Potluck

What it is

A potluck table is unplanned by design. It tends to fill with food that travels well and can sit for a while: casseroles, pasta and potato salads, baked beans, stuffed eggs, fried chicken, slow-cooker dishes, pies, bars and sheet cakes. In the American Midwest the baked casserole is called a hotdish and is the classic contribution. The same custom has other names. It is a covered-dish supper in the American South, a bring-a-plate in Australia and New Zealand, and a Jacob's join in parts of northern England.

Where it comes from

The word potluck is old English and first meant the luck of the pot, whatever food happened to be ready when an unexpected guest arrived. The sense of a meal to which everyone contributes is North American and took hold in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, through church suppers, grange halls and community groups. It suited places where neighbours lived far apart and gathered rarely, and it remains strongly tied to congregations, schools and offices.

How it works

The host provides the place, plates, drinks and often one main dish. Guests are sometimes assigned a category, such as salad, main or dessert, so that the table is not all desserts. Dishes arrive ready to serve, with their own spoon. People line up, walk along the table and take a little of several things. Labels noting common allergens or whether a dish is vegetarian are increasingly expected. You take your own dish home at the end.

How to do it

1. Ask the host what is needed before deciding what to bring.
2. Bring enough for eight to ten small servings.
3. Bring it ready to eat, with a serving spoon.
4. Label it if it contains nuts, meat, dairy or gluten.
5. Collect your dish before you leave.

Good manners

• Do not arrive empty-handed unless the host has said to.
• Take small portions on the first pass so the food reaches everyone.
• Keep hot food hot and cold food cold on the way.

What is eaten

CasseroleA baked main dish of meat or vegetables bound with starch in a deep panPotato saladBoiled potatoes mixed with dressing, herbs, and vegetables, served cold or warmDeviled eggsHard-boiled eggs filled with a seasoned yolk mixture, served coldColeslawShredded raw cabbage salad with a creamy or tangy dressingBaked beansWhite beans slow-cooked in a sweet or savory sauce, often served hot or on toastJello saladA chilled salad of flavored gelatin set with fruit, vegetables, or other mix-insHotdishA baked casserole of starch, meat, vegetables and canned soup from the Upper MidwestSeven-layer saladA stacked American salad with seven colorful layers and a creamy topping

Also part of it, and being written: Macaroni salad.

Sources and further reading

• Potluck on Wikipedia
• USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service: Cooking for Groups