The fork, impossible to live without

Geneviève Brunet | 10/15/24, 7:09 AM

How could you bite, grab, dip... eat without it? For centuries, the fork had only two prongs, but this was too reminiscent of the devil's fork and the sin of gluttony. It wasn't until the 18th century that the fork made its permanent home on our tables, with four prongs and on the left-hand side of the plate. But teeth up or teeth down?

If there's one utensil we use every day without question, it's the fork. Fork handling is one of the first things we teach little children, quickly erasing the privilege of happily stuffing their faces with their fingers. The Romans, who were not particular about table manners, especially during bacchanalia, already had a small, two-pronged tool at their disposal. It faded from historians' horizons, only to reappear under the Byzantine Empire, and then at the marriage of an Oriental princess to the Doge of Venice. The forchetta was adopted for tasting pasta, cooked pears and candied fruit.

It took some time for the instrument to cross the Alps. Legend has it that Catherine de Medici's son, King Henri III, after a trip to Italy, was quick to display his " fork " in his favorite restaurant - the Hostellerie de Paris.dilection - the Hostellerie de la Tour d'Argent - and imposed it on his " mignons ", dressed in their extravagant and messy " fraises ".

This article is taken from Gault&Millau, le magazine #6. Find the latest issue on newsstands or in our online store.

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