Spoons for Coffee, Tea and Soups

“In the category of round-bowled soup spoons alone (in contrast to the large oval spoons used at dinner time when soup is served in a soup plate, rather than a bowl), there are large ones for chowder, gumbo and other such messes; medium ones for cream soups; and small for bouillon. And as cream soup cups and bouillon cups are equipped with two handles each, the spoons can properly be ignored while the diner drinks directly from the cup and shocks the uninformed.” - What Have We Here? — A Gilded Age French écuelle. An écuelle is a 2-handled broth bowl, generally with a cover, perfect for a broth or light soup. A small, sterling bullion spoon sits inside in the rest position.

ANTHOLOGY ON SPOONS FROM GENTEEL TIME GONE BY

Dear Miss Manners: I inherited from my grandmother luncheon flatware originally manufactured during the Victorian Age. I have thoroughly enjoyed collecting the pattern, as it has so many pieces that are no longer used, reflecting an age so totally different from our own.

What was the purpose of the five-o’clock spoon? The ones I have are the same shape as a demitasse spoon with a slightly longer handle. Why were bouillon spoons made with such short handles? Granted, the bouillon bowls were quite small, but the handles on my bouillon spoons are so short they are difficult to use. My question does not concern correct behavior, but I believe you might have the answer.

Gentle reader: There is nothing like a good silverware question to distract Miss Manners from caring about who is being incorrect. So would you all kindly behave yourselves while she sinks her teeth, as it were, into this one?

The short answers are that five-o’clock spoons were used to stir tea at 5 o’clock, and your bouillon spoons are short because Victorians used even smaller bowls than are now used for serving bouillon. But to procrastinate from returning to behavior-policing duty, Miss Manners will elaborate.

As you know, silverware was a favorite Victorian sport. Inventing specialized tools and acquiring them before the neighbors knew how to use them was what people did to while away the time and work out their aggressions before they had video games.

Someone probably got a lot of points with the idea of making a distinction between stirring breakfast tea with what we now consider the all-purpose teaspoon, and stirring afternoon tea with a daintier one. There is such a thing as an ever-so-slightly smaller version called the four-o’clock spoon, but Miss Manners awards fewer points for this obvious piggybacking.

The coffee situation is similar — large coffee spoons for breakfast and demitasse spoons for coffee taken after dinner. Or at least it was before someone asked what difference it made whether you were stirring tea or coffee and spoiled the game.

Soup offered even more possibilities. In the category of round-bowled soup spoons alone (in contrast to the large oval spoons used at dinner time when soup is served in a soup plate, rather than a bowl), there are large ones for chowder, gumbo and other such messes; medium ones for cream soups; and small for bouillon. And as cream soup cups and bouillon cups are equipped with two handles each, the spoons can properly be ignored while the diner drinks directly from the cup and shocks the uninformed. That last move is a sport Miss Manners is afraid she still finds amusing.– By Miss Manners, Chicago Tribune, October 26, 2000

 🍽Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J. Graber of The RSVP Institute of Etiquette, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia

Basic Spoons and Spoon Etiquette

The Gilded Age in the late 19th C. was a time of great growth in flatware design. Basic spoons for tea and coffee or soup, evolved into a variety of shapes and lengths and styles to satisfy the etiquette for every need, from citrus fruits to sorbets, to eggs, pots-de-crème and chocolate. Above, various sized-chocolate spoons and a long chocolate “muddler,” alongside Limoges pots-de-crème cups with lids and demi-trembleuse cups in saucers for hot chocolate, photographed with a mid-century modern hot chocolate pot.

Tea Spoon

The tea spoon is perhaps the most common place piece existing. Almost every set had these in their basic sizes, whether the bride chose dinner, place, or lunch-sized knives and forks. Over the years the weight of these was slightly adjusted to cut or further increase company profit margins. In 1914, Gorham offered four different weights of silver content for the tea spoon.

Youth or Breakfast Spoon

The next spoon is a smaller, lighter version of a standard tea spoon. It is referred to as a youth or breakfast spoon to match the youth and breakfast knives and forks being marketed by manufacturers.

Five O'Clock Spoon

The small, or five o'clock, tea spoon shown next, was fairly un usual even in the days of afternoon teas, as the regular tea spoon was often used. The size difference was merely a matter of personal preference on the part of the buyer.

Four O'Clock or P.M. Spoon

A smaller version of the five o'clock tea spoon was also made. This is referred to by collectors as a four o'clock tea spoon and is shown next. Many patterns had three sizes of spoons for tea. A regular tea spoon, a small tea spoon, and a four o'clock or P.M. spoon. Calling one size a five o'clock spoon and the other a four o'clock spoon facilitates distinguishing between the two sizes in price lists and when talking over the phone. In much the same way, a large-size round soup spoon is called a gumbo spoon. 

It is very doubtful the Victorians had different spoons depending on whether you drank your tea at four or five o'clock. Victorian etiquette books pay little attention to different types of silverware and their usage, a sure sign that it was not an important screening device. It is therefore hard to know if these different sizes reflect personal preference on the part of the buyer. It should be noted that the normal time for the nursery tea for children was four o'clock. It may be the four o'clock teaspoon is in effect a child's tea spoon. – From “Forgotten Elegance,” 2003

Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J. Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia