Welcome to the summary page for FabulousFusionFood's Cook's Guide entry for Potluck along with all the Potluck containing recipes presented on this site, with 24 recipes in total.

This is a continuation of an entire series of pages that will, I hope, allow my visitors to better navigate this site. As well as displaying recipes by name, country and region of origin I am now planning a whole series of pages where recipes can be located by meal type and main ingredient. This page gives a listing of all the Potluck recipes added to this site.

These recipes, all contain Potluck as a major wild food ingredient.



In modern usage, a potluck is a gathering of people where each person (or group) brings with them a dish of food that they have cooked to add to the whole. The dish is then shared amongst the entire gathering.

The word pot-luck is first used by Thomas Nashe, during the 16th century. He used the word in the sense of 'food provided for an unexpected or uninvited guest, the luck of the pot'.

In Ireland, the term was used for a meal cooked in a single pot by the entire community. Everyone would bring both a dish to serve and an ingredient for the communal pot.

The modern meaning of a 'communal meal, where guests bring their own food' originated in the late 19th or early 20th centuries in the Western United States from an extension of the traditional sense of 'luck of the pot' under the influence of the potlatch (a gift-giving festival practiced by indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of Canada and United States).

Potluck dinners are often organized by religious or community groups, with the format both simplifying the meat preparation and spreading the costs amongst the diners. People can bring whatever they like, with the traditional rule being that each dish be large enough to be shared among a good portion (but not necessarily all) of the anticipated guests. Sometimes the participants agree beforehand what each member should bring.

Guests may bring in any form of food, ranging from the main course to desserts. In the United States, potlucks are associated with crockpot dishes, casseroles (often called hot dishes in the upper Midwest), dessert bars and jello salads.

Potluck is also gaining popularity as a means of entertaining guests (it is particularly beloved by students) as it reduces the cost to the host of an event. Potluck dinners, brunches, and even potluck wedding receptions are being hosted as alternatives to traditional event hosting or catered events.

African-style dishes are particularly good for potlucks as they are slow-cooked stews that can be served with potatoes, rice or couscous.

Most crockpot (slow cooker) recipes are suitable for a potluck, as are barbecue dishes, casserole dishes, stews and all kinds of salad dishes. If you want to try something different, then curry recipes also go down very well.

If you are looking for inspiration for a Christmas potluck, why not check out our Christmas recipes selection. If you are having a Thanksgiving potluck, there are plenty of ideas in our Thanksgiving recipes selection.

As well as the recipes in the sections above, the recipes below would be excellent choices for a potluck.

Suggested dishes for a potluck: