The fork

Roasted meats were eaten with fingers as late as the beginning of the last century.

The fork was known in the days of Henry III, but rarely used before the end of the eighteenth century

The wife of Charles le Bel (1324) and Clemence of Hungary had in their dowry each one fork only, and the Duchess of tours had two

Charles V (1380) and Charles VI (1418) had in their table inventory only three golden forks - for fruit

Charlotte d'Albrey (1514) three likewise, which were however never used

Germany and Italy adopted the fork at their meals a century earlier than did the French

Cornet an Englishman was much surprised, while travelling in Italy in 1609 to find

"a strange looking clumsy, and dangerous weapon called a fork"

Used by the natives while eating

In 1651 we find Ann of Austria refusing to use this weapon and eating together with her son Louis XIV with her fingers

The fork came only into general use only at the beginning of the last century

In China, native forks (chopsticks) were used a 1,000 years B.C, as they are now