[History of Cutlery]

The cutlery you use may have been produced in Tsubame City, Niigata Prefecture, Japan. Tsubame City is home to a large number of stainless steel product fabricators, and in the field of Western-style metal tableware, especially cutlery, the city accounts for more than 90% of the domestic production share.

Silver is sometimes used for high-end cutlery, and this is because, in medieval Europe, poisonings targeting heirs to the throne were frequently carried out. In particular, arsenic was frequently used, which is tasteless, odorless, and water-soluble. Silverware reacted to arsenic and turned black, which was used to detect poison. In medieval Europe, pewter tableware was used as the second most expensive tableware after silver, but commoners mainly used iron cutlery. nickel silver appeared as a substitute for silver after the 19th century, and stainless steel tableware, which is light, strong, and inexpensive, has become widely used today.

In medieval Europe, there was a religious teaching that the finger was a superior tool given by God. Therefore, even royalty and aristocrats ate with their hands. While the general public ate with five fingers, the nobility ate with three fingers: the thumb, index finger, and middle finger. Cutlery began to take root in the general public in the late 17th century, and by the 19th century, silver cutlery was a regular part of the household and was commonly provided at banquets.

The earliest cutlery to appear on the table was the knife: around the 12th century, the table was furnished with a single knife for cutting large pieces of meat, and the custom of bringing one with you continued for a long time. Forks first appeared at the table around the 11th century, but their use was delayed by religious objections and their being considered a luxury item. From the 17th century onward, the fork became an established eating utensil, along with the knife and spoon.

The European “spoon” was originally used as a cooking utensil to ladle out hot soup or to remove meat from a simmering pot, and was not initially used for eating. It is thought that this is because people used to eat soups and other foods directly from the container. Spoon-shaped utensils made of ivory or animal bones have been found in ancient Egyptian ruins, and it is said that they were used not only for eating but also as tools for cosmetics.

In Japan, stone spoons have been found in Jomon-era ruins, and the eating manners of chopsticks and spoons were introduced from China in the 6th and 7th centuries. Chopsticks and spoons were used at court during the Heian period (794-1185), but after the Muromachi period (1392-1573), the custom of drinking soup directly from the bowl became widespread and the use of spoons was discontinued. In the mid-Edo period, spoons were introduced to Japan along with Western food, and from the Meiji period (1868-1912) onward, spoons became popular among the general public. The expression “throwing in the spoon” comes from the fact that in the Edo period, doctors would use spoons to measure out medicine. We have some cutlery made of different materials in our store. Please take a look.

Yoshita Handi-Design Studio's Cutlery
https://www.shokunin.com/en/yoshita/cutlery.html
Futagami's Cutlery
https://www.shokunin.com/en/futagami/cutlery.html
Okubo House Mokkosha's Ladle Spoon
https://www.shokunin.com/en/okubo/otama.html

References
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/カトラリー
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/燕市
https://www.youshokki.com/カトラリー検定/テーブルマナー/カトラリーの歴史はマナーの歴史
https://www.kurashiru.com/articles/f47e42de-4a4c-43b0-827e-36541d890c02
https://www.kakounet.com/blog/2022-06-15.html
https://izumiya-inc.co.jp/tableware/2071.html