cups
Cup ( medium high German cup , althochdeutsch behhari from medium latin bicarium , actually Greek Bikos , earthen vessel ') are drinking vessels of a cylinder or an inverted truncated cone (in the form Sturzbecher ) without base and, manufactured Henkel generally made of a material other than glass. Sometimes larger cups are also referred to as mugs or mug with handle - in the southern German-speaking area, such drinking vessels are usually called Haferl or Häferl . Simple cups made of wood or stoneware have long been popular drinking vessels.
Cultural history
Already Neolithic cultures were named based on findings cup ( Funnel Beaker culture , Beaker Culture ). Bronze cups are known from prehistoric times. In ancient Egypt , cups were a symbol of food that sustains body and soul. In the representations of the gods they are therefore often used as an attribute of the inherent power of life support.
In the Roman Empire , high-quality cups were mostly made of glass or precious metal . In everyday life, ceramic mugs were used that had a glossy coating that was supposed to imitate glass or metal vessels, such as the Trier saying mugs . From the 9th century onwards, glass cups were produced in the Rhenish glass industry following the Roman tradition. In the wake of the Crusades , precious cups from Egypt and Syria were also distributed, as well as from Burgundy in the 14th century . Medieval bourgeois cups were mostly made of stoneware or were turned from wood; The so-called heap beakers, sets of beakers of different sizes that can be stacked, were made from tin or precious metal .
The goblets at royal courts, some of which were decorated with gold , precious stones and enamel , were also often made of wood. Magnificent metal goblets appeared at the court of Emperor Friedrich II and became the model for representative guild goblets . Especially in the 16th and 17th centuries shaped cup made were simple silver dignitaries presented as a gift of honor, since the 19th century, they are as christening a popular christening present.
In the 18th century, the cup was largely determined by the cup from porcelain for hot drinks and Glass displaced for cold drinks. In the second half of the 20th century, however, it gained new popularity , especially as an industrially manufactured mug made of stoneware, as an everyday drinking vessel for coffee and tea and as a disposable cup made of coated cardboard or plastic .
Reusable cups
Reusable cups that can be used several times are drinking vessels that are mostly made from the plastics polycarbonate or polypropylene . Reusable cups are generally dishwasher-safe and break-resistant and are therefore often used at large events and open air bars . In the meantime, different shapes have emerged for different types of beverages. The conical , stackable reusable cup is the best-known type of cup. In the meantime, other cocktail glasses, champagne glasses, wine glasses and long drink glasses are also made of plastic, which are also unbreakable. The reusable cup is considered environmentally friendly due to its frequent reusability and recycling properties.
Paper cup
"Paper cups" (cardboard cups, Pappgetränkebecher, hard paper cups) are a special kind of cups, consisting of "cardboard" ( cardboard ) and less are usually used only once. The two Americans Hugh Moore and Lawrence Luellen invented the disposable paper cup in 1908 at the suggestion of Samuel J. Crumbine to prevent the transmission of pathogens.
Paper cups are usually coated with polyethylene on the inside or on both sides (inside and outside). Insulating lids are typically made of polystyrene.
Disposable paper cups have been criticized for their poor environmental record . The Deutsche Umwelthilfe estimated that around 2.8 billion disposable cups (paper cups with plastic lids) end up in the garbage every year in Germany, causing 40,000 tons of waste. In addition, 43,000 trees are cut down and around 1.5 billion liters of water are used to make them. This corresponds to around 0.09% of the typical household waste of 46.2 million tons in Germany in 2017.
Plastic cups
Disposable vending machine cups are usually made of polystyrene.
Various plasticizers , melamine and formaldehyde could be detected in reusable cups made of melamine-formaldehyde resin, including those with corn flour or bamboo fibers . At higher temperatures, harmful amounts of melamine and formaldehyde can migrate into food. In some cases, the specific migration limits were exceeded many times over.
Sports stacking
Starting with the plastic cups without handles, which have been industrially manufactured in large numbers since the 20th century, the trend sport stacking cups ( sport stacking ) developed a few years ago .
Special cups
A cup is also used to refer to similar objects that do not always serve as a drinking vessel.
- Bath cups - decorative collecting glasses from health resorts
- Beaker - A container in chemistry
- Bridal cups - special ornamental vessels that are given to the wedding
- Corvinus mug - a work of art in Wiener Neustadt
- Measuring cup - device for household and science
- Nestor cup - a mixing cup from Greek mythology
- Giant beaker - an ancient vessel shape
- Hemlock cup - a mixture of poisons made famous by the execution of Socrates
- Willybecher - a German standard drinking glass in cup shape
Web links
- Life cycle assessment of disposable and reusable cups: "Reuse often". In: test (magazine) . Stiftung Warentest , July 23, 2019(Interview with Benedikt Kauertz from the ifeu Institute).
supporting documents
- ↑ cup. in the DWDS dictionary
- ↑ see also: mouth roll
- ↑ The history of the disposable tableware. Information according to PAPSTAR.com
- ↑ Deutsche Umwelthilfe: Environmental problem coffee to go disposable cups (PDF)
- ↑ Juliane Frisse: Environmental protection: The psychology of the coffee mug . In: The time . February 28, 2019, ISSN 0044-2070 ( zeit.de [accessed March 4, 2019]).
- ↑ Federal Environment Agency: Waste generation. Federal Environment Agency, October 15, 2019, accessed on July 27, 2020 .
- ↑ Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR): Do not use dishes made from "bamboo" for hot drinks or food. Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), November 25, 2019, accessed on December 3, 2019 .
- ↑ Health risks with "coffee-to-go" cups. In: bvl.bund.de . November 26, 2019, accessed November 27, 2019 .