A fork is an exceptionally convenient cutlery, especially when it comes to meat, fish, salads. To do this, the food was cut into convenient pieces, and even special disposable gloves were used, which made it possible not to stain hands with fat, and the rest of the meal was simply thrown to the floor - for dogs. Fortunately, later forks came into everyday life, similar traditions ceased to be practiced.
When they appeared, who introduced such practical cutlery into everyday life? There are several suggestions on this score.
Origin of the fork
The ancient Romans had some semblance of modern four-toothed instruments 2 and a half or more millennia ago - only the samples were much larger, coarser, usually double-toothed or with one point. They were used to extract meat from boilers, helped not to get burned, were not used at the table in everyday life. Indeed, in ancient Rome, meat was also eaten by hand - even at social events, surrounded by noble persons. The tradition was inherited by Europe, where even special rules arose that allowed you to eat with your hands, avoiding bad taste.
So, it was believed that grabbing a piece of meat with the whole brush is uncivilized, you need to carefully take it with a handful of three fingers. Also, the rules of decency prescribed to people the need to use a cup for washing hands, which was on the table - it was specially designed so that people could wash their fingers. Wiping your hands on clothes was indecent even then - in the 16-18 centuries.Food gloves also appeared around this period - despite the fact that many houses already used forks.
Who introduced the fashion for forks, and when did they appear?
So, the first forks that were used to remove the meat from the frypots, to extract it from the cauldrons, were already known at the time of Moses, they were also successfully used in China from 2400 BC. Bone, bronze, silver products of this kind were used by the Romans, today they are found during excavations, they appear in many museums. However, the specificity of the ancient forks was that they were used in cooking, serving food.
As individual cutlery, they appeared much later. There is no exact information about where the forks came from and who introduced them into fashion, but there are sources that point to Venice. There is evidence that one of the local princesses used forks in the 11th century. There is earlier information pointing to Byzantium. The first solutions had two teeth, they were used to string pieces of food, it was impossible to scoop up food.
In the 11-12 centuries, forks appear in Italy, at least their presence is described at court. Initially, gold jewelry with two teeth was used only at the court, and then, by the 14th century, they became more widespread in Europe and began to appear in rich houses. By the 17th century, merchants began to use forks and know, they spread almost everywhere. Although at that time gloves were also actively used for food, and many noble people did eat with two knives, one of which cut the meat, and the second brought it to the mouth. That is, people ate literally with a knife.
Interesting fact: in England, forks began to spread only in the 18th century, and the Catholic Church, both here and throughout Europe, reacted negatively to such an innovation, considering it an inappropriate luxury.
When did the fork appear in Russia?
It is believed that in Russia the plug was first seen in 1606, and Marina Mnishek showed it to people, shocking the whole environment at a banquet that was held in honor of the wedding. But the excavations showed completely different facts - a cutlery of the same type was found during excavations in Veliky Novgorod, the thing was dated to the 14th century. The fork received its final name in the 18th century, earlier it was called "Wilts", "horned".
The evolution of the plug all the way to modern times
The four-tooth fork and its curved version came into use in the 18th century, these things became familiar in the everyday life of the Germans, and then dispersed everywhere as very convenient copies. By table etiquette of European countries, products began to be considered only in the 16th century, when “cultural” people were recommended to use not two knives and gloves, but a fork. The public was ambivalent about the appearance of the new cutlery - while the clergy pointed to excessive luxury, satirists ridiculed lovers of using a fork, indicating their effeminacy.
Talking about luxury was not accidental, because forks in those days were richly decorated, they were created from expensive materials - silver, gold. Not all people had money for such an acquisition, in fact, until 1860 in the same England, many people were forced to eat in the old way, with a knife or with their hands.After all, only in 1860 was mass production of cutlery, including forks, delivered, they became more affordable - although initially they were also created from silver or silver plated. In 1920, the era of stainless steel cookware began, and the familiar cutlery appeared in everyone.
The fork has come a long evolutionary path from a large device for extracting hot meat to an individual product familiar to everyone. It is difficult to say who invented it first, but the appearance of such an object made the meal more civilized and hygienic.
