Condemned by the Catholic Church, the first forks were used for spaghetti

Did you know the fork was not invented by an Italian but was popularized by Italians eating spaghetti?

In the words of Yogi Berra, “When you come to a fork in the road take it.” The story of the fork at times is just as bizarre as Yogi’s interpretation of common utensils. The origin of the word “fork” comes from the Latin word “furca” which is defined as pitchfork.

The fork was first used by the Byzantines in 400 A.D. However, the first instance of the fork in Italy was used by the Byzantine Princess Maria Argyropoulaina of Constantinople who in the 10th Century married Giovanni Orseolo , son of the Doge of Venezia, Pietro II. Before the fork was invented most people used their hands to push or pick up food.

Imagine the following scene. Shortly after the princess sat down at the table she opened up an “astuccio” small case. Inside this “astuccio” was a golden utensil with two tines. The guests were shocked at the sight of an instrument with two tines which resembled the devil’s tool. The pitchfork was a symbol that represented the devil and all things satanic.

At this time there was a conflict between the Roman Catholic Church of Rome and the Byzantine Orthodox Church of Constantinople with the sovereignty of the Pope. The Roman Catholic Church believed that any invention that originated in the Byzantine Empire was satanic. Finally, this conflict between Western and Eastern Catholicism ended with the Schism of the Catholic Church in 1054.

In Italy many centuries passed until it became more ordinary to use the fork. This was primarily due to the influence and condemnation of the Roman Catholic Church. In 1500 the use of the fingers for shoveling food became a behavior rendered to the less educated. Thus Italian nobility began to use the fork at the dinner table to distinguish themselves from the lower class. However, at the same time the Catholic Church still banned the use of the fork to appear at the dinner table in monasteries and convents throughout Italy.

Over time those in formal society changed their opinion and felt that using one’s hand to shovel food was uncouth. At long last in 1700 the modern fork as we know it today with four tines became more commonplace. Nowadays some people often say that the introduction of the four-tine fork was due to the daily habit of Italians eating spaghetti.

Adesso lo sa.