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The Thousand-Year Story of How the Fork Crossed Europe
Darius von Guttner Sporzynski/The Conversation
In today’s world, we barely think about picking up a fork. It is part of a standard cutlery set, as essential as the plate itself. But not that long ago, this now-ordinary utensil was viewed with suspicion, derision and even moral outrage.
It took centuries, royal marriages and a bit of cultural rebellion to get the fork from the kitchens of Constantinople (today’s Istanbul) onto the dining tables of Europe.
A Scandalous Utensil
Early versions of forks have been found in Bronze Age China and Ancient Egypt, though they were likely used for cooking and serving.
The Romans had elegant forks made of bronze and silver, but again, mainly for food preparation.
Bronze serving fork from Ancient Rome, c 2nd–3rd century AD. Metropolitan Museum of Art
Eating with a fork – especially a small, personal one – was rare.
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