Forks trace their origins back to the ancient Greeks. Forks at that time were fairly large with two
tines that aided in the carving of meat in the kitchen. The tines prevented meat from twisting or moving
during carving and allowed food to slide off more easily than it would with a knife.
By the 7th century A.D., royal courts of the Middle East began to use forks at the table for dining.
From the 10th through the 13th centuries, forks were fairly common among the wealthy in Byzantium. In
the 11th century, a Byzantine wife brought forks to Italy; however, they were not widely adopted there
until the 16th century. Then in 1533, forks were brought from Italy to France. The French were also slow
to accept forks, for using them was thought to be awkward.
In 1608, forks were brought to England by Thomas Coryate, who saw them during his travels in
Italy. The English first ridiculed forks as being unnecessary. “Why should a person need a fork when God
had given him hands?” they asked. Slowly, however, forks came to be adopted by the wealthy as a
symbol of their social status. They were prized possessions made of expensive materials intended to
impress guests. By the mid 1600s, eating with forks was considered fashionable among the wealthy
British.
Early table forks were modeled after kitchen forks, but small pieces of food often fell through the
two tines or slipped off easily. In late 17th century France, larger forks with four curved tines were
developed. The additional tines made diners less likely to drop food, and the curved tines served as a
scoop so people did not have to constantly switch to a spoon while eating. By the early 19th century,
four-tined forks had also been developed in Germany and England and slowly began to spread to
America. 【題組】52. Why were forks made into a curved shape?
(A) They could be used to scoop food as well.
(B) They looked more fashionable in this way.
(C) They were designed in this way for export to the US.
(D) They ensured the meat would not twist while being cut.
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