The way man eats is considered one of the signs of his civilization. And since very earliest times man has created various utensils to make his eating habits more civilized.

Some kind of spoon-like implement, for example, probably existed back in the Stone Age. We know that thousands of years ago spoons of wood, stone, and ivory were used by the Egyptians. The Greeks and Romans used spoons of bronze and silver, and some of them were the products of master craftsmen and very beautiful. During the Middle Ages spoons were made of bone, wood, and tin, while the wealthy had elaborate spoons of beaten silver.

Both knives and forks have been in existence since very early times. Some believe that the first fork was a small pronged stick, while others believe it originated with the arrow. The first actual forks were long, two-pronged affairs used only in cooking or to hold meat while it was being carved.

The fork was introduced to the table for eating purposes after the Christian Era. But as late as 300 years ago, knives and forks at the table were still curiosities! In England they were rare. In France everyone ate with his fingers until the seventeenth century.

The knife developed from fragments of flint or other stone, chipped to give it a cutting edge. It was one of the first implements to be devised by man. The use of the knife at the table also dates from about 300 years ago.

The earliest primitive men probably used naturally-made dishes. For example, a broad leaf was used as a plate, a gourd was used as a bowl, a halved coconut was used as we use a cup.

When man began to make pottery he began to make dishes, cups and plates. Quite often these were very beautiful, and many of them have been preserved to this day. The ancient Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians had all kinds of jugs and vessels that were works of art.