How did the mug stand come about and how is it actually called?

A mug stand today becomes a familiar attribute for every home, whether it's a family home or a bachelor apartment. This small object combines a lot of advantages - it helps to keep the surface of tables, decorates the interior, it is relatively inexpensive and even serves as a collector's item.

In our country, interest in this attribute is only beginning to grow, while in the West a practical and inexpensive accessory has been used for a long time. In addition, this subject has its own history, as well as production standards. How did the mug stand come about? What is the name of this accessory and what can it be made of? We learn from a short digression into history.

Birdekel, bonfire, birmata or tatsek?

It turns out that the stand under the mug has a name - birdekel. This word comes from the German bierdeckel, which means "lid for beer". It would seem, what has the lid involved? It's all in the common tradition of Germany of the XIX century to cover beer mugs with lids to protect the drink from insects and dust. Only for rich people, the covers were made of tin and were non-removable, while the less affluent citizens covered the beer with round pieces of felt. It was on these felt beaders that beer mugs were sometimes put on to remove the draining foam.

The idea to put a mug on a mat to soak up excess moisture so pleased the Germans that in 1893 they patented a more practical birdekel made of moisture-absorbing cardboard. So there appeared the Birmat, from the English beermat (beer - beer, mat - mat). Stand for a beer mug can also be called a tachek (in Czech). But if we are talking about the usual cup, which requires a stand under the hotter, the word "bonfire" (from the English coaster), which means "a rug for a cup", is used more often.

What are the use of birdekel?

The mug stand, it turns out, is a very functional accessory. In a stylish kitchen, such an interior is able to place the missing accents, or add coziness. In addition, not all surfaces withstood the effects of moisture or temperature, so the birder can help prevent untimely damage to the table. It will protect it from possible scratches, which leave circles on glass and varnished surfaces.

Another basic function that has spread the birch-canes in the drinking establishments is to use them as a marketing tool. As far back as the nineteenth century, it was noticed that the effect of information susceptibility is given by pleasant emotions that a person experiences with regard to drinks. It is at this moment that a mug stand comes into view. Photo printing on the stand is a trend of modern times, but beer brands and names of establishments began to be placed on birdekel from the end of the XIX century, because the advertising merits of this subject can not be overestimated.

Forms and materials

The original mug stand, in the form in which we see it every day, was made of compacted cardboard in the form of a circle with a diameter of just over 10 cm and a thickness of 5 mm. Today, manufacturers and home craftsmen every day come up with new stands of different shapes from all sorts of materials. And if a company that makes beadworkers for beer or beverage manufacturers should take into account the hygroscopicity of the material and its thickness, then for the interior stand under the mug there are no restrictions.

There are two main categories of the forms of birdekel - simple and complex. Simple can be round and square supports, but complex shapes are distinguished by polygonal, curvilinear surfaces and in the form of silhouettes of objects. In addition, today, a mug stand is not just a felt piece of cloth. The accessory can be made from anything: wood, stones, porcelain, leather, shells, glass or cork. Beer coasters even knit or use polished slices of agate.

Tegestology

Today, a mug stand is not only a functional interior item or a marketing tool. Many are fond of collecting birdeqel, giving this hobby a lot of time and energy. Surprisingly, for such an occupation, the official Latin term - the tagology (from the word tegetis - "rug") is invented, and collectors themselves are called testologists.

Most of all taggestologists live in Germany, in the home of an accessory. For them, in the middle of the 20th century, a special society was created called "Collectors of beer attributes", which has an international status. Taggestologists clubs are common in the UK, as well as in Wales and Australia. There are several categories of collectors of birdekel, for example, some are interested only in ceramic or felt stands.