How many times in the cinema have each of us seen comical (mostly) scenes in which the characters were baffled by such seemingly ordinary things as cutlery? Or rather, ignorance of their purpose and inability to use them. Many times, right? At the same time, most of us, having laughed at actors portraying clumsy ones, rarely think about how much they themselves know table etiquette and cutlery. And in vain - everything happens in life. Suddenly you find yourself at a reception, for example, with the Spanish king! Or at a business dinner with potential partners. Or you and your friends will be invited to lunch by Robert De Niro ... In general, this text will be useful for everyone to read. It contains details about cutlery.

Where else to start a story about table etiquette and cutlery, if not with a knife? At first, of course, the knife was a universal object: it was taken to war, to hunt, it was also used at the table. But time passed, needs and habits became more refined, people (at first to know) were no longer satisfied with this state of affairs - knives began to differ from each other in their purpose. A separate type of them appeared - table knives. All of them had (and have) an oval and blunt end of the blade. This is due, as you might guess, with the rather tough mores of the past: a sharp knife on the table could always become a weapon. Actually, it can be assumed that a table knife can also become a melee weapon - it all depends on the situation. But still, one must think that harming them is somewhat more difficult. Not worth checking.

A spoon

Although the spoon appeared later than the knife, it became a cutlery earlier. So, for example, in Russia it has been known since at least the 12th century. Whereas table knives entered European use not earlier than the 16th century (before that, as already mentioned, they were not singled out as a separate category). Spoons along with knives were usually worn behind the tops of boots. Those who were richer had special cases. In general, it used to be customary to carry cutlery with you - you never know where you have to eat. There are even sayings on this subject: “With your spoon at other people's dinners”, or “A thrifty guest does not go without a spoon”.

Fork

The fork came into use in Europe around the 15th century. Although “came into use” is a strong word: this device appeared in very limited quantities and was the privilege of the nobility. The distribution of the fork "from top to bottom" occurred gradually. As for Russia, it was brought to our state by Peter I. Separate attempts to introduce a fork into Russian life were, however, earlier, but unsuccessful. Thanks to the first Russian emperor, her slow, but eventually victorious march across the domestic expanses nevertheless began. Here is what is written in the Russian Starina edition of the century before last: “A wooden spoon seasoned with ivory, a knife and a fork with green bone handles were always placed at the device of Peter I, and the orderly orderly was charged with the duty to carry them with him and put them in front of the king, even if he happened to dine at a party. At first, the forks were flat, with two prongs. But gradually their shape became more convenient, the number of teeth increased to three, and then four. The common people in Russia recognized the fork and began to use it only in the 19th century.

Starring

Each cutlery separately, you see, we rarely use. With a knife, for example, it is generally impossible to eat - you need a fork. Unless a spoon is, in general, a self-sufficient thing, but it has long been perceived as one of the rather numerous representatives of the cutlery family.

The meal usually starts with appetizers. In this case, there are snack cutlery. Usually it is a knife and fork. The length of the snack knife, as a rule, is equal to the diameter of the snack plate (it is also special). However, it is assumed that it (the knife) will be slightly longer (a centimeter or two). The fork may be slightly smaller. Appetizers are served with cold appetizers of all kinds, as well as some hot ones: pancakes, scrambled eggs, fried ham and others.

Further on the table, most likely, there will be main dishes: first, second. Cutlery should be changed. Actually, a spoon, a fork and a knife for the main hot dishes are called “canteens”. Here, as in the first case, the table knife should be equal in length to the diameter of the dinner plate. Spoon and fork can be a little shorter. In the absence of special devices on the table (which will be discussed below), a tablespoon, fork and knife are also used to transfer portions of food from a common plate to the mealer's plate.

If lunch or dinner includes a fish dish or even dishes, then in order to taste them, it would be good to use special fish utensils. This is a knife and fork. The first one is dumb and appearance resembles a spatula. Fish fork - with four prongs, but shorter than those of the "classic" fork. By the way, they use fish appliances for eating mainly hot fish dishes. There is also (though rare) a separate auxiliary fish device - a fork for sprats. She has a wide base with a shovel, five teeth. The teeth at the end are interconnected by a bridge: to make it easier to pick up fragile fish with a fork, so that it does not deform. Please note that the sprat fork is intended only for shifting fish (not only sprats, but also, for example, sardines) into your plate.

