The history of the spoon

Perhaps everyone knows that a spoon is a cutlery. Today it is difficult to imagine a family that could easily do without this item. Of course, you can serve soup from a bowl, but how, for example, can you transfer salad from a common dish to your plate? It seems that this is completely impossible. How did you manage without it before? And in general, who and when came up with this mini-scoop, whose name is a spoon.

How did the spoon come into being?

Indeed, have you ever thought that someone once came up with all these items that make our lives much easier? After all, someone came up with the idea that you can create something like a scoop out of wood, with the help of which turtle soup seems much tastier, and then even created a metal device? Who invented the spoon?

Etymology

As for the origin of the word "spoon", there are two versions here. If we look at it from a phonetic point of view, then log - ravine, depression. However, if we consider the letter ABOUT in the context of the Old Russian language, it is easily replaced by Kommersant (er) — Lying. Serbian people say the same thing (lazica) and Bulgarian (Lying). At the same time in the word log ABOUT - indigenous Therefore, we can assume that the root of the word spoon - exactly log / lag.

Story

It is impossible to say exactly when the spoon first appeared. However, this also applies to all other cutlery. Perhaps this will forever remain a mystery.However, there are several interesting facts that still lift the veil of this mystery.

Spoons began to be used in Neolithic times. Moreover, they appeared earlier than the fork, but later than the knife.

Interesting fact! Currently, some ethnic groups living in Kenya and belonging to the Nilotic peoples are very fond of ugali, a dish that is itself considered a spoon. This is a very tightly cooked porridge or corn puree. The dish is eaten with your hands: they make a small ball and a depression in it to make something like a scoop. Then it is filled with various delicacies: stewed vegetables, meat, some special sauce.

The most ancient products could be made from different materials, as evidenced by archaeological excavations. The Greeks preferred mollusk shells, the Egyptians preferred elephant bones, stone, and various types of wood. Some finds contained religious images. Why and who needed this - we can only shrug our shoulders.

A spoon made of silver or bronze appeared much later, already during the Roman and Greek civilizations. Some specimens are of great value and are therefore kept in history museums throughout planet Earth.

During the Middle Ages, the main materials for production were wood and animal horns. Only occasionally was metal used, which only became more popular in the 15th century. Naturally, aristocrats and kings all over the world preferred gold, and at worst, silver. The mention of such devices dates back to the distant year 1259.

Interesting! King Edward I of England had his own set of cutlery, which included spoons made of precious metal. The markings on them read: “fleur-de-lis", which meant belonging to a famous workshop in Paris.

During the Renaissance, apostolic spoons—objects depicting Christ’s disciples—gained popularity. They were not used for their intended purpose. The main purpose of such products is as a gift for the holidays. Around the same period, the spoon transformed slightly - it became a little wider, and the handle acquired a flatter shape.

In the 18th century, the scoop again became narrower, and the handle turned slightly. In 1760, the spoon acquired the very appearance to which we are accustomed.

If you dive a little into the history of spoons in Rus', the first products were made by order of Prince Vladimir. The goal is to provide your squad with cutlery.

There are several museums that are dedicated specifically to this household item. These are real treasure troves of knowledge, if, of course, you are interested in this cutlery. In these institutions, you can not only see ancient and unusual devices with your own eyes, but also learn about that very mallet, what a brooch and a rasp are, and also why it is customary to give this particular product as a gift for the “first tooth.”

Achaemenid silver (4th century BC)