To my understanding, non-western societies typically eat from communal dishes, whereas westerners are accustomed to having individual servings, particularly when dining out. How did this convention develop? Thanks!
To my understanding, non-western societies typically eat from communal dishes, whereas westerners are accustomed to having individual servings,
This is a misconception, actually. Western society used to be all about communal food.
Communal dishes used to be de rigueur in formal European settings. Up until the 19th century, the prevailing formal dining practice was service à la française. Meals were divided into three (or, more unusually, four) courses, with at least eight dishes per course (although on special occasions it could be as many as 96 dishes per course!).^(1) The typical formal dinner comprised
"three services [courses]: soups, removes (dishes 'exchanging' with others) and entrées (dishes making an 'entrance') belonged to the first; roasts and entremets ('between' or side dishes) to the second; desserts to the third"^(2)
But in 1810, Alexander Kurakin — Russia's ambassador in Paris — introduced what would become known as service à la Russe (Russian-style service), in which the various dishes in a meal are brought out separately and served to each individual seated at the table. Although slow to catch on at first, by the middle of the century it had caught on in high society and amongst the nobility not just in France but in a number of major European countries. While the mechanics are somewhat different, the service à la russe is nonetheless the basis of formal dining service as we understand it today.
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