Now dessert. It also requires special devices. Desserts are a knife, a fork and a spoon. The length of the knife, as many have probably guessed, should roughly correspond to the diameter of the dessert plate. A dessert knife is narrower than a snack knife, with a pointed tip (which means not all table knives are blunt!). The spoon and fork can be slightly shorter than the knife. The latter should have three teeth.

Dessert knife and fork are used if cheese, some types of cakes, sweet pies (including the famous "charlotte"), watermelon, melon are served. A dessert spoon is useful for sweet dishes that do not need to be cut. These can be berry mousses, berries with cream or milk, fruit and berry compotes, ice cream, sweet cereals and other types of desserts. It happens that a dessert spoon is also served with broths in cups. This is a common mistake. If the broth or light soup served in a cup - you need to drink it. Eating from a cup with a spoon, even a dessert one, is simply inconvenient.

Fruit is also a dessert, but there is a separate type of device for them. Fruit knife and fork are smaller than dessert ones. The fork has only two tines.

For tea and coffee, separate types of spoons are used: tea and coffee. However, not only for tea and coffee. So, for example, a teaspoon is also useful for coffee with milk, cocoa, fruit cocktails, grapefruits, soft-boiled eggs or “in a bag”. But a small coffee spoon is served, basically, only with coffee: espresso or brewed in an oriental way. There are also special spoons with a long handle - for example, they are served with tea or coffee with ice, other drinks in tall glasses.

Wooden chopsticks are also cutlery. They came to us from East Asia along with dishes of Chinese, Korean, Japanese and other cuisines, which are now very popular in Russia and in general in the world. In fact, chopsticks are not only wooden, but also metal, bone, plastic. If it happens outside of countries where chopsticks are traditional cutlery, then European cutlery is usually served along with them - in case someone does not know how to use chopsticks. However, in the same China, if you eat not quite in a cheap eatery (anything happens), you will also be served a fork and knife if you ask, not to mention good restaurants.

Corps de ballet

In addition to the main cutlery, there are also auxiliary cutlery. One of them (sprat fork) has already been mentioned above. Now a few words about other table helpers.

Knives. In addition to those already described, there are at least three more types of knives. First of all, a butter knife. It is needed to cut and shift pieces butter to your plate (if it is served in a piece). A characteristic feature of such a knife is a semi-arc curved blade.

In addition to the butter knife, there is also a special knife for serving a piece of cheese. It is called a knife-fork and has a crescent shape with teeth at the end. With its help, the cheese is cut off from a large piece and placed on an individual plate. For cutting lemons there is a knife-saw. After the lemon is sliced, you can take a slice of it with a special lemon fork that has two prongs.

Other “auxiliary” forks: for serving herring (two-horned), in a set of cutlery for crabs, crayfish, shrimp - long, with two prongs, for oysters, mussels, cold fish cocktails - three prongs, one of them (left) is more powerful than the others, to make it easier to separate the pulp of mollusks from shells. The chill fork has three prongs, they are short and wide - needed for hot fish snacks.

Spoons. They are also different. In addition to the above, there is, for example, a salad spoon. It is usually larger than the dining room. There are salad spoons with three small teeth at the end. The purpose of such a spoon is to transfer salad from a common dish to a serving plate. A ladle familiar to everyone is also a spoon (bottling). Need it, of course, for pouring soups, as well as milk, jelly, compotes. The sizes of ladles vary depending on their specific purpose. A very small spoon (about a centimeter in diameter) is for salt. She puts herself in the salt shaker.

