Where does cutlery originate from

Where Does Cutlery Originate From?

Cultellus is the Latin word for knife and tells us the origins of modern day cutlery. Back in the Roman times they would have used tools for dining, but they were nowhere near as sophisticated as modern day knives, forks and spoons. Here you will find out how all of the above came into being, in their modern day form.

The word for cutlery would have first come to Britain in the Middle Ages. At this time the Anglo Saxons ruled Britain, and it is likely that they interpreted their own word from the French version of it. It became widely used as a phrase over Britain and still remains do this day. As these etymological roots show, cutlery first became used on the continent, an actually arrived in Britain fairly late in comparison.

I will go back to the very origins of what we see today, to show you how our tools for eating have developed over time.

300,000 years ago, knives were needed by the earliest men, in order to do the job of hunting. If not to kill animals, the knives were certainly used for skinning them and removing the meat in order to eat. Originally, of course, there was no way to forge modern day blades, and so flint and other stone was sharpened and used instead.

Onto the Iron Age later on, and technology had started to develop slightly. A larger variety of knives were made, in various guises, and new techniques meant that it was now easier to cut up food than ever before. This was only a small step though, and other forms of cutlery were still non-existent. It is just that the range of materials on offer to people was wider and so more could be produced. Knives were pretty well advanced by this stage, so we will move onto the next invention: the fork.

Formal use of the fork began in the 1600s, as aristocrats and the higher classes would have had them around their tables. They were not yet in the hands of the lower classes, but nonetheless, they were in existence. Italy were the first to have proper forks, maybe due to the Renaissance and aesthetics being strong there, and they were thus imported into Britain later on. They only became widely made in the 19th century. This is when most people would have begun to use them, not just the upper classes. The idea of the fork had been around since the 11th century, so it was a long time until the island of Britain came to actually make use of the continental idea.

Spoons are the last common piece of cutlery we will discuss: and the last that came to the United Kingdom. These had been made out of wood since the earliest men walked the earth, but did not really take off as developments were made. Britain finally began to use spoons in the 19th century, like the fork, and did so because of soup and the need to eat it in a more polite manner than simply drinking it.

Resources: http://www.studiowilliam.com/GB/ http://ezinearticles.com/?Where-Does-Cutlery-OriginateFrom?&id=3705667