A
“hamper” is not specifically an item used to transport or contain food, though
its general English usage normally denotes this. In fact, a hamper is simply
any wicker basket or container with a wide mouth, normally accessed through a
flap or shallow lid at the top. The term has an agricultural derivation – a
field hamper was, and still is, a large meshwork receptacle hung from the back
of a tractor or truck, which is used to carry large volumes of harvested crops.
Often a field hamper is used to carry fruit crops, which need to breathe so
they do not begin to ferment under the weight and heat of their siblings.
It
is interesting to note that the phrase “to hamper” (as in, to hinder or make
difficult) may derive from the size and weight of a filled hamper. Cleary the
manipulation and easy transport of a full wicker container, particularly an
agriculturally sized one, will slow the person or vehicle doing the moving.
In
modern usage, the term hamper is almost exclusively applied to food and
laundry. The elements necessary for something to be a hamper are: that it is
manufactured from wicker; that it possesses adequate ventilation to keep
whatever is inside in the state it was in when it went in; and that it have a
flat or shallow lid opening and closing at the top.
The
use of the hamper as a food receptacle stems from this ventilated quality. The
smells of food in a hamper are allowed to dissipate naturally, thus sparing the
hamper’s user from being hit with a noxious waft when he or she opens the
basket. Aeration may also help to prevent food items from sweating or beginning
to degrade.
There
are two essential modern uses of the food hamper – one as a picnic basket and
the other as luxury food hampers. There is some crossover between the two,
though increasingly the concept of a luxury food hamper is more that of a range
of delicacies held in a single wicker package than it is of the rich person’s
ready meal – which is essentially what the picnic hamper started life as.
A
picnic hamper differs from luxury food hampers in that it contains all the
hardware necessary to eat a meal out of doors; and is generally stocked with a
quantity of different dishes suited to creating a whole repast from beginning
to end. Normally, the crockery and cutlery for such a meal is strapped into the
shallow lid of the hamper – which may in some variations be detached from the
wicker basket beneath, upturned and used as a basic table tray.
A
hamper may be divided into compartments by the use of flat trays within it; or
by segmenting the body of the basket into smaller areas. This is useful where
bottles and food items are transported together.
Luxury
food hampers, on the other hand, tend to be presentation items containing a
number of complementary for seasonal comestibles. These may include both food
and drink, and may either be designed to represent a single meal or to deliver
a themed part of a meal – for example port and a selection of cheeses. Luxury
food hampers may appear in a number of sizes and layouts, from simple small
ones to full feasts.
Author: Christine is
a food writer. She is currently designing luxury food hampers for a number of
well-known department stores.