Forceps. Do not worry and do not remember dentistry: we remain within the framework of cooking. Tongs are also auxiliary cutlery. So, large confectionery tongs serve to transfer (again from a common dish to an individual plate) flour confectionery. Small pastry tongs are used to transfer sugar, marmalade, chocolates(assorted, unwrapped), marshmallow. Nut tongs are two V-shaped handles with serrated recesses for nuts. Ice also requires tongs - they are made in the form of a long U-shaped bracket, at the ends of which there are serrated blades on both sides. If you love asparagus, then you probably know that there are special tongs for it. They are needed in order to shift the asparagus from the grill, on which it is often cooked. Actually, asparagus tongs are always sold complete with a grill.

Next, let's move on to the blades. To table blades. There are many of them: caviar is similar to a flat scoop; it is used to transfer granular or chum salmon caviar to a caviar plate. The so-called "rectangular" spatula is used for shifting meat and vegetable dishes. In general, for hot and cold dishes there is also a figured spatula with slots. And without a small figured spatula, you and I, of course, will not be able to cope with the pate. Cakes with cakes (those that you can’t take with tongs) must be shifted with a large figured spatula, these are quadrangular in shape.

Of course, hardly anyone can find a complete collection of cutlery at home. Even restaurants don't always have everything. Nowadays, the culture of food consumption has become somewhat simplified, fast foods and other eateries reign: time is saved on everything, even on food - we are in a hurry to live and feel in a hurry.

Terms of use

In conclusion, just a few words about how to properly use cutlery. Actually, no one doubts that the readers of "Culinary Eden" are well aware of this. Still, it doesn't hurt to consolidate knowledge.

So, never hold a knife in your left hand. This is an unshakable rule. Even for lefties. Bring your fork (or spoon) to your mouth, not the other way around. During the meal, when you carry the fork or spoon to your mouth, keep it parallel to the table. Do not be greedy, do not fill the spoon with soup to the brim - "on the way" you can accidentally spill some, stain the tablecloth or even one of the neighbors. Do not blow on hot soup - again, there is a danger that splashes will reach other participants in the meal. And yes, it doesn't look great from the outside. If you tilt your plate to finish your leftovers delicious soup- Tilt it away from you. Some etiquette experts, however, generally do not allow the possibility of such "liberties" in a decent society: a meal is almost a sacred ceremony.

If you took the device from the table, you should not put it back on the tablecloth. Not in the sense that you should put it in your pocket, but in the fact that, firstly, you can stain the tablecloth, and secondly, dust particles with villi can stick to the device, which have no way into your mouth. During a pause in the meal, put the cutlery on a plate, next to the food. If this is a knife and a fork, then their ends should intersect a little ("draw" a full-fledged cross in a plate is not worth it). When the meal is over, put the cutlery on the plate in parallel (knife with the tip to the fork): the waiter or the owner of the feast will understand that the plate can be removed.

The first fork in a close to modern form appeared in the 11th century in Italy. It is said that its inventor was called Domenico Silvio and he was a Venetian ruler who often hosted receptions. And so, preparing for the visit of the Byzantine princess Maria, Silvio decided to break the tradition of eating with his hands, and small two-pronged cutlery was served at the table, with which he had to pick up food and transfer it to his plate. The guests appreciated the new trend, but forks were still far from being widely used. Until the 17th century, the rules of good manners described how to eat with your hands correctly - do not take food with the whole handful, especially with two hands, but only with three fingers, do not wipe your fingers on clothes, but rinse them in a special bowl of water ... Gloves were served with hot dishes which were discarded after the meal. The aristocracy sometimes used two knives, one of which was used for cutting, the other for piercing pieces of food.

Why has the convenience fork been an unpopular and unfamiliar item for so long? The fact is that the Catholic Church took up arms against her. Two prongs were associated with the horns of the devil, and the fork itself was considered a luxury item. Its use at the court of monarchs was seen as a manifestation of godlessness and blasphemy. In the memoirs of the Italian bishop Peter Damiani, there is a description of the wife of the Venetian doge, who brought food to her mouth not with her hands, but with a gilded fork - the bishop regarded this as folly that would bring heavenly wrath on her ... As a compromise, the "heretics" used an object similar to an awl - a fork with one prong, because eating hot fatty food with your hands, especially the nobles and monarchs, was no longer desirable, eating with your hands began to be considered the lot of ordinary people.

