More History of the Spoon

Depiction of “The Great Ivory Spoon of Ancient Egypt,” expressing in its decorative motif, the eternal mystery of Life. Very peculiar it has a shallow circular bowl and very short handle. — Photo of the image from the Reed and Barton book of 1926

THERE is plenty of evidence that the people of very early times concentrated along the borders of the sea and large bodies of water and from there migrated from the mouths of the rivers and streams inland, toward their sources. The shores of these waters provided shells which served as natural spoons with which to eat certain types of food. These were available long before man knew how to fashion metal into weapons or implements.

Stone knives were made at a very early time, but they were fairly clumsy and apparently were used for hunting rather than eating. This was true even long after metal was employed and spoons have been found as relics from the table dating from a long period before knives and forks began to appear.

The earliest reference to the making of a spoon of precious metal is recorded in the Bible, in the 25th Chapter of the Book of Exodus, wherein the Lord commanded Moses to make golden spoons for the Tabernacle. Excavations in Egypt have brought to light early examples of spoons, and history records that the Greeks and Romans used gold and silver spoons, both at the table and in the temple. Specimens are preserved in the European, Egyptian and American museums.—From, “The History of the Spoon, Knife and Fork,” by Reed and Barton, 1926

Reminder: We have a free webinar on Dining According to Hollywood and Dining Etiquette as Presented on Film! You can watch it live on September 23rd at 4:00 pm PST (Pacific Standard Time). We have a limited number of viewers who can attend via Zoom, however, if you are registered and cannot watch the event live, you’ll be sent a video link to watch a copy at your leisure. Link to the Free Webinar –– https://events.humanitix.com/dining-according-to-hollywood-the-art-of-dining-on-film Please email any questions to: theetiquettechannel@gmail.com

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How Fashion Dictated Utensil Design

Portrait of a Dutch woman wearing a “ruff” collar, by Jan Antonisz van Ravesteyn (1570-1657). From the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Henry Goldman, 1912, in the 1987 book, “From Hand to Mouth”

Apostle spoons first appeared in the 1400s, when the Christians of Europe were deeply religious, and images of Christ, His apostles, and the saints of the Roman Catholic Church could be seen everywhere. It was a time when Christian families said special household prayers before and after every meal, and believed that the apostles had the power to influence their lives.

The spoons were found in all parts of Europe, including France, Germany, Italy, the Low Countries, and Britain. Some were made of silver and were available only in complete sets. Others were made of cheaper metals, such as pewter, and were sold individually. Families handed down their treasured Apostle spoons from generation to generation, and people often gave an Apostle spoon to a newborn baby as a birth present. These spoons were engraved with the child's name and the date and place of birth.

Changes in fashion sometimes dictated the design of spoons. In the late 1500s, both men and women started to wear big, stiff lace collars called “ruffs.” Before then, most spoons of the Middle Ages had fairly short stems. Now the stems had to be made longer so that people could get food safely past the ruffs and into their mouths. At the same time large soup spoons came into wider use, because people wearing ruffs couldn't risk lifting their bowls and drinking the soup. – 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

The Luxury and Etiquette of Utensils

During the middle ages, records show man using a knife for dining. The first table knife was designed with a flat, broad blade opposite the cutting edge. The flat part was recommended “for eating of peas and jelly.” It has been said that “he who dined out during the stirring days of the fifteenth century brought his own eating utensils with him.” One of the rules of etiquette the day was to “smack thy lips resoundingly if thou wouldst show due appreciation to thine host.” –Antique utensils and reproduction 18th century glassware work well when mixed with black and white transfer-ware on a rustic farm table. 

Eating Utensils for Dining – History is Revealing

It is hard to believe that the everyday convenience of knife, fork, and spoon were ever a luxury enjoyed only by the very rich and noble. In the fifteenth century man ate with his fingers most of the time, aided only by a homemade spoon. The first spoons, history tells us, were shells. Where shells were not available in the inland countries, spoons of a sort were cut from wood. Eventually, to make the shell a little easier to manage, handles of wood and bone were attached to the cup-shaped base. In excavations of ancient ruins relics of spoons of bone and ivory have been found. In this way, we are able to trace the history of the first designs and usage of eating utensils.

It is interesting to note that in the beginning people carried their own spoons. Knives made of flintstone were usually carried in a scabbard at the belt. But the knife was not generally brought to the table for the purpose of dismembering or slicing. It was used mainly for hunting. A metal knife was not developed until many years later. In areas where copper, silver, bronze, or gold were found, those who could afford it had spoons and knives fashioned of these precious metals. The kind of material a man’s knife was made of often was a clue to his station and wealth.

Spoons were sometimes designed so that they could fold and were more easily carried. In England, spoons of copper, pewter, or brass were used by people of limited means as early as the sixteenth century. During the reign of the Tudors and Stuarts, a fashionable gift at Christmas time was an Apostle spoon. To own a collection of the twelve Apostles was considered a luxury that few Englishmen could afford. A thirteenth “Master” spoon was one fashioned after the figure of Christ, a coveted possession.

There was not too much of a problem about packing the family flatware when early settlers came to America. A “personal spoon” is all a man or woman needed.

