The history of the fork from ancient times to the present day.

Surprisingly, such a simple and familiar cutlery as a fork has a rich and very interesting history of origin. There is even a mention of it on the pages of the Bible. The Jews used a fork-like device during religious ceremonies.
The age of the very first fork found during archaeological excavations is more than 3 thousand years. The appearance of the device that belonged to the ancient Romans was different from the modern one: it consisted of a handle with one tooth at the end and was used to remove large pieces of meat from a common cauldron.
Single-pronged forks used in ancient China are considered the predecessors of modern Chinese chopsticks. Unlike Europeans, Asians did not prick food, but captured it using similar devices.
The Byzantine princess Maria Iverskaya contributed to the spread of the device around the world. It was she who first introduced its mandatory use during court meals in 1072. The fork belonging to the princess was made of gold, the handle was made of ivory, and the decorations shimmered with mother-of-pearl and pearls.
The wife of the Roman emperor Theophana is also called the ancestor of the fork in Europe. She disdained eating with her hands and ordered the production of an unusual device for that time - a fork with two teeth. Unfortunately, the woman did not live long, which was perceived by the official church as God's punishment for using the “hellish” object.
Since the 17th century, the fork became firmly established among the Italian nobility. It already had the usual 4 teeth and a slight bend. In those distant times, such cutlery was considered an unprecedented luxury and was used exclusively at court by rich people and members of the royal court. Each guest present at the meal was required to bring personal utensils with them; there were no forks for guests.
The fork came to England only after 1600 thanks to the traveler Thomas Coryeth. She did not gain much love or popularity. On the contrary, the use of gold or silver cutlery was considered a sign of effeminacy and pampering. Forks were ridiculed and condemned in every possible way. The Church condemned their resemblance to a pitchfork, an instrument of the devil. Only in 1860 did England establish continuous production of instruments.
In Russia, the fork was recognized around 1600. Marina Mnishek brought her to the royal court, which incredibly surprised and shocked the representatives of the clergy and boyars. Around 1650, forks were already served during the royal meal for especially close nobility and honored guests.
The 19th century was marked by new developments in silverware. At this time, separate devices for fish, meat, snails, salads, lobsters, cheese, and side dishes appeared. At the beginning of the 20th century, precious metals were replaced by more durable and hygienic stainless steel.
There are many interesting facts associated with the history of the origin and spread of the fork:
Until its widespread use, the fork was considered a luxury item; it was kept in treasuries and passed down from generation to generation. Queen Clementia of Hungary had a single gold fork, Charles V had several of them, the cutlery was decorated with a scattering of precious stones. The favorite of the King of England, Peter Galveston, was the proud owner of three forks designed for eating fruit.
The fork used at the wedding feast by Maria Mnishek and False Dmitry I provoked a popular uprising. For Russian men, an unusual object was proof of the tsar’s foreign origin.
The orderly of Peter I always had with him a set of royal cutlery: a spoon, a knife and a fork. The king used them during dinners and promoted their spread among the nobility.
The aluminum fork, served in canteens, became a symbol of Soviet public catering and, in fact, weaned Russians off the widespread use of a spoon.
Monuments dedicated to the fork were installed in Springfield and New York, Vevey, Havana, Kyiv, Izhevsk.
Popular rumor associates signs and superstitions with the fork. A device that has fallen from the table promises uninvited guests, and one presented as a gift promises a quarrel.
There are many types of forks: from ordinary cutlery found in every home, to special devices for eating olives and fondue. Instructions and guidelines designed specifically for food lovers will help you understand this diversity.

A fork is a simple household item, so familiar to modern people and easy to use, but nevertheless it has an interesting history. Just think, its use was once the subject of attack and the basis for writing pamphlets. Below is a selection of interesting facts from several Internet sources. All of them, despite some inconsistency, can give a clear picture of the worldview and views, including the time period we have chosen with regards to it.

When did the fork appear? There is no clear answer to this question. The first mention of a fork was found in the 9th century in the Middle East. Such forks were huge and had only one sharp tine, later - two. The ancient Romans used them to remove pieces of meat from a cauldron or roasting pan. These tools cannot yet be called forks in our understanding, since the noble patricians ate meat with their hands, along which fat flowed down to the elbows...

A cooking set whose approximate age is estimated at three thousand years

The Naples National Museum houses a fork found in one of the graves of the ancient city of Paestum in southwestern Italy. She is more than two and a half thousand years old.

