| The word cutlery originates from the cutlers who | | | | used and commonplace in every home. |
| used to make iron knives. Originally from the | | | | Knives and variations of knives have been around |
| French, who use the Latin 'Cultellus' for knife, to | | | | for a very long time. As mentioned earlier forks |
| coin the word, this is a Middle English word for our | | | | are a relatively modern invention. They were |
| language and can show us how cutlery does date | | | | brought over from Italy during the 17th century |
| back quite far into the past. | | | | by an English traveller who saw them. At first he |
| Cutlery has been around for many centuries. The | | | | was ridiculed and was given the insult "furcifer" or |
| first noted time of use around a table was around | | | | "fork bearer". However after a while though |
| the mid 17th century when forks were the first | | | | people saw the benefits of forks, and by the mid |
| type of cutlery to be used formally. Even though | | | | 19th century they were being produced in |
| this was the first noted timed of use cutlery has | | | | masses during the industrial revolution. Forks have |
| been around for much, much longer. Before this | | | | been used on the continent since the 11th |
| though, it was not seen as as necessary, and not | | | | century, and so actually came relatively late to |
| generally used around formal table settings. | | | | Britain. Since their arrival though, they have |
| Cutlery was actually invented 300,000 years ago | | | | obviously become very widely used, and it did not |
| by our forebearers. Early cutlery was made from | | | | take long for us to adapt to the cutlery using |
| flint and stone and was used for skinning and | | | | way of life. |
| cutting through animals to make the meat easier | | | | Now onto spoons. Spoons have been around since |
| to handle. During the iron age many types of | | | | early civilization. The ancient word for spoon from |
| cutlery were used and invented, because of the | | | | the Greek and Roman was cochlea, meaning spiral |
| new technology. Cutlery then advanced further | | | | shaped snail shell. In northern Europe though |
| and began being made from stainless steel in the | | | | spoons were tended to be carved out of wood. |
| 19th century. This was to set Sheffield on the | | | | Once again though England did not take much |
| map from 1890, as the major steel producing | | | | notice of the spoon until the mid 19th century: this |
| area in England. Sheffield cutlery is prized all over | | | | was because drinking soup from bowls was |
| the world for its quality. By now it was widely | | | | thought to be very rude by then. |