Napkins / Tartan Napkins

The word napkin comes from Middle English, borrowing the French ‘nappea’ meaning cloth covering for a table, and adding ‘kin’, the diminutive suffix. Napkins were used in ancient Roman times. One of the earliest references to table napkins in English dates to 1384–85. The use of paper napkins is documented in ancient China, where paper was invented in 2nd century BC. Paper napkins were known as chih pha, folded in squares, and used for the serving of tea.