Dear Etiquetteer:
My husband and I recently started collecting sterling sugar shakers from the 18th and 19th centuries, quite by accident as we thought our first was actually a salt shaker! We’ve fallen in love with them but don’t know when it’s appropriate to use them. We recently saw them displayed on the dining table during dessert in the goodbye dinner for the Countess Olenska in The Age of Innocence. We’d love to start using them; can you help?
Dear Shakin’:
With pleasure! A sugar shaker — more properly called a sugar caster — was created to shake granulated or powdered sugar over food at the table. (This is where the term “caster sugar” comes from.) What distinguishes them from salt and pepper shakers is the higher, and often more elaborate, dome. According to Wikipedia, when they first came along in the late 17th century, they would have come as a set with containers for other table condiments: salt, pepper, vinegar, oil, and mayonnaise. You’ll find a great deal more information here at AC Silver.
It’s interesting to observe how table fashions change. These days the standard table condiments at home* are salt, pepper, and butter; oil and vinegar may show up with the salad (and oil possibly with the rolls), but their appearance isn’t guaranteed, and mayonnaise isn’t even a dim voice crying in the wilderness. (Now that Etiquetteer has said this, let’s see how many readers reply with condiments they use all the time that Etiquetteer neglected to mention.)
To prevent confusion — no one wants a sugary steak — you may wish to bring your sugar caster to the table only when required, for dessert. They seem to have been used most often for fresh berries (sometimes the best desserts are the simplest), but your own culinary research may yield new information.
You may be interested to know that the function of a sugar caster was also filled by a small pierced ladle or spoon called a sugar sifter. Etiquetteer has one, and demonstrated its use back in Volume 15.
Etiquetteer wishes you joy in collecting, both sugar casters and dinner guests who appreciate them.
*Obviously in restaurants ketchup and mustard show up regularly on tables.