Cruet

Cruets today typically serve a culinary function, holding liquid condiments such as olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

[2] Some[quantify] speculate that the early use of cruets was ecclesiastical [citation needed]—there is for example Biblical use of a "cruse of oil", a jug or jar to hold liquid (I Kings 17:16).

Cardinal Mazarin had a pair of salad cruets on his dining table at his home in France,[citation needed] one for olive oil and the other for vinegar.

During some Christian religious ceremonies, primarily the Eucharist, altar cruets are used to keep the sacramental wine and water.

Cruets specifically intended for religious ceremonies come in pairs: one to contain water, often marked A for Aqua, and one to contain wine, V for Vinum.

Cruet bottle, 1780–1800, V&A Museum no. 118-1907
A cruet designed to serve vinegar at the table.
Pair of silver cruets from the Warsaw's Cathedral with letters A and V by Michael Mair, 1695-1700, Museum of the Warsaw Archdiocese.