Customs of food and drink

The customs around eating and drinking: feasts, fasts, hosting and ceremony. Not recipes.

EveryParampara follows the customs around food, not the dishes: the blessing before a meal, the order in which guests are served, the feast that marks a day, the fast and how it is broken, the ceremony of pouring tea. A named food appears here only where it has a role in the custom, such as the sweet offered at a shrine or the bread broken at a Sabbath table. For dishes, recipes and cuisines, see Thali, our food guide.

Meals as rituals

Many meals are ritual in themselves: the Passover seder follows a script, the iftar ends a day of fasting with a prayer, a wedding feast has toasts in a set order. EveryParampara lists these by country and by meal, with the dates where the day moves each year.

Manners at the table

Table customs vary widely: eating with the right hand, sharing a single dish, waiting for the eldest to begin, leaving a little on the plate or clearing it entirely. A guest learns the rules by watching, and a host will forgive mistakes. Behind the rules is a simple idea: the meal is a way of showing respect.

About this page

Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Background on Customs of food and drink (kind of tradition). Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.

🇮🇹 Naples, Italy and 5 moreCaffè sospeso An anonymous gift of a paid cup of coffee for a stranger in needTable custom · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies 🇨🇳 ChinaHong Kong tea culture Morning tea with dim sum and milk tea through the day, in Hong Kong's teahousesTable custom · Breakfast

🇲🇾 Malaysia and 4 moreKopitiam A neighbourhood coffee shop where Southeast Asians share meals, drinks and newsTable custom · Breakfast

🇻🇺 Port Vila, VanuatuNakamal A traditional meeting house in Vanuatu for community gatherings and the drinking of kava.Ceremony · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies

🇷🇺 Tula, Russia and 3 moreSamovarсамовар A heated urn that brews tea for a slow, sociable pour, from Russia to Iran and KashmirTable custom · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies

🇦🇿 Azerbaijan and 1 moreArmudu tea glassArmudu stəkan A pear-shaped glass used in Azerbaijan to serve and drink black tea.Table custom · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies 🇱🇨 Saint Lucia and 1 moreJounen Kwéyòl A day of Creole food, music and dress in Saint Lucia and Dominica, kept each OctoberFestival · Feasts and festival meals

🇹🇼 Taipei, TaiwanNight markets in Taiwan夜市 Street markets that open at sunset across Taiwan, selling snacks, drinks and goodsTable custom · Tea-time and snacking customs

🇮🇹 Naples, ItalyCaffè Italy's daily coffee habit: espresso taken standing at the bar, and moka coffee at homeTable custom · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies

🇨🇳 Chaozhou, China and 1 moreGongfu tea工夫茶 A skilled Chinese method of brewing tea in small teaware with precise heat and timingTable custom · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies

🇨🇳 Yixing, ChinaYixing clay teapot紫砂 Handcrafted Chinese purple clay teapots that season with every brewCraft · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies

🇯🇵 Kyoto, Japan and 4 moreHanami花見 A Japanese spring custom of gathering under blooming cherry trees to eat, drink, and celebrate the fleeting beauty of thFestival · Lunch

🇩🇪 Nuremberg, Germany and 5 moreChristmas marketWeihnachtsmarkt A seasonal street market held during Advent in German-speaking regions and beyond, featuring stalls, food, and crafts.Festival · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies

🇪🇸 Spain and 1 moreTapasTapa Small Spanish snacks or appetizers served hot or cold, often shared among friends.Table custom · Tea-time and snacking customs

🇯🇵 Kyoto, JapanHinamatsuri雛祭り A March festival in Japan where families display ornamental dolls to pray for the health and happiness of young girls.Festival · Sweets given and shared

🇾🇪 Mokha, Yemen and 7 moreArabic coffeeqahwa (Arabic: قهوة) A bitter, spiced brew served as a gesture of hospitality across the Arab world.Table custom · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies

