[Sca-cooks] Nef revisited

[James Prescott]

Greetings,

This list has in the past occasionally discussed the origin
and meaning of the word 'nef'.


I was looking through Larousse Gastronomique (the 1961 English
translation) and tripped across the word 'nef' on page 95.

It's out of period, referring to the luncheon meals of Louis XIV,
but is still interesting.

Here's the quote:

"Then followed a gentleman-in-waiting, the general controller
of the household, and other gentlemen of less exalted rank,
preceding the clerks of the kitchen carrying plates, the _nef_,
or a basket in which knives, spoons, forks, toothpicks, salt,
ginger, pepper, saffron and all the oriental spices were kept."

There's another mention on the next page:

"While one of the ushers went to announce to the king the arrival
of his meal, the Lord Steward bowed to the _nef_ (the cutlery
basket) which had been placed on the table, then took the napkins
out of it which a gentleman-in-waiting received between two gold
plates."

There's a further mention on page 97 in connection with Louis XV.


Reference:

Montagne, P.  Larousse Gastronomique.  First edition 1938.
Translated and edited by N. Froud et al.  Paul Hamlyn.  1961.


Thorvald