But back to Domenico Silvio... The Byzantine princess, returning home, ordered to make the same object and in a single copy a fork was made of gold with an ivory handle inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The first forks had completely straight teeth and were intended only for piercing food; it was impossible for her to scoop anything up. A few centuries later, the French Queen Jeanne d'Hervé had her own fork. It was also made in a single copy and kept in a special case. But under the influence of the Catholic Church, the fork was not allowed to spread until the 16th century, and from the 17th century the fork became a necessary attribute at the meals of the nobility and merchants. The fork also appeared in Northern Europe - it was first mentioned in English in 1611, and the fork was widely used in England only in the 18th century. It was introduced by Thomas Koryat thanks to his book about traveling through Europe. But even then, his idea of ​​distributing forks was ridiculed and called "furcifer", which means "fork carrier". At the same time, forks appeared in Germany, and in Spain they were used for a long time - a huge assortment of forks was found on the Spanish ship La Girona that sank in 1588. By that time, the forks had already become more convenient curved teeth, in addition, their number had increased to four. However, it is known that even in the 19th century, sailors in the English navy were not allowed to use a fork, since it was not appropriate for stern sailors to get carried away with refined manners.

The fork was brought to Russia from Poland in 1606 by False Dmitry I in the luggage of Marina Mnishek and was defiantly used during a feast in the Faceted Chamber of the Kremlin on the occasion of the marriage of False Dmitry. The Russian clergy, like the Catholic one, did not approve of the fork. She began to symbolize non-Russian origin and predilection for the foreign. However, unlike in Europe, in Russia they did not wait for centuries for a softening of morals - already under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich there were forks on the royal tables, however, they were served to the most distinguished guests, ordinary guests were served only spoons. In the 18th century, under Peter I, tables were already served with a full set - a spoon, a fork, a knife. The publication “Russian Starina” for 1824 contains information about the royal serving: “A wooden spoon seasoned with ivory, a knife and a fork with green bone handles were always placed at the device, and the duty orderly was charged with the duty to carry them with him and put them in front of the king even if he happened to dine at a party. Peter was not sure that a fork would be served to him at a party, because the people were distrustful of a noble cutlery, there was even a proverb: “A spoon is like a net, and a fork is like a hook” (that is, do not scoop anything), but drop forks were considered a bad omen. However, in the etiquette book “An Honest Mirror of Youth, or Indications for Worldly Behavior”, the manners and rules of behavior at the table, including how to handle a fork and knife, have already been described. The very word "fork" entered the Russian language only in the 18th century, and until that time it was called "horn" or "wilts". And the word "wilts" - small pitchforks - came from the word "drank", which meant "tooth" (hence "saw"). With the development of the language, “p” was replaced by “v” and the designation of a tool with teeth appeared - a pitchfork.

Notches at the teeth - a sign of the "correct" fork

The final breakthrough in fork history occurred in the 19th century, when the new way gilding and silvering of metals - electroplating. The French were the first to actively use electroforming in the production of cutlery, and since that time a huge number of different forks, knives, spoons, spatulas and other beautiful functional table setting items have been developed and produced.
Today, in the production of cutlery, the main material is steel, which also serves as the basis for products with a silver or gold coating. It is believed that good forks should be at least 2.5 mm thick (measured at the end of the handle). There should be no sharp corners, such as between the tines of the forks. Everything should be smooth and fluid. In addition, a quality fork can be immediately recognized by the presence of grooves at the base of the teeth, so that food is washed out more easily.

Modern tables, especially for ceremonial receptions, are served with a huge number of devices, among which there can only be about a dozen forks. Despite all the variety of forks currently being manufactured, there are certain types for certain products and purposes:

Four-pronged dinner fork- the most widely used, used for hot meat dishes, side dishes, as well as pancakes and pies.

Salad or diner fork a - the same as the dining room, but smaller in size.

Lemon fork- for shifting slices of lemon. Small in size, has two sharp teeth. Fruit forks look like large "lemon" ones.

Double prong fork with curved teeth- for serving herring.

Fork for shifting canned fish with a wide base in the form of a spatula and five teeth connected at the ends by a bridge.

