Wooden plates and bowls

Wooden plates and bowls are among humanity’s oldest everyday objects – and anyone who has ever held one in their hands understands why: the weight, the grain and the scent of fresh wood cannot be replaced by any other material. Whether for a medieval camp, LARP events or your dining table at home – here you’ll find turned bowls, hand-carved bowls and flat wooden plates made from beech, lime, cherry and more.

Wooden plates and bowls: shapes, types and uses

The range of wooden tableware can be broadly divided into four basic shapes: flat wooden plates, deep wooden bowls, molln (traditional wooden troughs) and chopping boards. Each shape serves a different purpose – and thinking about this before you buy will save you hassle later on.

Flat wooden plates – round or oval, with a diameter of 24 to 31 cm depending on the model – are ideal for solid food at medieval markets or as a draining board in a military camp. Deep turned bowls made of beech hold soups, stews or porridge, making them the classic camp cookingware. The moll, a flatter oval trough made of aspen or lime, is traditionally the most versatile kitchen utensil: for kneading, washing, sorting and storing. Cherry wood chopping boards complete the kitchen range.

There are three main methods of production: turned (machine-turned on a lathe, precisely round), hand-hewn/carved (organic shape with visible tool marks) and sawn/milled (industrial standard for simple everyday tableware). Hand-hewn and turned pieces are particularly sought after for medieval markets and re-enactments, as they most closely resemble historical craftsmanship. You’ll also find wooden spoons, ladles and cooking spoons in the shop, as well as matching cutlery sets for a complete table setting.

A comparison of wood types: beech, lime, cherry, aspen & co.

The choice of wood type significantly influences both the appearance and the suitability for everyday use of a plate or bowl. If you’re wondering which wood is best suited for making bowls – that is, for turning or hollowing out bowls and troughs – you’ll find an overview here:

Beech and cherry are best suited for turning bowls: both turn cleanly and take on a good finish. Lime is the wood of choice for hand-carved work – its relative softness makes it manageable for carving knives and chisels without the finished piece becoming unstable.

Turned, hand-carved, unglued – what goes into the production?

Woodturning is the quickest and most precise method: a block of wood rotates on the lathe whilst a gouge carves out the round shape. The result is a uniformly round, smoothly sanded bowl or a plate with an exact diameter. For stock management at the medieval market, this means: plates stack well, bowls fit into transport crates.

Hand-carving and sculpting follow a different logic: the craftsman works directly into the wood using a mallet and gouge or a carving knife. The shape becomes organic, never quite symmetrical – and historically speaking, that is precisely the norm. Visible tool marks on the inner surface of a bowl are not a flaw, but a hallmark of genuine craftsmanship and, as such, highly sought after by re-enactors. The hand-hewn lime wood bowls with handles in our range illustrate this principle particularly clearly.

The term ‘unlaminated’ refers to chopping boards made from a single solid piece of wood – no plywood, no laminated wood, no veneer. This is particularly relevant for chopping boards: laminated boards can swell or delaminate due to frequent contact with water and the mechanical stress of chopping. An unglued solid cherry wood board, on the other hand, will last significantly longer if it is regularly oiled. The range also includes hand-turned, one-of-a-kind bowls made in Bavaria – proof that regional woodcraft is still alive and well in this category.

Which wooden bowl or plate suits your needs?

Is it worth buying wooden bowls? Definitely yes – provided you choose the right model for your specific use. The following guide will help you decide:

Care and cleaning: How do you keep wooden tableware looking good for a long time?

How do you clean a wooden bowl properly? The answer is simple: do not put it in the dishwasher. The combination of heat, steam and aggressive detergent causes the wood to crack, swell and turn grey. Instead: wash briefly with lukewarm water and a mild washing-up liquid, then dry immediately and do not leave to soak in water.

The second important step in care is regular oiling. Dry wood shrinks and cracks – small cracks are almost always caused by a lack of moisture in the material, not by mechanical stress. Linseed oil or a food-safe wood butter (such as that already used as a pre-treatment for the ‘traditional wooden bowls’ from Bavaria, for example) nourishes the wood from within, keeps the pores closed and preserves the natural surface. Varnish is not an alternative for wooden tableware that comes into contact with food – natural surfaces treated with oil are the right choice here.

As a rule of thumb: oil the wood about two to three times a year, or more often if used frequently. A piece cared for in this way will last for many years – and develop a beautiful patina over time.

Wooden tableware for medieval markets, military camps and LARP: what matters?

At medieval markets and in military camps, the requirements are different from those at home. Durability and portability are paramount: flat plates stack neatly to save space, bowls made from aspen and lime wood withstand knocks well, and hand-hewn pieces tolerate rough handling better than thin-walled turned items. Anyone who sets up and takes down their stall or camp every day will appreciate tableware that doesn’t break if it happens to fall on the ground.

When it comes to historical authenticity, hand-carved pieces with visible tool marks look more authentic than machine-made ones. The experienced re-enactor’s eye recognises the difference – and even the interested market visitor subconsciously notices the quality of the tableware. Combined with matching medieval cutlery and a medieval spoon, this creates a harmonious table setting.

Anyone wishing to expand their range of wooden tableware will find complementary categories in the shop: wooden ladles, cooking spoons and more for the kitchen, wooden spoons for the table, cooperage items such as barrels and buckets, as well as birch bark containers as additional storage accessories. Hand-carved, one-of-a-kind pieces of regional origin are certainly worth collecting – bowls attributed to a master craftsman or featuring particularly distinctive grain gain character and value over time.

Whether you’re looking for a flat wooden plate for quick use in camp or a hand-carved limewood bowl as the centrepiece of your table setting – browse through the range and find the piece that suits your needs. If you have any questions about the right type of wood or care, you can contact the Vehi Mercatus team directly by phone.

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