Napkin folding is an art of folding the
napkin in creative ways to develop beautiful shapes or designs. Napkin folding is
commonly used as a table decoration in fine dining restaurants. Napkins folded
in various shapes and designs can help to make the dining table fun and
festive. No matter how simply or
intricately done, elegant and creative napkin folds transform meals into
celebrations. The size of a napkin should be between 46cm-50cm by its diameter.
Before folding the napkin it is must to ensure that the napkin is well starched
and pressed, otherwise it may not stay intact. The napkin folding can be placed
on a side plate, on the centre of the cover or in the water goblet or wine glass.
Napkins are used for functionality and add to
the decor of the table. Both paper and cloths napkins can be folded to add decoration
to the table. Each has its advantages and
disadvantages. Cloth napkins work well with napkin folds that have
flowing design and crisp edge is desired, be sure the napkin has been starched
properly so they hold their crease better when finger pressed. The starched
napkins are softer and elegant to use.
History of Napkin folding
Napkin
folding has a centuries-old history and dates back to the times of Louis XIV of France (5 September 1638 – 1 September 1715), known as Louis the Great (Louis le
Grand) was a monarch of the House of Bourbon who ruled as King of France from
1643 until his death. The shift of the napkin from simply a folded cloth to a
folded art object occurred in the 16th century in Florence, Italy around the
same as voluminous clothing, such as ballooned sleeves, had become fashionable
among the wealthy. Rather than simply laying a tablecloth flat on a table,
starched linens were folded into large centerpieces, called
"triumphs," that could depict a variety of real and mythical animals,
natural elements and architectural forms. A popular gift wedding guests
received during this time was a personally folded napkin that distinguished
whether they were related to the bride or groom. In the mid-18th century, table
setting practices were so specific that in Germany there were particular
traditions on how to fold napkins, display figures at the table and arrange
plate. During this golden age of napkin folding, there was a school in
Nuremberg devoted entirely to this art and butlers had shelves of instructional
books to keep up with the changes in the field. Napkin folding in the form of
table sculptures began being replaced by porcelain decorations during the 18th
century.
Basic napkin folding tips
- Always work on a clean, dry surface when making napkin folds.
- Most designs call for a square napkin. If using a large paper napkin that is not square, trim one edge to make it square.
- Always use clean well starched pressed napkins for folding.
- After each fold press it by hand so that it won’t unfold immediately.
Bibliography
(2017, june 23). Retrieved july 22,
2019, from phdessey: https://phdessay.com/history-of-napkin-folding/
(2018,
april 5). Retrieved July 22, 2019, from Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napkin_folding
Singh, D.
R. (2010). Napkin folding. Delhi: Aman publication.
This article is contributed by Sam K.Eldhose (2016-2020 batch) of SJIHMCT who was one among the 12 to achieve the feat of making 145 napkin folds in 3 mins.37 secs. 96 milli secs. on 13th of June 2018 making the way to Limca Book of Records.
Comments
Post a Comment