Long fork with two prongs- a device for crabs, crayfish, shrimp.

fish fork with a recess between the central teeth. Differs in the smaller sizes and shorter teeth.

Three prong fork with a more powerful left tooth - for oysters and mussels.

Three prong small forks for desserts.

Chill fork- for hot appetizers from fish. It has three teeth, shorter and wider than those of the dessert.

baking fork in the form of a trident.

For establishments fast food, a special spoon fork("spork"). Invented in the USA in the 1870s, it is made of metal, plastic or wood. Some even have an angled protrusion on the side that doubles as a knife. It is not included in the official list of cutlery.

Entire chapters are written in etiquette books about how to use cutlery. There is a way to use knives and forks - the American "zigzag", when the fork is shifted from the left hand to the right when cutting and piercing pieces, and the European one, when the fork is always held in the left hand, and the knife in the right.

The knife and fork are held so that the fingers do not touch the blade or the teeth. It is customary to bring the fork to the mouth with the prongs down, unless it is food from which drops of sauce or gravy can drip. The fork is never “cleaned”, it is never wiped on a knife, a piece of bread or on the edge of a plate. If there is a pause in the meal (but the feast is not over yet), the device is placed on a plate cross on the cross - the knife with the tip to the left, the fork with the convex part up - so that the knife handle is located like a clock hand pointing at five o'clock, and the handle forks - at seven o'clock. You can put the fork and knife with the handle on the table, and the other end on the plate. At the end of the meal, both devices are placed on a plate parallel to each other, and their handles should show at five o'clock. In this case, the fork should lie with the teeth up.

Salad is put on a plate with a special spoon and eaten with a salad or snack fork. Peas and corn are eaten with a fork, helping to pick up grains with a knife. A snack fork and a snack knife are served with the pate (the rules of etiquette allow you to spread the pate on toast). Dishes from minced meat and fish (cutlets, zrazy, casseroles) are eaten only with a table fork, breaking off small pieces. They also eat vegetable cutlets, scrambled eggs, scrambled eggs.

All kinds of hot dishes from whole pieces of meat should be eaten with a table knife and fork. Sausage should be eaten with a knife and fork, cutting off pieces from the slices. The bird is also eaten with a table knife and fork - the meat is separated from the bones, holding it with a fork, which is turned down by the prongs. Thin slices of game are cut off with a knife until one bone remains.

It is believed that the most difficult thing to cope with is fried, stewed or boiled fish, which is served with a fish knife and fork. Holding the fish with a fork, the fillet is separated from the bones with a fish knife, using it as a spatula. Small bones that have fallen into the mouth are left on the fork and placed on the farthest edge of the plate. If there is no special device, two table forks are served. One of them is used instead of a knife, holding in the right hand and removing the fillet from the bones, the second is eaten by fish. For eel, salted or pickled herring, appetizers are served.

Spaghetti is eaten with a fork and spoon.

At buffet tables, as a rule, no cutlery is served, except for forks. This is evidenced by the very name of such a banquet, because translated from French "fourchette" this is the fork.

Fork History January 31st, 2014

No reception against fork
one hit - four holes!

Word fork(English fork) came from the Latin "fulka", which means garden pitchfork. The fork, as a cutlery, was familiar to the ancient Greeks. At that time, the forks were relatively large, had only two massive straight prongs, and served to distribute large chunks of meat to dishes. Another early mention of the fork can be found in the Old Testament, Book of Samuel 2:13 (“When someone offered a sacrifice, the priestly boy, while the meat was boiling, came with a fork in his hand.”).

When you admire ancient portraits of noble beauties in an art gallery, it never occurs to you that these refined creatures at feast tables ate meat and fish with their hands. Back in the 16th-18th centuries, the rules of good manners prescribed not to take meat with the whole five, especially with two hands, but only with three fingers; do not wipe your fingers on clothes, but rinse in a special bowl of water ...

At one time in the rich houses of Europe it was fashionable to eat with gloves to keep hands clean. After dinner, the greasy gloves were thrown away. But forks already existed then ...