In 1072, in Byzantium, in the city of Constantinople, in the imperial palace, a single fork was made of gold, its handle was decorated with mother-of-pearl inlay on ivory. This fork was intended for the Byzantine princess Maria Iverskaya, the widow of Emperor Michael Duca, who considered it humiliating to eat with her hands. The fork had two straight tines, which could only be used to skewer, not scoop, food.

After 100 years, the fork came from Byzantium to Italy, where it was first made in two copies - for the Venetian Doge and the Pope.

Back in the 16th-18th centuries, rules of good manners prescribed not to take meat with all your fingers, much less with two hands, but only with three fingers; do not wipe your fingers on your clothes, but rinse them in a special bowl of water... At one time it was fashionable to eat with gloves so that your hands remained clean. After lunch, soiled gloves were thrown away.

The first mentions of forks in Europe date back to the 14th century: for example, there were several forks in the treasury of Duke John II of Breton. True, they ate not meat, but fruits or fried cheese. Peter Galveston, a favorite of King Edward II of England, had 69 silver spoons and three forks with which he ate a pear. The inventory of the wealth of the Hungarian Queen Clementia for 1328 mentions thirty spoons and one fork made of gold. After her death, the French queen Jeanne d'Evreux left one fork, carefully packed in a small chest, and 64 spoons. The fork became a necessary attribute at the meals of the Italian nobility and merchants.

In France, the fork first appeared on the royal table during the reign of Charles V, more precisely in 1379. The first forks were imported into England in 1608 from Italy. Charles V had several golden forks with handles encrusted with precious stones, which were used for rare desserts served at the most refined courts of the time.

Small silver, often gilded, richly decorated food forks in the proportions and forms in which we know them now came into use only by the middle of the 16th century, replacing the two knives that were used at the table in “decent houses.”

Cutlery from the era of Louis XIV, made by Nicholas Bellier in 1680

The pamphlet “The Island of Hermaphrodites,” published at the end of the 16th century and directed against the minions of the French king Henry III, who adhered to a non-traditional sexual orientation, states as something extraordinary that they never touched meat with their hands, but used forks, “which no matter how hard it costs them.” However, already in the 17th century, the fork began to win its place on the banquet table.

Attempts to introduce the fork into use encountered stubborn resistance from the Church. The Catholic Church, calling the fork “an unnecessary luxury,” did not welcome its use - its use in the courts of monarchs was considered as godlessness or even a connection with the devil.

Rococo knife and fork, circa 1730-1750

The fork appeared in Russia in 1606, and Marina Mnishek brought it. At her wedding feast in the Kremlin, Marina with a fork shocked the Russian boyars and clergy. This fork was given as one of the arguments for the popular uprising against False Dmitry. Since the Tsar and Tsarina eat not with their hands, but with some kind of spear, it means that they are not Russians, but the offspring of the devil. Even the word fork itself finally entered the Russian language only in the 18th century, and before that time this object was called “rogatina” and “fork”. To this day, superstitions reflect a wary attitude towards the fork - it is believed that it should not be given as a gift - this is a sign of arrogance.

Under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, as one European wrote in his travel essays, “at dinner, spoons and bread were placed on the table for each guest, and a plate and a knife; and a fork - only for honored guests."

Alexei Mikhailovich's son Peter the Great also contributed to the history of the fork in Rus'. Not without his help, the Russian aristocracy recognized the fork in the 18th century. The publication “Russian Antiquity” for 1824 contains information about how the table was set for Peter I:

“A wooden spoon, seasoned with ivory, a knife and fork with green bone handles were always placed at his cutlery, and the orderly on duty was required to carry them with him and place them in front of the king, even if he happened to dine at a party.” Apparently, Peter was not sure that even in the “best houses” he would be given the entire set of cutlery.

Replica cutlery from 1747-1776

Modern tables are served with utensils, among which there may be a dozen types of forks: regular and snack forks, for meat, fish, side dishes, two-pronged - large and smaller, used for cutting meat fibers, special for cutting lobsters, a fork complete with a knife for oysters, forks in combination with spatulas - for asparagus... All of them are of recent origin: XIX - early XX centuries.

England's first fork

In 1608, the Englishman Thomas Coriat visited Italy. During the trip, he kept a diary in which he wrote down everything that struck him especially strongly. He described the splendor of Venetian palaces standing in the middle of the water, and the beauty of the marble temples of Ancient Rome, and the formidable grandeur of Vesuvius. But one thing amazed Coriath more than all the beauties of Italy put together.

