Larder
Encyclopedia
A larder is a cool area for storing food
prior to use.
Larders were commonplace in houses before the widespread use of the refrigerator
.
Essential qualities of a larder are that it should be:
In the northern hemisphere, most houses would arrange to have their larder and kitchen on the north or east side of the house where it received least amount of sun. In Australia
and New Zealand
larders were placed on the south or east sides of the house for the same reason.
Many larders have small unglazed windows with the window opening covered in fine mesh. This allows free circulation of air without allowing flies to enter. Many larders have tiled or painted walls to simplify cleaning. Older larders and especially those in larger houses have hooks in the ceiling to hang joints of meat or game. Others have insulated containers for ice, anticipating the future development of refrigerators
.
A pantry may contain a thrawl, which is a term used in Yorkshire
and Derbyshire
, and is a stone slab or shelf used to keep food cool in the days before refrigeration
was domestically available. In the late medieval hall, a thrawl would have been appropriate to a larder. In a large or moderately large nineteenth century house, all these rooms would have been placed as low in the building as possible, or as convenient, in order to use the mass of the ground to retain a low summer temperature. For this reason, a buttery
was usually called the cellar by this stage.
Very few modern houses have larders since this need is now satisfied by refrigerators, freezers, and by the convenience of modern grocery store
s that obviate the need to store food for long periods.
households the larder was an office responsible for meat
and fish
, as well as the room where these commodities were kept. It was headed by a larderer. The Scots
term for larder was the spencehttp://www.dsl.ac.uk/getent4.php?dtext=all&query=SPENCE, and so in Scotland larderers (also pantlers and cellarers) were known as spencer
s. This is one of the derivations of the modern surname.
The office generally was subordinated to the kitchen
, and only existed as a separate office in larger households. It was closely connected with other offices of the kitchen, such as the saucery
and the scullery
.
Larders were used in the Indus River Valley to store bones of oxen, sheep, and goats. These larders were made of large clay pots
Food
Food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. It is usually of plant or animal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals...
prior to use.
Larders were commonplace in houses before the widespread use of the refrigerator
Refrigerator
A refrigerator is a common household appliance that consists of a thermally insulated compartment and a heat pump that transfers heat from the inside of the fridge to its external environment so that the inside of the fridge is cooled to a temperature below the ambient temperature of the room...
.
Essential qualities of a larder are that it should be:
- as cool as possible
- close to food preparation areas
- constructed so as to exclude fliesHouseflyThe housefly , Musca domestica, is a fly of the suborder Cyclorrhapha...
and verminVerminVermin is a term applied to various animal species regarded by some as pests or nuisances and especially to those associated with the carrying of disease. Since the term is defined in relation to human activities, which species are included will vary from area to area and even person to person... - easy to keep clean
- equipped with shelves and cupboards appropriate to the food being stored.
In the northern hemisphere, most houses would arrange to have their larder and kitchen on the north or east side of the house where it received least amount of sun. In Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
larders were placed on the south or east sides of the house for the same reason.
Many larders have small unglazed windows with the window opening covered in fine mesh. This allows free circulation of air without allowing flies to enter. Many larders have tiled or painted walls to simplify cleaning. Older larders and especially those in larger houses have hooks in the ceiling to hang joints of meat or game. Others have insulated containers for ice, anticipating the future development of refrigerators
Refrigeration
Refrigeration is a process in which work is done to move heat from one location to another. This work is traditionally done by mechanical work, but can also be done by magnetism, laser or other means...
.
A pantry may contain a thrawl, which is a term used in Yorkshire
Yorkshire dialect and accent
The Yorkshire dialect refers to the varieties of English used in the Northern England historic county of Yorkshire. Those varieties are often referred to as Broad Yorkshire or Tyke. The dialect has roots in older languages such as Old English and Old Norse; it should not be confused with modern slang...
and Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
, and is a stone slab or shelf used to keep food cool in the days before refrigeration
Refrigeration
Refrigeration is a process in which work is done to move heat from one location to another. This work is traditionally done by mechanical work, but can also be done by magnetism, laser or other means...
was domestically available. In the late medieval hall, a thrawl would have been appropriate to a larder. In a large or moderately large nineteenth century house, all these rooms would have been placed as low in the building as possible, or as convenient, in order to use the mass of the ground to retain a low summer temperature. For this reason, a buttery
Buttery
Buttery may refer to:* Buttery , a savoury Scottish bread roll* Buttery , a storeroom for liquor*Buttery A service room in a large medieval household.* Buttery, a cafe that sells food and drinksPeople named Buttery:...
was usually called the cellar by this stage.
Very few modern houses have larders since this need is now satisfied by refrigerators, freezers, and by the convenience of modern grocery store
Grocery store
A grocery store is a store that retails food. A grocer, the owner of a grocery store, stocks different kinds of foods from assorted places and cultures, and sells these "groceries" to customers. Large grocery stores that stock products other than food, such as clothing or household items, are...
s that obviate the need to store food for long periods.
History
In medievalMiddle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
households the larder was an office responsible for meat
Meat
Meat is animal flesh that is used as food. Most often, this means the skeletal muscle and associated fat and other tissues, but it may also describe other edible tissues such as organs and offal...
and fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
, as well as the room where these commodities were kept. It was headed by a larderer. The Scots
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
term for larder was the spencehttp://www.dsl.ac.uk/getent4.php?dtext=all&query=SPENCE, and so in Scotland larderers (also pantlers and cellarers) were known as spencer
Spencer (surname)
The origin of the surname Spencer can be traced directly to Robert d'Abbetot who is listed as Robert le Dispenser, a tenant-in-chief of several counties, in the Domesday Book of 1086...
s. This is one of the derivations of the modern surname.
The office generally was subordinated to the kitchen
Kitchen
A kitchen is a room or part of a room used for cooking and food preparation.In the West, a modern residential kitchen is typically equipped with a stove, a sink with hot and cold running water, a refrigerator and kitchen cabinets arranged according to a modular design. Many households have a...
, and only existed as a separate office in larger households. It was closely connected with other offices of the kitchen, such as the saucery
Saucery
A saucery was the office in a medieval household responsible for sauces, as well as the room in which the preparation of sauces took place. It was headed by a saucerer. The office was subordinated to the kitchen, and only existed as a separate office in larger households. It was closely connected...
and the scullery
Scullery (room)
A scullery is a room in a house traditionally used for washing up dishes and laundering clothes, or as an overflow kitchen when the main kitchen is overloaded. Tasks performed in the scullery include cleaning dishes and cooking utensils , occasional kitchen work, ironing, boiling water for cooking...
.
Larders were used in the Indus River Valley to store bones of oxen, sheep, and goats. These larders were made of large clay pots