The first forks were huge and had only one sharp prong, later - two. The ancient Romans used them to extract pieces of meat from a cauldron or brazier. 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 ...

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 banquets. From the 10th century, forks spread to the territory of the Byzantine Empire, where such cutlery was also used only by aristocrats. From there, in the 11th century, the fork was brought to Venice by a Byzantine princess who became the wife of the Doge.

However, in Italy, the fork did not find use for a long time (more on that later) and only by the 16th century gained popularity. 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 spread only to the 18th.

However, there is evidence that the fork was born in 1072 in Byzantium in the city of Constantinople in the imperial palace.

It was made in one copy of gold, and its handle was decorated with mother-of-pearl inlay on ivory. This fork was intended for the Byzantine princess Maria of Iberia, who can be considered the inventor of the fork. Considering it humiliating to eat with her hands, she invented it herself. A fork was made at that time with two straight prongs, with the help of which it was only possible to string, and not to scoop up food. Initially, it was rather a kind of indicator of the prestige of the monarch, and not a cutlery at all. It was considered more convenient to eat with hands or a spoon. In the 14th century, the French queen Jeanne d'Hervé had only one fork. She kept it in a case.

The spoon and fork were practically expelled from France until the 16th century and came into use only in the 18th century.

Today, we take the fork for granted. In addition, no one has yet canceled the convenience of using it. Why, then, was the fork making its way to our table so slowly?

The fact is that, despite the fact that, as we remember, in Greece, meat was laid out on dishes with a fork, it was eaten with hands. They also ate in ancient Rome. This habit is so firmly rooted in the hearts of people that it was very difficult to dislodge it. With the beginning of the spread of Christianity, the position of the fork only shook: the fact is that while preaching monotheism, Christians naturally waged a “war” against the pantheons of the gods of Rome, Greece, Egypt ... It was decided that since only God and the Devil exist, then all the old gods were recorded as demons - servants of the Devil, having power over the individual elements of nature, and thus, confusing the minds of people with their imaginary power. Accordingly, much of what had to do with the ancient gods was declared forbidden - including the fork: the trident of Poseidon. In addition, the pitchfork was also assigned an unseemly role: the persistent expression "Devil's Pitchfork" is still preserved.

Thus, unlike the "eastern barbarians", all "enlightened Europeans" up to the 16th century ate mainly with their hands, or at worst with a knife. When the fork appeared in England, it was simply ridiculed. “Why do we need a fork, if the Lord himself gave us hands,” approximately such sentiments reigned throughout Europe at that time. So the path of recognition of the fork was very thorny.

Now let's talk about why it is customary to put the fork with the cloves down when setting the table. There are several theories about this: according to the first of them, once during a feast, King George 5th was upset by something and, in a fit of anger, firmly loaded his fist on the table ... As a result, the monarch’s hand fell on the teeth of the fork, and his mood deteriorated even more .

According to another version, since the fork was a luxury item for a long time, the nobility often boasted of the fame of the master who made this or that item of utensils. Since the brand and engraving were applied to the reverse side, the fork was also placed so that its origin could be seen from afar.

According to the third version, which is again associated with the English royal court, there was a tradition to cut all the corners of a sandwich served with tea. And so that, God forbid, the monarch would not suspect hostility towards his person, the fork was held only with the teeth down. For the same reason, the knife was placed with the blade inward against the plate, so that the presence of such a dangerous object on the table would not look like a threat.

Another interesting point, the modern European tradition involves holding the fork with the teeth down during the meal. Americans, on the other hand, prefer to use the e with the teeth up. This feature has been played up in several films, where American spies were discovered only because they ate with a fork, as is customary in their homeland. So, if you are an enemy agent, take the trouble to learn the traditions of the local population.

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

Traditionally, misfortune was attached to signs with a fork among the people - dropping the fork was considered the eve of misfortune, a bad omen. They spoke disapprovingly about the fork, as evidenced by the proverb: “With a spoon that is a net, and with a fork - like a milking”, that is, do not scoop anything.

