You may not realize as you look at the fork in your hand that it has undergone a huge evolution since its earliest days. The changes that cutlery has undergone over the centuries can often mirror the way the societies that used them have changed as well. From the basic dagger as knife and fork of early cultures to the massive, specialized sets used in Victorian society, cutlery shows us a lot about society in general.
Cutlery does not simply refer to the items that are used to eat the food, it also refers to the utensils which were used to prepare the food as well. Over time, as specialized dishes become more common, new utensil pieces have been invented. A perfect example of this is the fondu fork. A fork with very short tines and an extremely long handle, a fondu fork is perfectly designed to immerse bread, meat or fruit in a fondu pot while keeping the hand safely away from the heated contents within.
Traditionally, the materials used to make cutlery naturally followed the advancements different societies made. In the past, cutlery has been made out of materials such as bronze, iron, pewter and steel. High end sets have also been made out of gold plate, silver plate and sterling silver. It is critical to balance material that can be shaped into sometimes complicated forms with material that is hard enough to hold an edge or keep from bending if it hits a bone or other hard piece of food.
Knives have evolved from a dagger which was used to spear and/or cut food to specialized forms. They include a steak knife, with a very sharp blade, and a butter knife. There are more specialized knives for food preparation that don t often make it to the table. One exception to this is the bread knife. This has a long blade and is often serrated so that it can cut through bread and crusts without crushing the bread and making it unpleasant to look at.
Often it is common for a set of cutlery to have a handle that is made of a softer material than metal. This can be colored plastic or wood. Some sets even have shell or ivory inlays if they are antiques. A knife with a handle like this will have a tang that is an extension of the blade. It is the tang that the handle is attached to. A good knife has a tang that extends the length of the handle.
Forks have undergone some of the most radical changes since they were first invented. The fork is basically a smaller pitchfork used for food. Originally a fork, like the pitchforks of the time, had two tines. Later, a third was added to the pitchfork, and then a fourth. Each time a tine was added to the pitchfork, the table fork was not far behind. Forks include dessert and dinner forks, fish forks that can handle delicate flaky fish, carving forks which only have two tines so that the carving knife can maneuver easily.
Forks also often have handles of a softer material than the tines. Again, a good fork should have plenty of metal down the length of the handle to lend it strength and give ample space to anchor the handle material to.
Spoons are some of the most diverse items of cutlery. There are soup, tea and table spoons used to eat the food and a variety of serving spoons as well. They can include soup ladles, large serving spoons, and slotted serving spoons. Each of these spoons developed at different points in history in order to meet a specific need.
It is interesting how cutlery has changed throughout history and changed to meet the different dishes that people have invented. Taking a walk through a museum can often dig up a treasure trove of unique cutlery that is no longer in use today.
Author Resource:
Annie is an expert furniture and interior design writer.
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