Re: Forks
Originally Posted by
Surfermom
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Thoroughly interesting and mystifying that for for almost 1500 years western civilization was holding their meat down with a spoon and chasing it around the plate while trying to cut it, while across the table Byzantium was happily cutting, spearing their bites, and reaching for seconds.
Originally Posted by
Tiffany
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Cave men just grabbed it in both hands & chomped on it.
The programme was very short, so didn't go into a lot of detail, but a few facts did emerge, which were interesting........
Yes... meals were eaten with fingers and a knife.
The knife was problematical, as it could have been used to assassinate the Lord of the Manor, etc.
That was the reason why knives at the table eventually became rounded at the tip.
Forks were first discovered in China about a thousand or so years ago. What is surprising, though, is that forks there were eventually ditched in favour of chopsticks.
Henry II was introduced to forks .......I remember reading that in "Murder In The Cathedral" when at school.
Originally, forks were two-pronged, curved, and used to stabilise joints while carving.
Forks really came into their own in Italy when spaghetti became popular. Originally one prong only, for twirling, they developed two, then three, then four prongs.
Forks didn't really take off in England until the late 18thC.
Before that, they were laughed at as being effeminate or pretentious.
When they did take off, it was a result of the new fashion for table manners, and for keeping your hands grease-free, plus the new, round-tipped knife stopped you being stabbed!
They also touched on the difference between the American and British usage of the fork, although the reason for the difference wasn't really explained.
It seems obvious to us that a fork is a must, but it's a relatively recent addition to tables! Surprising!
Who would have thought that the simple fork tells us so much about history and mindsets!