The Exciting History of Spoons

Spoons might not seem exciting to everyone but they have a long history that reaches far into the past to ancient Greek, Latin and Roman times. There is evidence dating the use of spoons, not like today but in the form of shells or chips of wood to prehistoric people. In Egypt, over a thousand years B.C., there is record of the use of spoons and at that point, a spoon was mainly used for ointments and it was not unusual for spoons to be willed to another person. During the 1st Century A.D. the Romans designed two different types of spoons, with one that was called a ligula that was approximately shaped like a tablespoon of today’s sets of silverware. This was used for eating soups and soft foods and had a pointed oval bowl with an ornate handle. The second design was a smaller spoon with a rounded bowl and a slender but ornate handle. This compares with the teaspoon in today’s silverware sets and was used for eating eggs, shellfish and other foods of that consistency.

In Northern Europe, there were spoons made from metals like gold, silver and pewter. There were also spoons made from other materials such as bone, ivory, pottery, porcelain and even crystal. During the Middle Ages, spoons were usually made from horn or wood but royalty had spoons made of gold and the wealthy had spoons made of silver. By the 14th century, there were spoons being made of tinned iron, pewter, brass and other materials that became common and affordable for the general public, however the wealthy and royalty still used gold and silver spoons as a sign of nobility. During the 17th century, there was a combination spoon, fork and toothpick, which was made to fold so that it could be carried along.

The early settlers in America used wooden spoons and these have been documented as listed items on inventories both in Jamestown and on the Mayflower. Wooden spoons carved from Laurel wood were sold to the early colonists by the Indians, for both eating with and their use as cooking utensils. These trees today are known as cottonwood.

Spoons not only changed when it comes to the materials they were made from but also when it comes to the designs and the length of the handles. In Ancient Egypt, there were extremely ornate spoon handles but they were also short, measuring no more than an inch or two. Just enough to hold in the hand and they were made of ivory. The Egyptians also made ornate spoons carved with fish and other designs of this type. Some of their early spoons were carved out of slate but did not hold all the ornate designs of the ivory carved spoons.

Today, spoons are made of completely different materials, with the exception of silver that is used for special meals and still needs to be polished to keep it from tarnishing. There are many designs and some that even follow patterns from the past, with names like Early American.