In his diary there is the following entry: “When Italians eat meat, they use small pitchforks made of iron or steel, and sometimes silver. There is no way you can force Italians to eat with their hands. They think it’s not good because not everyone’s hands are clean.”

Before heading home, Koriat acquired such a pitchfork. The fork he bought bore little resemblance to a modern one. This fork had only two tines, and the handle, decorated with a knob at the end, was very tiny. In general, this instrument was more like a tuning fork.

Arriving home, Koriat decided to show off his purchase to friends and acquaintances. At a dinner party, he pulled a fork out of his pocket and began to eat the Italian way.

All eyes turned to him. And when he explained what this thing was in his hands, everyone wanted to take a closer look at the Italian eating tool. The fork went around the entire table. The ladies admired the elegant decoration, the men were surprised at the ingenuity of the Italians, but everyone unanimously decided that the Italians were great eccentrics, and that eating with a fork was very inconvenient.

Thomas Coriat tried to argue, arguing that it was not good to take meat with your hands, that not everyone’s hands were clean. This caused general outrage. Does Mr Coriat think that in England no one washes their hands before eating? Are ten fingers given by nature not enough for us and we must add two artificial fingers to them? Let him show how easy it is to handle these ridiculous pitchforks.

Koriat wanted to show his art. But the very first piece of meat he took from the dish fell from the fork onto the tablecloth. There was no end to the laughter and jokes. The poor traveler had to hide his fork back in his pocket.

It took at least fifty years before forks came into fashion in England.
(c) compiled based on materials from online publications by N. Konopleva, “Science and Life” No. 1, 2003;
E. Kolodochnikova, "Popular scientific historical magazine".

The word fork comes from the Latin “fulka”, which means garden fork. Currently, the fork is the most popular and frequently used kitchen utensil. But few people know that all attempts to introduce the fork into use in the 17th century encountered stubborn resistance from the Church. The Catholic Church called the fork an “excessive luxury” and did not welcome its use - its use in the courts of monarchs was considered as godlessness or even a connection with the devil.

The fork took root slowly. It was borrowed from the Venetians, who used it when eating fruit to prevent the juice from staining their fingers. In France, a five-fingered fork was used for a long time. This is what Montaigne meant when he said: “Sometimes I eat so hastily that I bite my fingers.”

But let's go back a few centuries. The fork, as a cutlery, was familiar to the ancient Greeks. At that time, forks were relatively large, had only two massive straight tines and were used to distribute large chunks of meat among dishes. By the 7th century AD, in Asia Minor, the fork had become a symbol of wealth and power and was used by royal families during feasts. From the 10th century, forks spread to the territory of the Byzantine Empire, where similar cutlery was also used only by aristocrats. From there, in the 11th century, the fork was brought to Venice by a Byzantine princess. However, in Italy the fork did not find use for a long time and only gained popularity in the 16th century. It is not difficult to guess that in the rest of Europe this necessary cutlery appeared only at the end of the 16th century. And it spread only by the 18th.

The fork was brought to Russia from Poland in 1606 by False Dmitry I in the luggage of Marina Mniszech and was demonstratively used during a feast in the Faceted Chamber of the Kremlin on the occasion of the marriage of False Dmitry to Marina. This caused an explosion of indignation among the boyars and clergy, and served as one of the reasons for the preparation of Shuisky’s conspiracy. As they say, the fork failed. It became a compelling argument proving to the common people the non-Russian origin of False Dmitry.

Traditionally, misfortune was associated with signs of a fork - dropping a fork was considered the eve of misfortune, a bad omen. They spoke disapprovingly of the fork, as evidenced by the proverb: “A spoon is like a net, but a fork is like a fish,” that is, you cannot scoop up anything.

Russia has kept pace with the historical process when it comes to forks. Even under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, as one European wrote in travel essays, “at dinner, spoons and bread were placed on the table for each guest, and a plate, knife and fork were only for honored guests.”

Alexei Mikhailovich's son Peter the Great also contributed to the history of the fork in Rus'. Not without his help, the Russian aristocracy recognized the fork in the 18th century. In the publication “Russian Antiquity” for 1824 there is information about how the table was set for Peter I: “A wooden spoon seasoned with ivory, a knife and fork with green bone handles were always placed at his cutlery, and the orderly on duty was required to carry them with you and put it in front of the king, even if he happened to dine at a party.” Apparently, Peter was not sure that even in the “best houses” he would be given the entire set of cutlery.

