History of the English Cutlery - Essay Example

Forks do not have a very ancient history like knives or spoons as it is considered to be a very recent invention. It is very surprising that we humans are still in the process of learning how to utilize this modern eating utensil. To my utter surprise, it is also said that the way we use a fork can also tell a lot about our personality and major concerns of life such as religion, manliness, inner traits etc. Knives and spoons are the initial forms of eating utensils. Knives that resembled hand-held ax were used in olden times to scrape off meat whereas spoons were used to dig in liquids.

The first use of forks is seen during the Greek empire that used large forks to take food out of the big boiling pots. It should be noted here that in the Greek empire the use of fork was limited and it did not make its way to their dining table and most people preferred to use their hands, spoons or knives. The reason why folks were not used by the people was that of the shape it had and the name it bore. A fork resembles a devils pitchfork from which it also derived its name. The association of the fork with the devil has bought a sense of hatred amongst the people.

A Venetian princess used to use forks to eat as she didn’t like to eat through her hands. When the princess died plague many people considered it to be a reprimand by the almighty for her act of arrogance. Such myths were always associated with the use of forks in olden times. During the middle ages, the trend changed when from Byzantine the use of cutlery traveled to France. In France, there was a monarch who had a brutal image amongst the people. She was fond of food, therefore, arranged such gatherings where food was always under the limelight.

In these gatherings, spoons and knives were used for the feast but on some occasions, forks were also used to have sweets. Such occasions were quite seldom.