptable)
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“Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.”
—Lao-Tze