Modern tables are set with utensils, among which there may be a dozen types of forks: regular and snack forks, for meat, fish, side dishes, two-pronged - large and smaller, used for cutting meat fibers, special for cutting lobsters, a fork complete with a knife for oysters, forks combined with spatulas - for asparagus. All of them are of recent origin: XIX - early XX centuries. Books have been written on how to distinguish them and how to use them.

In the 19th century A new method of gilding and silvering metals was invented - electroplating. The company "Christofle" (France) bought a patent for his invention from the author of the method, Count de Ruolz, and began using electroplating in the production of cutlery. And from that time on, a huge number of different forks, knives, spoons, spatulas and other beautiful, and most importantly functional tableware items began to be developed and produced.
Today, in the production of cutlery, the main material is 18/10 steel. This is the most durable and durable material, used even in medicine. 18/10 steel serves as the basis for products with silver or gold plating.

Good spoons and forks should have a thickness of at least 2.5 mm (measured at the end of the handle). There should be no sharp corners, for example between the tines of forks. Everything should be smooth and fluid. In addition, an expensive fork can be immediately recognized by the presence of grooves at the base of the teeth, so that food is washed out more easily.

Despite all the variety of forks currently manufactured, there are certain types, the purpose and method of use of which are defined:

	Lemon fork - for arranging lemon slices. Has two sharp teeth.
	Double-horned fork - for serving herring.
	A fork for sprat with a wide base in the form of a spatula and five teeth, to prevent deformation of the fish, connected at the ends by a bridge. Designed for transferring canned fish.
	Fork for crabs, crayfish, shrimp. The fork is long with two prongs at the end.
	Fork for oysters, mussels and cold fish cocktails - one of the three tines (left) is more powerful for easily separating the flesh of oysters and mussels from the shells.
	Lobster fork.
	Chill fork - for hot fish appetizers. It has three teeth, shorter and wider than the dessert one.
	A spaghetti fork is a five-prong fork. Agree that if your spaghetti falls apart when it plops onto a plate, then such a fork can help: an extra tine will not be superfluous at all, supporting the spaghetti.
	A salad fork is a large fork that looks more like a spoon, but with teeth. It is very convenient to gently mix salad in a large dish.
	An olive fork is an interesting device that holds a small olive.
	Meat fork (“tourchette”). Used in conjunction with a meat knife for all dishes served in large warmed meat plates for hot appetizers or main courses.
	Dessert fork. Placed when serving breakfast along with a dessert knife, with which most cold appetizers are served.
	Pastry fork. For pastries, pastries and cakes served in cafes and pastry shops; used in the same way as a butter knife; size 15-16 cm.
	Snail fork. Having clamped the snail shell with tongs, which we hold in our left hand, we carefully pick up the snail with our right hand and put it whole into our mouth, trying not to splash ourselves or splash those around us.

We all use cutlery. They are such an integral part of our lives that we don’t even think about the fact that they might not exist. As, indeed, all man-made objects that surround us. Here, it would seem, is an ordinary fork that we have been using since childhood. After all, once it did not exist, which means someone invented it.

When and by whom was the fork invented?? Who owns such a wonderful invention? Unfortunately, it is impossible to accurately answer this question. The history of the cutlery we are accustomed to begins from ancient times, and history has not conveyed to us the name of the person who first used it. But the process of developing and improving this useful item is extremely interesting.

The oldest fork known to us is kept in the Naples National Museum. She was, and her age is more than 2.5 thousand years. According to historians, the ancient Romans already used a fork, however, then no one ate with this device. The fork was used to remove the meat that was boiling in it from the cauldron, which was eaten with hands (in those days this was not at all considered bad manners). However, along with the death of the Roman Empire, forks also died. True, they were later reinvented.

In the 9th century, the first mention of a fork as a cutlery appears in the Middle East. Westerners then already used a spoon and a knife, however, some dishes were extremely inconvenient to eat using these utensils, so most people (with the exception of aristocrats who ate with two knives) continued to eat “inconvenient” food with their hands.

But the most common opinion among historians is associated with the revival of the fork in 1072 in Constantinople. Then the first, as it is believed, fork was made in just one copy, especially for the Princess of Byzantium Iverskaya, who is considered to be the inventor of forks.

