Trencher (tableware)

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A trencher (from Old French tranchier; "to cut") is a type of tableware, commonly used in medieval cuisine. A trencher was originally a piece of stale bread, cut into a square shape by a carver, and used as a plate, upon which the food could be placed before being eaten. At the end of the meal, the trencher could be eaten with sauce, but was more frequently given as alms to the poor. Later the trencher evolved into a small plate of metal or wood. Colonists used this utensil to eat the many stews and porridges that made up their daily diet.

A "trencherman" is one devoted to eating and drinking, often to excess. A secondary use, generally archaic, is one who frequents another's table, in essence a pilferer of another's food.

[edit] See also

• bread bowl, modern version of Trencher
• sop
• frumenty
• medieval cuisine
• great hall