Plate (dishware) facts for kids
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A plate is a flat dish used to serve and eat food. While most plates are round, they can come in many shapes and be made from different materials. Plates usually have slightly raised edges to keep food from falling off. If a dish is very deep or has no raised edge, it's often called a bowl instead. Plates are an important part of tableware, and people have used plates made of wood, pottery, and metal for thousands of years in many parts of the world.
In many cultures, including those in the Western world, plates are the main way we serve and eat food. However, if food has a lot of liquid, like soup, we use a bowl instead. Interestingly, some cultures in South Asia and Southeast Asia use special leaf plates. These are made from large leaves, like banana leaf or pandan leaf. In East Asia, people sometimes use parts of the bamboo plant, such as bamboo leaves or even bamboo shoot skin, as natural plates.
Contents
What is a Plate?
Plates have a few main parts. The well is the flat bottom where your food sits. Around the well, many plates have a slightly raised edge called the lip. This lip helps keep food from sliding off. The very edge of the plate is called the rim, which is sometimes decorated. The base is the bottom of the plate that rests on the table.
Different cultures have different plate designs. For example, traditional Chinese plates often curve up gently at the edges instead of having a wide, flat lip like many European plates. A completely flat plate, often made of wood and used for dry foods, is sometimes called a trencher.
What Are Plates Made Of?
Plates are made from many different materials. The most common are ceramics, like porcelain and earthenware. You might also find plates made of glass, wood, or metal. Sometimes, even stone has been used!
Long ago, fancy materials like porcelain were only for very rich people. Today, many families can afford beautiful porcelain plates. In some parts of the world, strong and affordable metal plates are very popular.
For picnics or parties, we often use disposable plates. These are made from plastic or paper and are meant to be used just once. They were first invented in 1904. Other modern materials like melamine resin or tempered glass are also used because they are durable.
Different Kinds of Plates
Over time, plates have grown bigger! Since the year 1000 AD, the size of a typical dinner plate has increased by about 65%.
Today, there are many types of plates, each with a special job:
- Dinner plates are the largest plates you use for your main meal. They are usually about 9 to 13 inches (23 to 33 cm) wide.
- Dessert plates are smaller, around 8 inches (20 cm) wide, perfect for sweets or appetizers.
- A side plate (or bread and butter plate) is even smaller, about 6 to 7 inches (15 to 18 cm). It's great for bread or a small snack.
- Salad plates are usually 7 to 8.5 inches (18 to 22 cm) wide. Some are even shaped like a crescent moon to fit next to your dinner plate!
- A saucer is a small plate, about 6 inches (15 cm) wide, with a dip in the middle to hold a teacup or coffee cup.
- Soup plates are deeper than regular plates, with a wide rim. They are perfect for soup or even some desserts.
- Platters are very large serving plates. They hold food for many people, which can then be shared at the table.
Plates come in all sorts of shapes and colors. While most dinner plates are round and often white, you can find square plates, especially for foods like sushi. Some plates are even a mix of square and round, called a Squircle! Many families buy sets of matching plates so their table looks neat and tidy.
Plates for Special Occasions
Some plates are not for eating at all! Decorative plates are made to be displayed, like art. They might celebrate a special event or show a beautiful design.
A charger plate is a very large, fancy plate placed under your dinner plate. It's mostly for decoration and to make the table look elegant, especially at formal dinners. You don't usually eat directly from a charger plate.
Plates as Collectibles
For hundreds of years, people have loved collecting beautiful plates. Long ago, fancy Chinese porcelain plates were highly valued in places like the Islamic world and Europe. These plates even inspired European artists to create their own beautiful pottery.
When Europeans learned how to make porcelain in the 1700s, kings and queens continued to collect and show off these special plates. For a long time, only wealthy people could afford them.
Later, in 1895, a Danish company called Bing & Grøndahl made the first 'collector's plate' called 'Behind the Frozen Window'. These were special plates made in limited numbers. Soon, Christmas plates became very popular, with companies like Royal Copenhagen making new designs every year starting in 1910.
Gallery
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Gallo-Roman silver plates in the Gallo-Roman Museum of Lyon-Fourvière (Lyon, France)
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A 19th-century Meissen porcelain soup plate.
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A Spode plate from Stoke-on-Trent, England, circa 1792-94.
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Vitreous enamel on metal.
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A steel plate.
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A geometric plate from the Seuso Treasure.
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A Romanian decorative plate featuring a traditional model.
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A Persian plate or dish featuring a king hunting.
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A typical paper plate.
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A late 19th-century wooden plate from Kungälv municipality, Sweden.
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A collectible plate from World War I-era France, featuring portraits of Poincaré, George V, Nicholas II and Albert I.
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A Christmas 1937 plate by Königliche Porzellan Manufaktur, Berlin.
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See also
In Spanish: Plato para niños
