Silver Salad Servers

Salad was popularised across Europe through the expansion of the Ancient Greek and Ancient Roman empires. Using leafy greens, herbs, and oils, salads evolved into a wide range of styles, easily encompassing every course of a meal today. Salads are typically split into two categories: composed salads and tossed salads.

Composed salads are arranged on the plate in a specific way, intended to appear aesthetically appealing. These salads only became popular as ‘proper’ dining etiquette rose to prominence. The most typical salads are tossed salads. In these salads, the ingredients of a salad are tossed together with a dressing, and for these salads, salad servers were an essential. Early salad servers were made from wood, even being as simple as twigs that were suitably-shaped for both tossing and serving the salad.

As salad became a popular dish with the social elite – even being eaten by Mary and Queen of Scots – salad servers were made from more luxurious materials, mainly from the late 18th century onwards. Silver salad servers comprise of a large spoon (gravy spoon size) and a fork of similar stature and shape. The forks often have the same shape to the spoon bowl, with the addition of at least five prongs. Their designs are mostly simple, with one piece having a shallow bowl and the other having small prongs that allow a firm grip during the serving process.

Today, salad servers haven’t changed much in their design. The combination of practicality and the beauty of the craftsmanship that went into the production of antique silver salad servers makes them a popular choice for those looking to get into antique collecting.