Russia kept pace with the historical process in terms of forks. Even under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, as one European wrote in travel essays, “at dinner for each guest they put spoons and bread on the table, and a plate, knife and fork - only for honored guests.”

The son of Alexei Mikhailovich, Peter the Great, also contributed to the history of the fork in Russia. It was not without his help that the Russian aristocracy recognized the fork in the 18th century. The publication “Russian Starina” 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 the device, and the orderly orderly was charged with the duty 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 served the entire set of cutlery.

Modern tables are served with appliances, among which there can be a dozen types of forks: regular and snack, 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 century. Books have been written about how to distinguish them and how to use them. And this is a separate conversation ...

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

Good spoons and forks should be at least 2.5 mm thick (measured at the end of the handle). There should be no sharp corners, such as between the tines of the 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 being manufactured, there are certain types, the purpose and method of use of which are determined:

Lemon fork - for shifting lemon slices. Has two sharp teeth.

Two-horned fork - for serving herring.

Fork for sprats 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 shifting canned fish.

The device for crabs, crayfish, shrimp (knife, fork) is used when consuming crabs, crayfish and shrimp. The fork is long with two prongs at the end.

Fork for oysters, mussels and cold fish cocktails - one of the three prongs (left) is more powerful for easily separating the pulp of oysters and mussels from the shells.

Lobster needle - for eating lobster.

Chill fork - for hot appetizers from fish. It has three teeth, shorter and wider than those of the dessert.

Usually we use metal knives, spoons, forks: aluminum, steel, various alloys, silver-plated or pure silver, gilded, etc. These items are also made of bone, wood, plastic. By the way, boiled eggs It is recommended to eat with bone spoons.

As you probably already guessed, for serving holiday table silver appliances are recommended. However, some consider this prejudice. Modern designers create stainless steel appliances that are quite worthy of their predecessors - silversmiths.

So what do they eat? Sometimes this question throws guests into confusion. In fact, a little attention and ingenuity - and this issue can be sorted out.

The main cutlery is those with which they eat: snack bars, fish, tableware, dessert and fruit. Snacks knife and fork are served with cold appetizers and some hot ones - scrambled eggs, scrambled eggs, pancakes. To the hot fish dishes you need a fish knife and fork: the knife is blunt, resembles a spatula, and the fork has short teeth.


The first and second are eaten with cutlery - a knife, the length of which is equal to the diameter of a dinner plate, and a slightly shorter spoon and fork.

Dessert is served with a dessert knife, fork and spoon.. They are slightly smaller than canteens and narrower (the length of the knife is approximately equal to the diameter of the dessert plate), the fork has three prongs. A dessert spoon is served with soups in bouillon cups. Even less fruit knife and fork, and the fork has two prongs.

Sometimes it is difficult to understand the purpose of some devices. Here, for example, is a knife-fork - sickle-shaped, with teeth at the end. Turns out it's very handy. cut and spread cheese, which is served on the table as a whole piece on a porcelain tray.

Lemon is taken with a fork with two sharp teeth. To take a piece of herring, you need a two-horned fork, and for sprats - so as not to break them - a fork with a wide base in the form of a spatula and five prongs connected at the end with a jumper.

If you are serving crabs, shrimps, crayfish, do not forget to bring a knife and a long fork with two prongs at the end. The fork for oysters, mussels and cold fish cocktails has three prongs, one of them (left) is more powerful - they separate the pulp from the shells. Lobsters are eaten with a special needle.

Hot fish snacks cooked in koilniks, eat with a special fork with three prongs, these tines are shorter and wider than those of a dessert fork.

In addition to the appliances that everyone sitting at the table directly uses, common items are needed, with the help of which dishes are laid out or shifted from common meals into the bowls.

First of all, these are, of course, salad spoons. They are larger than tablespoons, sometimes the tip of such a spoon is made in the form of three teeth. Grained or chum salmon caviar from the caviar bowl is transferred to a plate with a spatula in the form of a flat scoop, meat and vegetable dishes- with a rectangular spatula, fish - curly with slots, pates with a small curly spatula.