🇯🇵 Tokyo, JapanSetsubun節分 A Japanese ritual of throwing roasted soybeans to banish evil spirits and welcome spring.Festival · Feasts and festival meals

🇺🇦 Kyiv, UkraineChristmas in UkraineРіздво (Rizdvo) A Ukrainian Christmas celebration with a twelve-dish vegan supper on Christmas Eve and observance on January 6 or DecembFestival · Supper

🇨🇳 Xi'an, ChinaChinese tea culture中国茶文化 (Zhōngguó chá wénhuà) A centuries-old practice of cultivating, brewing, and sharing tea as a social and spiritual ritual in China.Table custom · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies

🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreTwelfth Night The closing evening of the Christmas season, kept with cake, carols and wassailSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals

🇮🇳 Puri, IndiaAkshaya Tritiyaअक्षय तृतीया (Akṣaya Tṛtīyā) A spring festival of lasting prosperity observed by Hindus and Jains in India.Festival · Feasts and festival meals

🇨🇳 China and 5 moreTea culture How tea is prepared, shared and served, from Chinese tea houses to Tibetan butter teaTable custom · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies

🇮🇩 Indonesia and 4 moreLebaranHari Raya Lebaran Indonesia's festive season of homecoming, seeking forgiveness and shared feastsFestival · Breakfast

🇸🇪 SwedenJul A midwinter holiday of feast tables, doorstep gift givers, and candlelit morningsSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals

🇨🇭 Vevey, SwitzerlandFête des Vignerons A once-in-a-generation wine festival and arena spectacle in Vevey, SwitzerlandFestival · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies

🇮🇳 IndiaMagh Bihu A harvest festival of bonfires, feasts and winter games in AssamSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals

🇯🇵 Kyoto, JapanJapanese tea ceremony茶道 (Sadō / Chadō), 茶の湯 (Chanoyu) The formal serving of powdered matcha, shaped by Zen, Shinto and wabiTable custom · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies

🇹🇷 Van, TurkeyTurkish breakfastkahvaltı A long, shared Turkish morning meal of many small dishes, sweet and savoury, with teaTable custom · Breakfast

🇱🇾 LibyaLibyan tea A strong boiled tea in small glasses, served in three foam-topped roundsTable custom · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies

🇩🇿 AlgeriaMawlid in Algeriaيوم المولد النبوي The Prophet Muhammad's birthday celebration in Algeria with family feasts and prayersFestival · Feasts and festival meals

🇩🇰 DenmarkJul Winter feasts, carols around the tree, and family gatherings across DenmarkFestival · Lunch

🇪🇸 Seville, SpainSeville FairFeria de Abril de Sevilla A week-long spring festival in Seville of carriage parades, marquee tents and dancingFestival · Dinner

🇸🇪 Sweden and 2 moreGlögg A spiced, warm winter wine served across Nordic countries around ChristmasTable custom · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies

🇷🇺 Russia and 1 moreRussian tea culture The everyday cup of Russia, brewed strong and diluted to taste, with jam and sweetsTable custom · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies

🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreElevenses A short mid-morning pause for a drink and a small bite, kept in many countriesTable custom · Tea-time and snacking customs

🇨🇳 Guangzhou, China and 1 moreDim sum點心 (traditional Chinese), 点心 (simplified Chinese) Small dishes shared with tea, eaten as brunch in Cantonese teahouses and restaurantsTable custom · Breakfast

🇬🇪 Tbilisi, GeorgiaSupraსუფრა A Georgian feast led by a toastmaster, where toasts, wine and food carry the mealTable custom · Feasts and festival meals

🇨🇳 China and 5 moreYum cha飲茶 A Cantonese breakfast of dim sum and tea, eaten slowly in large groupsTable custom · Breakfast

🇸🇪 Sweden and 3 moreCrayfish partykräftskiva Boiled crayfish, snaps and paper lanterns at a late-summer party in Sweden and FinlandTable custom · Feasts and festival meals

🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreTailgate party Grilling, sharing and drinking beside a car before the game, mostly in North AmericaTable custom · Feasts and festival meals

🇹🇷 Istanbul, TurkeyTurkish tea culture Two stacked pots, tulip glasses, and a choice of strong or weak tea in TurkeyTable custom · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies

🇦🇹 Vienna, AustriaViennese coffee house cultureWiener Kaffeehauskultur A Viennese social ritual where patrons linger for hours with a single coffee and newspapers.Etiquette · Tea-time and snacking customs

🇰🇷 South KoreaKorean tea ceremony다례 (茶禮) Tea served in Korea as a rite of courtesy, now mostly grain and herbal brewsTable custom · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies

🇵🇾 Paraguay and 3 moreTereré Paraguay's cold yerba mate drink, passed around in one cup with a metal strawTable custom · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies

🇮🇷 Mashhad, Iran and 7 moreIftarإفطار The sunset meal that breaks the Ramadan fast, eaten with family and communityTable custom · Fasting and breaking the fast

🇮🇱 IsraelKiddushקידוש A blessing over wine or grape juice that marks Shabbat and festivals as holySpiritual · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies

🇨🇳 Lhasa, China and 5 moreButter teaབོད་ཇ་ A salted tea churned with yak butter, served to guests across the HimalayaTable custom · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies

🇬🇧 London, United Kingdom and 4 moreAfternoon tea A late-afternoon spread of tea, small sandwiches and cakes, kept across BritainTable custom · Tea-time and snacking customs

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

Christmas in Ukraine: Halyna Kuchmanych, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Tea culture: Georges Seguin ( Okki ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Turkish breakfast: MustafaERTAN, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Hanami: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Hinamatsuri: Lalupa, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Libyan tea: Abdulgahniessadi, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Chinese tea culture: Gary Stevens, CC BY 2.0, source
Jul: Holger.Ellgaard, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Setsubun: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Lebaran: Nurudin Jauhari, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Fête des Vignerons: "Groupement des photographes officiels" / Fête des vignerons Vevey / S, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Akshaya Tritiya: Fgndgndgnr, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Night markets in Taiwan: Henry M. Trotter, Public domain, source
Mawlid in Algeria: Hammiche Hakim, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Caffè: Visitor7, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Jul: Erik Christensen, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Seville Fair: Sevilla Congress & Convention Bureau, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Glögg: Mr.choppers, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Magh Bihu: Diganta Talukdar, CC BY 2.0, source
Twelfth Night: Hablot Knight Browne: scanned by Steven J Plunkett, Public domain, source
Russian tea culture: Boris Kustodiev, Public domain, source
Gongfu tea: Kandukuru Nagarjun, CC BY 2.0, source
Yixing clay teapot: Commonsenses, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Caffè sospeso: Bex Walton, CC BY 2.0, source
Arabic coffee: Canbel, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Elevenses: Sam Hood, Public domain, source
Tapas: Elemaki, CC BY 3.0, source
Kopitiam: Chongkian, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Nakamal: Phillip Capper, CC BY 2.0, source
Christmas market: Dietmar Rabich, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Samovar: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Armudu tea glass: Interfase, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Japanese tea ceremony: Photograph taken by Stephane D'Alu ( en:User:Sdalu ) in April 2004, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Iftar: Shariful Islam (Masum), CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Kiddush: Dimitri, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Butter tea: Yosomono, CC BY 2.0, source
Afternoon tea: joyosity, CC BY 2.0, source
Dim sum: Kolumbusjogger, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Supra: Public domain Public domain false false This work is in the public dom, Public domain, source
Yum cha: Infomofo, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Crayfish party: Holger.Ellgaard, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Tailgate party: Ben Vardi, Public domain, source
Turkish tea culture: henribergius, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Viennese coffee house culture: Photo: Andreas Praefcke, CC BY 3.0, source
Korean tea ceremony: Mai-Linh Doan, CC BY-SA 1.0, source
Tereré: Genialnico, CC BY-SA 4.0, source