About the 13th century, Europeans still used their fingers when eating. There are certain rules when it comes to eating with your fingers: Romans distinguished themselves by the number of fingers they used. Commoners used five fingers at the same time. Educated nobles only used three fingers. The ring finger and little finger were not allowed to touch food. . This dining rule lasted until the 16th century and was still followed by Europeans.

Fork: The fork used for eating first appeared in the Tusca region of Italy in the 11th century, with only two tines. The clergy at that time did not think highly of the fork. They believed that humans could only touch the food given by God with their hands. The creation of tableware by wealthy Tuscans was an act of blasphemy as they were tempted by Satan. Italian historical records record that a Venetian woman died within a few days after eating with a fork. In fact, she was probably infected with the plague and died. The clergy said that she was punished by God and warned everyone not to eat with a fork.

In the 12th century, the Archbishop of England, the Earl of Canter, introduced the fork to the people of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom. It is said that at that time, the nobles did not like to eat with a fork, but they often held the fork in their hands. Used as a dueling weapon. For the Anglo-Saxons in the 14th century, forks were still just imported items. Edward I had seven forks made of gold and silver.

Most Europeans at that time liked to use knives to cut food into pieces, and then grab it with their fingers and put it into their mouths; if a man eats with a fork, it means that if he is not picky Ghost is a "sissy".

When the Revolutionary War broke out in France in the 18th century, the French nobility preferred to eat with a fork with four prongs. The implicit meaning of this "fork user" can almost be compared with "different" draw an equal sign in its meaning. So the fork became a symbol of status, luxury, and refinement, and then gradually became a necessary tableware.

Table knife: Ding knives are still retained in Western tableware. The reason is that many foods are cut into large pieces when cooking, and when eating, the eaters divide them according to their personal wishes. Cut into small pieces of different sizes. This is different from the way that Easterners, especially Chinese, cut food into small pieces of shredded meat, sliced ??meat, etc. before cooking. Perhaps this is the important reason why Western cooking technology has always lagged behind the East, especially China. One of the reasons.

Table knives have played an important role in human life since early times. 150 million years ago, human ancestors began to use stone knives as tools. The knives were hung on their waists. They were sometimes used to cut meat and sometimes used to defend themselves against enemies. Only leaders with status and status could have Knives for many different uses.

During the reign of French Emperor Louis XIII (1610 AD - 1643 AD), Archduke Richelieu, who was well versed in political strategies, not only contributed to making France one of the major powers in Europe. ;The cardinal paid great attention to even the ordinary details of life. At that time, the top of the table knife was not the oval shape we are familiar with today, but had a sharp tip. Many French bureaucrats and dignitaries use table knives as toothpicks to pick their teeth after meals. Grand Duke Richelieu therefore ordered his servants to sharpen the tips of table knives into an oval shape, and did not allow guests to pick their teeth with table knives in front of him. The impact was so widespread that France also started to blunt the tips of table knives. whirlwind.

Spoon: The history of spoon is even more long. As early as the Paleolithic Age, spoons appeared in Asia. Spoons made of wood, stone, ivory, gold and other materials have been found in ancient Egyptian tombs.

Greek and Roman nobles used spoons made of copper and silver. In Italy in the 15th century, when baptizing children, the most popular gift was a baptismal spoon, in which the child's guardian angel was made into the handle of the spoon and given to the baptized child.

Napkins The Greeks and Romans had always maintained the habit of eating with their fingers, so they used a napkin the size of a good towel to wipe their hands after finishing the meal. Those who are more particular will take out a finger bowl to wash their hands after wiping their hands. In addition to water, the finger bowl also contains floating rose petals; the Egyptians put almonds, cinnamon and oranges in the bowl. flower.

The purpose of placing the napkin on the chest is to prevent the clothes from being stained. In Western meals, it is often customary to drink the soup first. Once the clothes are stained while drinking the soup, the entire meal will often be ruined. They all ate very unpleasantly.

Napkins developed into the 17th century. In addition to their practical significance, they also paid more attention to ornamental purposes. In 1680 AD, there were 26 ways to fold napkins in Italy, such as the Noah's Ark shape used by priests and monks, the hen shape used by ladies, and the chicken, carp, tortoise, bull, bear, rabbit, etc. that ordinary people like to use. The shape is breathtaking.