A “picnic” was originally a potluck social event and comes from the French word pique-nique. During the 19th century, picnics were associated with excursions and eaten outside in beautiful settings. It is believed that picnics evolved from the elaborate traditions of outdoor feasts enjoyed by the wealthy. Medieval hunting feasts, Victorian garden parties and Renaissance-era country banquets are the foundation for today's leisurely feast, the picnic. Picnics, as we know them today, date back to the middle of the 19th century.

Although the "grand picnic" is historically considered a European concept, there is evidence that other parts of the world engage in similar practices. Originally, the picnic was a fashionable social entertainment in which each person contributed to the picnic. However, modern day picnics have become a pleasure party including an excursion to some spot in the country where all share in an outdoors meal.

In England, the earliest picnics were medieval hunting feasts. Hunting conventions were established in the 14th century, and the feast before the chase assumed a special importance. Foods consumed would have been pastries, baked meats, hams and so on. The modern picnic really came into its own during the Victorian era, and entered the literature of that period. Great authors such as Dickens, Jane Austen and Trollope all found pleasure in introducing the picnic social event into their fiction.

The French invented the word "picnic," pique nique being found earlier than "pic nic." Originally, it referred to a dinner, usually eaten indoors, in which everyone present contributed some food, and possibly paid a fee to attend. The ancient Greek and the French refer to modern "pot luck" suppers, which are versions of this type of mealtime organization. The change in the meaning of the term, picnic, from "everyone bringing some food" to "everyone eating outdoors" seems to have been completed by the 1860s. The impromptu aspect, together with the informality, is what the new meaning of picnic has in common with the old.

An American picnic is a celebration of cooking diversity, human spirit and adventure. Picnics are personal. We choose our dining partners, the foods we serve and the venue. Planned or impromptu, picnics are very different from public outdoor dining events. It's the spirit, not the food that makes the picnic special.