BANQUETS

What is A Banquet?

A banquet is a large meal or feast, complete with main courses and desserts.  It usually serves a purpose such as a charitable gathering, a ceremony, or a celebration, and is often preceded or followed by speeches in honour of someone.

Today banquets serve many purposes from training sessions to formal business dinners.  Business banquets are a popular way to strengthen bonds between businessmen and their partners.  Commonly, a feast is organised at the end of an academic conference. (wikip)

The origin of the word and the history of a banquet according to the book that I have (New Larousse Gastronomique).
Banquet - The word possible comes from banc (bench).  It may have been on benches that the first Christians sat as they celebrated their agapes in the catacombs.
- Whatever the origin of the word, banquet signifies a sumptuous meal given to a large number of guests on festal or ceremonial occasions.  Or it is given to bring together people of the same literary or artistic taste, or religious or political ideas, or of the same social status, profession, or ethnic origin, and so on.
- The mysterious character of a banquet is to be found in prehistory.  In the origins of all human activity, there was magic, the need of man to make the mysterious forces of nature favourable to him.  On the wall of the Trois Frères cave in Ariège, there is a primitive painting of a sorcerer in ceremonial robes, performing a sacred dance in the middle of an immense herd of cattle; apparently, some kind of incantation to make the tribe's hunting successful.
- When a slaughtered animal lay on the ground, it was divided into two parts, the first for the benevolent deities, the other for the tribe, clan or family.  In this way, men got used to meeting together, to divide amongst themselves the chosen parts of the animal.  They continued to do this on the occasion of the two significant events of their lives, birth and death.  These were the first banquets.
-When large gatherings at the table became possible, the era of banquets began.  The most magnificent were those that took place in the fertile fields of the Orient, especially rich in spices and flavourings.


There are stories about ancient banquets which I found very interesting.  I wish to share and post those stories throughout this year.  To start from the Egyptians banquets, the Greeks, the Romans, to French banquet from the Middle Ages to the fifteenth century, French banquets of the sixteen century,  the seventeenth century, the eighteen and the nineteen century.  Stay Tuned.

In the meantime, enjoy my recipe for a fruit salad.  It is the same theme of my previous post, that was spirited cooking.   It is mixed fresh fruit dressed with honey and Madeira.
Use as many fruits that you wish to have, I had two varieties of fruits,  oranges and red grapes.

cooking using spirits or liqueurs

Sunday Fruit Salad

2 oranges, peel and slice or segment

1 cup full seedless red grapes, wash

1 teaspoon chop mints very finely

Mints leave for garnish

3 caps full of Madeira wine

2 tablespoons honey, warmed

In a serving bowl, place all the fruits, and the chopped mint leaves

Add in the warmed honey and the Madeira,  toss and mix

To serve

Serve as it is or serve it with ice cream for a dessert

A refreshing fruit salad, you can have it for breakfast or as a dessert.  It is perfect to complement any Sunday Best dinner.

Can be served as a part of desserts for a banquet, have more varieties of fruits.

Until Next Post

Susy