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,
Etymology
The word
pot-lucke appears in the 16th-century English work of
Thomas Nashe discussing wine,
and in his play "Summer's Last Will and Testament", spoken in a dialogue concerning wine. The modern execution of a "communal meal, where guests bring their own food", most likely originated in the 1930s during the
Great Depression.
[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.]
Some speakers believe that it is an eggcorn of the North American indigenous communal meal known as a potlatch (meaning "to give away"). There are others who acknowledge the mixed traditions of Potluck.
Description
Potluck dinners are events where the attendees bring a dish to a meal.
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
.
See also
