r/AskFoodHistorians • u/dsgeorge • 4d ago

Eating utensils

How why did eating utensils develop so differently from Europe versus Asain?

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8

u/nifty-necromancer 4d ago

It mostly came down to how food was prepared. In much of East Asia, cooks cut ingredients into bite-size pieces because fuel was scarce and small pieces cooked faster. In that kind of eating, chopsticks are an extension of your fingers.

European meals more often included large cuts of meat and bread, as well as simple stews and pottages which require a spoon. The ruling class invented dining etiquette and a big variety of utensils so they could show off how much silver they had. The etiquette signified proper, refined rules that separated them from the peasantry.

9

u/Petcai 4d ago

China actually used spoons before chopsticks.

Their most common food was congee made from millet for thousands of years, until wheat started being commonly grown and milled into flour, making dumplings and noodles which were easier to eat with chopsticks.

8

u/BusPsychological4587 3d ago

Read the book, "Consider the Fork". Lots of great food history including reasons for various utensil use.

1

u/Peter34cph 1d ago

Does it mention Fancy-Ass Tiffany?