Table Knives in the Middle Ages

Some English table knives of the 1400s were said to have handles made from unicorn horns. Such handles were prized because the horn of a unicorn was believed to act as a charm against poison. ~ A favorite image of Etiquipedia’s shows a servant cutting trenchers of bread in a detailed banquet scene. This image is from a woodcut by German artist M. Wohlgemuth, 1491

Some English table knives of the 1400s were said to have handles made from unicorn horns. Such handles were prized because the horn of a unicorn was believed to act as a charm against poison. The handles probably came from the narwhal, a sea creature with a single long tusk. Until the 1600s, people thought narwhal tusks were really unicorn horns.

Innkeepers didn't provide table knives for their guests in the Middle Ages, and most hosts didn't either. So people took their knives with them when they traveled. The wealthy nobles and clergy carried theirs in handsome sheaths of tooled and decorated leather. Poorer people simply stuck their knives into their belts or a stocking.

In the homes of well-to-do Christians, knives with different- colored handles were used to help celebrate certain religious holidays. For example, knives with black handles made of ebony were brought out during Lent as a symbol of Christ's suffering. Then on Easter, knives with white handles made of ivory symbolized His resurrection.– From James Cross Giblin’s book, “From Hand to Mouth”, 1987

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

Medieval Bread Etiquette and Use

The bread for the Lord of the house was fresh, that for guests one day old and that for the rest of the household three days old. Four-day-old bread was reserved for cutting the trenchers… —Three, late-19th century bread forks for serving bread, rolls and toast. 

At medieval banquets bread was served in the form of manchets, which were round loaves of the finest whole wheat, sliced using a tranchoir (from the French trancher, to slice) by a designated carver (q.v. Carving tools and accessories).

The bread for the Lord of the house was fresh, that for guests one day old and that for the rest of the household three days old. Four-day-old bread was reserved for cutting the trenchers, which were pieces of bread sliced approximately 6 inches square and 2-3 inches thick, placed directly on the table and used in lieu of plates. (Later these had an ‘under plate’ of pewter or wood which evolved into the modern dinner plate.)

The bread knife of today is the successor to the tranchoir of the Middle Ages. Along the way, it was Queen Victoria who made it acceptable to put a loaf (of bread) and knife on the dining table. — William P. Hood, Jr. in 1999’s “Tiffany Silver Flatware”

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