Potluck

For other uses, see Pot luck (disambiguation).

Not to be confused with Potlatch.

An assorted spread of different dishes at a potluck in Alberta, Canada

A potluck is a communal gathering where each guest or group contributes a different, often homemade, dish of food to be shared.

Other names for a "potluck" include: potluck dinner, pitch-in, shared lunch, spread, faith supper, carry-in dinner,^[1] covered-dish-supper,^[2] fuddle, Jacob's Join,^[3] bring a plate,^[4] pot-providence and fellowship meal.

Etymology

The modern execution of a "communal meal, where guests bring their own food to share with others", most likely originated in the 1930s during the Great Depression.^[5] It is a respelling of the Chinook jargon word for a communal meal, potlatch (meaning "to give away"), which has been a common tradition among the North American indigenous people for centuries.

Description

Various Korean dishes at a potluck

Potluck dinners are events where attendees bring a dish to a meal.^[6] The only traditional rule is that each dish be large enough to be shared among a good portion of the anticipated guests. Guests may bring in any form of food, ranging from the main course to desserts.^[7].

See also

• Food portal

• Buffet
• Free lunch
• Pampa mesa

References

1. "carry-in dinner". Dictionary of American Regional English.
2. "Definition of COVERED-DISH SUPPER". www.merriam-webster.com.
3. "World Wide Words: Jacob's Join". www.worldwidewords.org.
4. "What does it mean when you're asked to 'bring a plate'?". Food. 2021-07-09. Retrieved 2022-10-13.
5. Flora, Martin. "Potluck Meal Innovation Due to Depression: Guests Chip in With Part of Dinner", Chicago Tribune, Chicago, 27 January 1933. Retrieved on 5 March 2017.
6. "Potluck Dinner Party Rules for Both Host and Guest". Bon Appétit. 2013-10-29. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
7. Brown-Micko, Julie (30 October 2015). "Culinary Curiosities: What's the History of the Potluck". foodservicenews.net. Retrieved 2023-04-19.