An assorted spread of different dishes at a church potluck with the desserts in the foreground

A potluck is a communal gathering where each guest or group contributes a different, often homemade, dish of food to be shared.

Other names for a "potluck" include: potluck dinner, pitch-in, shared lunch, spread, faith supper, carry-in dinner,^[1] covered-dish-supper,^[2] fuddle, Jacob's Join,^[3] and fellowship meal.

Etymology

While there exists some disagreement as to the origin of the English term, two principal theories exist: that it is the deliberate combination of the English words pot and luck, or that it is an eggcorn of the North American indigenous communal meal known as a potlatch (meaning "to give away").^{[citation needed]}

The word pot-luck appears in the 16th century English work of Thomas Nashe, and used to mean "food provided for an unexpected or uninvited guest, the luck of the pot".^[4] The modern execution of a "communal meal, where guests bring their own food", most likely originated in the 1930s during the Depression.^[5]

Description

Potluck dinners are events where the attendees bring a dish to a meal. Potluck dinners are often organized by religious or community groups, since they simplify the meal planning and distribute the costs among the participants. Smaller, more informal get-togethers with distributed food preparation may also be called potlucks. The only traditional rule is that each dish be large enough to be shared among a good portion (but not necessarily all) of the anticipated guests. In some cases each participant agrees ahead of time to bring a single course, and the result is a multi-course meal. This agreement rectifies the problem of many participants bringing the same dish. Guests may bring in any form of food, ranging from the main course to desserts.