What Is A Finger Bowl And How Do You Use It?

We've debunked this fussy old table etiquette practice and concluded that you can leave the bowls behind.

First things first: How many out there have ever eaten a meal with a finger bowl present? A quick and informal poll of my well-mannered officemates and friends concluded that zero of them have ever shared a dinner table with this puzzling little water-filled bowl. (Editor's note: All poll participants were under 45 years of age.) So what is a finger bowl and what is it used for? Should you ever find yourself at a formal dinner with finger bowls for guests to use, you’ll want to know how to use them properly.

To find out what all the finger bowl fuss is about, I called the culinary antiques specialist Patrick Dunne, who wrote the book The Epicurean Collector and owns New Orleans' famous Lucullus Antiques, for help and guidance on all manners related to table etiquette. Dunne has used a finger bowl while he was a child in Louisiana and shared his expertise on where finger bowls came from and how to use them.

Meet The Expert

Patrick Dunne is the owner of Lucullus Antiques in New Orleans, Louisiana.

What Is A Finger Bowl?

Finger bowls were small, typically glass, and provided to diners between the main course and dessert course to cleanse the fingers. While they were once a mainstay at fancy restaurants, they generally went out of vogue after World War I because of government rationing orders and concerns about hygiene.

Why Were Finger Bowls Used?

Forks didn't appear in Western Europe until the end of the 17th century, and they didn't achieve mainstream popularity until the early portion of the 19th century (the first Thanksgiving dinner probably didn't involve forks). Therefore, people had a legitimate need to wash their hands before and after meals. From Ancient Roman times until the introduction of the fork, diners passed around a large, water-filled bowl and a towel to wash their hands.

When Did Individual Finger Bowls Become Common?

Around the rise of the Victorian times, forks and napkins were common on the tables of the masses. The class, etiquette, and object-obsessed Victorians imposed a stringent set of rules to govern the tables of the upper classes. One such rule was the use of the individual finger bowl. If someone didn't know how to proceed with the finger bowl at the dinner table, then it could be assumed that he wasn't brought up by the same well-mannered types as his dinner companions. Coincidentally, the last places spotted using the finger bowl included Ireland, England, and the American South, three places renowned for respecting table manners. According to Dunne though, the practice completely fell off the Southern social radar in the mid-1950s.

How To Use A Finger Bowl Properly

Though not very likely today, if you’re faced with a finger bowl at a fancy dinner, you don’t want to risk using it incorrectly and not being invited back. Here’s what to do: Gently dip all five fingertips of one hand into the water at the same time, and dry the hand with your napkin as discreetly as possible. Repeat with the other hand. The bowl may have a floating lemon slice or flower for decoration–leave it alone. Set the finger bowl to the top left of your dinner plate (near the bread plate). Enjoy dessert.

What To Do With Old Finger Bowls

Dunne has a few collections of finger bowls, including his great aunt's silver-scalloped ones and a great set of blue glass bowls. Now, he uses them to serve sauces and olives. If you're looking for finger bowls to collect, Dunne recommends Irish and British-made bowls.

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Read the original article on Southern Living.