Wicker Tray

Chaeban, or wicker tray, is a tray for carrying grains or serving food, and was made by weaving bamboo branches or bush clover. In the word “chaeban,” “chae” refers to bush clover. This wicker tray was woven in a wide, circular form, with a slightly protruding rim used as a handle. Bush clovers were often cut in July and peeled in order to make wicker trays using the skin. It was used to serve pancake-type dishes, or to drain water from boiled noodles or washed ingredients, or to filter rice wine. It was well-ventilated and easy to drain oil, which kept food from spoiling. In kimchi-making season, it was used to hold different kinds of seasonings or to drain water from washed vegetables used for kimchi, such as water parsley or mustard leaves. Wicker trays made from the skin of small bush clover, which blossoms white flowers, was white in color, smooth on the surface, easy to wash with a brush, and did not easily become contaminated, which made it popular among many households. In funerary rituals, the wicker tray was used to serve a meal reserved for the spirit of death as it came to collect the departed. The said food offering consisted of three bowls of rice without a side dish, three pairs of straw shoes and three coins, all of which were served on a wicker tray or a small dining table, then placed outside the front gate or by the house wall until the coffin was to be borne out.