Thursday 6 April 2017

Old Turkish Tradition


I've just listed a beautiful large tray in our home decor shop.
This tray is handmade with carving and stamping in gorgeous motives. Most people know these from Morocco but they were also made here. Their purpose was as dinner table.


First a plaid table cloth was put on the floor or on the legs, then wooden legs and then, full with food would come the tray. People would sit around it and cover their legs with the table cloth to prevent breadcrumbs and such to fall on the floor.


(image source: wikipedia)
Everyone eats from the same plates, except for soup. And even though these pretty trays are not used anymore this way of eating is still very common especially in villages but also in cities. It has the advantage that no large table with chairs are occupying the house and when you have guests you just st a little closer to make room for more people. Also less dishes are required. But it is also just an old habit, and people who are used to this find tables uncomfortable. Today they are usually made of wood and have collapsible feet attached to them.


 Once dinner is over the tray goes back to the kitchen, so no walking back and forth as all go at once. The legs are flattened and stored till the next meal.


 In magazines you usually see them as coffee tables, or against a wall. (image source: Paulina Arcklin)


Or hanging on a wall, our tray can be used in all those ways :)


(image sources: the nest and Nikey Kahoe)

1 comment:

  1. oh wow! such a beautiful tray!
    And that tradition sounds really awesome too!

    ReplyDelete