The table setting includes a variety of pliers: for pies and cakes, for sugar and sweets, for cracking nuts. There are special tongs for ice - in the form of a bracket with two blades. Asparagus, so loved all over the world, is also transferred from the grill to the plate with special tongs, and they are usually sold complete with a grill.

Today it is quite a common item, without which it is impossible to imagine modern kitchen. But before, attempts to make a fork a household item were perceived as “excessive luxury,” and the church even called it godlessness and a connection with the devil.

History of occurrence

It is known that the first mention of the fork was in the Middle East in the 9th century. And before that, people often ate with their hands or used a spoon. And the aristocrats resorted to the help of two knives: with one they cut food, and with the second they helped bring food to their mouths.

There is another version of the origin of the plug. According to her, the fork appeared in 1072 in Constantinople (Byzantium). The first place where she appeared was the imperial palace. And it was made of gold, the handle was made of ivory with mother-of-pearl inlay. And they made it especially for Mary of Iberia, the Byzantine princess, by her own order. So she can be considered the inventor of the fork. But it was still not at all the cutlery that is well known to us today. The fork had only two prongs and was mainly used for stringing food.

In Italy, the fork appears in the 17th century. It was the first country in Europe in which the aristocracy began to use a fork during a meal. Later, this cutlery "reaches" to Northern Europe. The fork was widely used in England in the 18th century.

In 1606, thanks to Marina Mnishek, the fork appeared in Russia. Initially, this item in Russia was called "wilts" or "horn". Only in the 18th century, the name fork was assigned to this device, and the cutlery itself began to gain popularity in use. Of course, initially the fork was available only to the rich, served at noble dinners. It was at this time that the fork acquires the shape we know - four prongs.

Today, at modern feasts, almost a dozen different forks are used when setting the table. How to use all these devices, you can read in the modern specialized literature.

Types of forks

Today, there are several varieties of forks that differ in their application. So, there are canteens, snack bars, dessert and fish forks.

  • Table forks the largest in size. They have four teeth. As a rule, knives are placed next to them, the length of which is equal to the diameter of a medium-sized dinner plate. Accordingly, the size of the forks should be the same, in extreme cases, no more. Such forks are suitable for meat (possible with a side dish), pancakes, etc.
  • snack forks slightly less canteens. They are used for hot and cold snacks.
  • dessert forks usually with two or three teeth. They are small in size, intended for cakes, pastries, pies, fruits (canned or fresh).

There is a special lemon fork, which is designed for convenient shifting of lemon slices. The fork has two sharp teeth.

  • fish forks have a distinctive feature - teeth of different lengths. From the name it is clear that they are intended for fish and dishes from it. Thanks to the teeth of different lengths, it is very convenient to separate fish meat from bones, as well as the pulp of oysters and mussels from shells.

In addition to forks, there are also various spatulas, needles and other utensils that make eating easier. For example, it is convenient to apply sprats with a special spatula, which has five teeth connected by a jumper. Also, such a fork is very convenient if you need to transfer it to a plate. canned fish- it warns against deformation of the fish.

Suitable for crabs, shrimps and crayfish long fork with two prongs.

For the use of squid and lobsters use a special needle, which also belongs to the category of forks.

chill fork serves for the consumption of hot fish dishes. It has three teeth. It is very similar to dessert, only the cloves are wider and shorter.

For serving herring use double fork.

dessert fork

Fork Rules

The table is served in such a way that all cutlery is laid out near the plate, both on the right and on the left. Those on the right are taken with the right hand, on the left, respectively, with the left. The device that lies farthest from the plate is taken first. So, gradually all cutlery is used.

The fork can be held in two ways: either like a knife, with the tines down, or like a spoon, with the tines up.

The main thing is to learn how to hold the fork beautifully and correctly. It is important to remember that only three fingers work: thumb, index and middle. Moreover, the index should lie on top, but not on the bend, but slightly higher. And the thumb and forefinger are on the handle along the edges. The ring and little fingers are bent towards the center of the palm.

Waving your fork while eating is unethical.

While chewing food, the fork should be parallel to the plate.

Links

  • Lace on fork. Original panels, women's magazine myJane.ru