The dramatic rise of the fork
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YOUR GOAL
Master of Everyday things with wild histories
misslily History of the fork
They said our fingers were the holy way, But those two golden prongs were here to stay.
misslily A teenage Italian princess popularized the fork in France, turning a controversial tool into high-society fashion.
misslily Long before Europe used forks, ancient Chinese and Middle Eastern empires designed them for cooking and elite dining.
misslily Swipe away historical insults to discover how the scandalous fork conquered our dinner tables.
Fork royalty: The Byzantine princess Maria Argyropoulina shocked Venice by eating with a gold fork, leading clergy to declare her subsequent plague death a divine punishment.
An implement with two or more prongs used for lifting food to the mouth or holding it while cutting. In 1004, a Byzantine princess shocked Venetian wedding guests by eating with a golden, two-pronged fork.
Which ancient culture has provided archaeologists with the oldest known bone forks, dating to 2400 BCE?
Which religious figure in the 11th century famously claimed a princess's death was divine punishment for using a fork?
What book published in 1611 first introduced the concept of fork-eating to a skeptical English public?
Why did Byzantine princess Maria Argyropoulina shock the city of Venice in 1004 CE?