A bowl is a round, open-top container used in many cultures to serve hot and cold food. Bowls are also used for drinking, as in the case of caffè latte. Bowls used for storing non- food items range from small bowls used for holding tips at a coffee shop to large bowls used for storing DVDs or CDs. Bowls are typically small and shallow, as in the case of bowls used for single servings of soup or cereal. Some bowls, such as punch bowls, serving bowls, fruit bowls and salad serving bowls, are larger and often intended to serve many people.
The British/American standard soup bowl has a mouth, the opening not including the extent of its lip, with a diameter of 18.5 centimetres, and should be able to adequately accommodate at least 24 ounces of liquid.
Modern bowls can be made of ceramic, metal, wood, plastic, and other materials. Their appearance can range from very simple designs of a single color to designs sophisticated artwork.
Bowls have been made for thousands of years. Very early bowls have been found in China, Ancient Greece, Crete and in certain Native American cultures.
