The fork, as a tool, was used by the ancient Greeks to remove food from boiling water, but there was no place for the fork as an eating instrument.
Before the invention of the fork, people ate with their fingers. If you were a commoner in ancient Rome, you would have used all of your fingers to grab and hold onto your food. If, on the other hand, you were born an upper class citizen, you would have been taught to eat with three fingers and would have avoided using your pinky and ring finger while eating.
The very first forks for eating purposes were used in the Byzantine Empire during the 11th century. The forks were not popular and, as always, people resisted the change. In fact, priests spoke out against using forks because it was against the will of God. God had given us fingers to use for eating, so the use of a fork was a sign of the Devil.
It was the wealthy people who began to use these early forks. The forks were made with two tines and were custom made in either gold or silver.
The fork eventually made its way to England during the 12th century where it met with a rather cold reception.
By the 17th century, women of wealth were finally beginning to make use of the fork during meal time. Men who used forks were viewed as being effeminate.
It wasn’t until the 18th century that the fork became a regular at the table of the upper classes. Forks were also being made with four tines.
Eventually, during the 19th century, forks were made for the common classes and, eventually, their use was adopted by the poor.
Finally, in the 20th century people were still debating on when to eat with a fork and when finger use was allowed.