The princess did not want to eat with her hands, considering it humiliating, and she herself invented a new cutlery especially for herself (of course, the princess did not know that it had once been invented by the inhabitants of Rome). The princess's fork was made of gold, its handle was decorated with mother-of-pearl inlay on ivory. True, this fork differed from the modern one known to us not only in the high cost of the materials from which it was made, but also in the number of teeth: there were only two of them, and they were straight, and not curved, as now. With the help of such a fork, pieces of food could only be threaded, not scooped up. It is clear that such a fork did not bring any particular convenience to eating, so initially it became not so much a cutlery as an indicator of the prestige of monarchs.

The invention, which was considered not so much convenient as original, began its journey around the world. In 1379, the fork appeared on the table of Charles V, King of France; the bizarre bident settled on the royal table of England three centuries later. The fork came to Russia in 1606, thanks to Marina Mnishek. Peter the Great, as you know, an ardent admirer of everything European, continued the victorious march of the fork across Russia.

However, not everything in the history of the fork was as smooth as it might seem. For example, at the court of Louis XIV, who became famous for his luxurious feasts, there were no forks yet. More precisely, they, of course, existed, but few people dared to use them. A person who used a fork when eating was ridiculed for being too subtle. Monastic regulations forbade monks to eat with a fork; it was called "doge" diabolical fiction." What can I say - even in the 19th century, sailors of the English fleet were forbidden to use a fork; it was believed that the use of this device would turn harsh sailors into sissies.

Since then, the fork has changed and gained incredible popularity. However, attempts to improve this device do not stop to this day. Famous designers come up with new and new types of forks, and who knows, maybe for our distant descendants these are the forks that will become everyday cutlery.

Who would have thought that history of the fork- a simple household item, created over centuries! It is known that in the 16th-18th centuries, existing rules of good manners prohibited taking meat from a plate with all five hands, especially with both hands. It was necessary to carefully use three fingers, under no circumstances wiping them on clothes, but rinsing them in a bowl of water specially designed for this purpose. There was a time when in rich European cities it became fashionable to eat with gloves so as not to get your hands dirty. After lunch, the gloves, of course, were thrown away because they became incredibly greasy and dirty. It’s strange, but forks already existed at that time. It’s hard to even imagine that the noble beauties in ancient portraits at banquet tables could handle fish and meat with their hands!

The very first forks in history had one sharp tine, later there were two. The ancient Romans used this special tool to remove pieces of meat from a brazier or cauldron. Yes, it’s hard to call it a fork when you remember how noble patricians ate meat, and the fat flowed down to their elbows in streams.

The Naples National Museum houses a fork that was found in a grave in the ancient settlement of Paestum in southwestern Italy. Experts say that its age is more than two and a half thousand years. In the 11th century, Peter Damiani, bishop and cardinal of Ostia, claimed that a princess from Venice introduced the fashion of using a fork during meals. The innovation did not stand still, spreading to other cities and countries. In 1379, the fork came to the French royal table during the reign of Charles V. In 1608, they were brought to England from Italy.

Closer to the middle of the 16th century, forks came into use, which are already familiar to us. Small gilded, silver, forks with expensive decorations have already acquired the proportions that exist today. They easily replaced the two knives that “cultured people” used at the table. Forks were considered an item of obvious luxury and a sign of delicacy, so many continued to take meat with their hands, not succumbing to the fashionable trend, which even satyrs ridiculed.

In 1860, England finally established large-scale production of cutlery, as well as quite normal small forks, which were made of silver and silver-plated metal. Only in 1920 did spoons, forks and knives made of stainless steel conquer the whole world.

Partially fork history Russia did not lag behind the rest of Europe, and even vice versa. During the reign of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, forks were already served at the table for honored guests. His son, Peter the Great, also contributed to this historical process in Rus'. In the 18th century, it was with his help that the entire Russian aristocracy learned about the fork. In the well-known publication “Russian Antiquity” for the period of 1824 it is written that the orderly on duty was obliged to carry a knife, spoon and fork with him, laying them out in front of the tsar, even if he had to dine at a party. This shows that Peter I doubted that even in the best houses he would be served all the necessary cutlery.

The design of modern forks was formed in the 19th – 20th centuries. Snack bars, regular, dessert, for meat, for fish and side dishes, for cutting lobster and meat fibers, in special sets with a spatula or knife for oysters or asparagus... Rules, how to use them and how to distinguish them - a whole lot of books have been written about this and articles. But that is another story.

Sincerely

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