During the middle ages, records show man using a knife for dining. The first table knife was designed with a flat, broad blade opposite the cutting edge. The flat part was recommended “for eating of peas and jelly.” It has been said that “he who dined out during the stirring days of the fifteenth century brought his own eating utensils with him.” One of the rules of etiquette the day was to “smack thy lips resoundingly if thou wouldst show due appreciation to thine host.”

The fork was a later introduction after the knife and spoon. At first forks were used just for serving. But we can imagine that the earliest forks were those cut of sticks and used to hold meat over a fire for roasting. Forks were not a table implement until the sixteenth century.

Italy is accredited with being the first country where forks were used. However, it was only the nobility and upper classes who enjoyed this additional eating utensil. Historians do not credit the Italians with the invention of the fork. It was supposed to have been brought to Italy by visitors from the Byzantine Empire.

Even though the fork was very useful as an eating assistant, it was not accepted by the middle classes, because they regarded its use as something effeminate. It took about ten or twenty years after the introduction of the fork for its use to become generally accepted. In spite of slow means of transportation, the idea finally became widespread. Forks were not used in England until the seventeenth century. This was true possibly because the clergy would not approve the use of forks. They claimed it a sacrilege and that man should use his fingers “as God intended.” In spite of these protests, however, the fork was too useful to be given up once it became generally known.

Italy, the seat of culture and art, produced forks of great artistry and beauty. The first ones were designed with two, three, or four prongs, but the two pronged fork was the most popular. People were still carrying eating utensils in a scabbard at the waist when the fork was introduced. Sometimes both fork and spoon were designed with one handle, and often the spoon was designed so that it folded as a part of the fork.

When a man could not afford silver eating utensils he sometimes had them fashioned of pewter, copper, or bronze. Shell, bone, and wood had to be good enough for the very poor.

— From Patricia Kroh’s 1966 book, “Contemporary Table Settings” 

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

Spoon History and Etiquette

 

“Spoons are older than forks, because nature provides them. Where people live near the sea, sea shells are often used as spoons. Gourds and sections of bamboo have been used too, and spoons are easy to carve out of wood. In a few places, as among the Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest, the “spoon” might actually be almost flat, like a paddle, because its real use was to fish out solid bits of food for the honored guest.”— Shown above, three small antique silver spoons, from left to right, a mustard spoon, salt spoon and a snuff spoon
—Photo source, Etiquipedia private library 

Tiny Bowls

What’s a spoon, really? A tiny bowl with a long handle so that we don’t have to drink clumsily from a larger bowl.

We use it for soup, but that’s just the elegant modern way to do it. The original way (which survived in rural areas well into the 19th century) was to pick up the whole bowl and chug it down. Sticklers for good usage insist that we should say we “drink” soup, rather than “eat” it, but in the old days that went without saying.

Spoons are officially intended for liquid or semi-liquid  food, so we use a spoon for pudding or ice cream (hence the expression “X could eat Y with a spoon,” meaning X considers Y a luscious treat). But we use a fork for pie, because it’s a pastry, a distinction that has infuriated many a small child who wanted to get all of a pie’s drippy fruit filling.

Spoons are older than forks, because nature provides them. Where people live near the sea, sea shells are often used as spoons. Gourds and sections of bamboo have been used too, and spoons are easy to carve out of wood. In a few places, as among the Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest, the “spoon” might actually be almost flat, like a paddle, because its real use was to fish out solid bits of food for the honored guest.

In many parts of the world, people eat out of a communal plate and even take soup from a common bowl. Obviously, this poses a risk of spreading disease.

But people have ways of getting around that. In Central Asia, for instance, the soup spoon has a remarkably wide bowl— sometimes it looks like two bowls side by side— and etiquette requires that you scoop away from you into the common bowl of soup or yogurt. So the part of the spoon that goes into the soup is not the part that goes into your mouth. Clever. — By Charles Perry, 1999

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

Dessert Spoon Etiquette and History

Dessert spoon rules — Use dessert spoons alone when eating ice cream, pots de crème, and other soft desserts, holding the spoon in the right hand. A dessert fork and spoon are used together when 2 utensils are needed. It’s nearly always done in the Continental style, except this is done with a fork and spoon as opposed to a fork and knife. The fork is held in the left hand with tines facing down, and the spoon is held in the right hand. The fork is used to hold or keep a dessert in place as the spoon cuts off small bites. This works well with desserts such as Baked Alaska or certain types of cakes. An exception to this rule is pie or cake, à la mode. These are both eaten with a dessert fork and spoon. The spoon is used to cut and then place a bite of cake or pie and a bit of ice cream on the fork, which is held in the right hand and used to eat the dessert.

How a Spoon Caused Confusion and Insult

The etiquette of eating was formerly simpler, because the number of table implements was smaller. Sir Charles Murray (born In 1806) states in his “Reminiscences” that dessert spoons were unknown in the days of his youth, and people scraped along very comfortably with only teaspoons and tablespoons. 

When dessert spoons were invented, Hamilton Place, the seat of Sir Charles’ uncle, was among the first households in Scotland to adopt them, and a small laird invited to dine there was both astonished and disgusted to find one of the new fashioned spoons handed to him with the sweets. “What for do you gie me this?” he inquired of the footman. “Do ye think ma mooth has got ony smaller since I lappit ma soup?” — London Chronicle, 1912

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