Where Do Sporks Come From?

Ever wonder how your common utensils came to be? That was the question that was brought up by my brother over lunch today . Since I sometimes write about the history of food, why had I never written about the history of utensils, he had wondered. Where did forks, knives spoons and even that modern invention , the spork come from.


The spoon is the earliest invention. It's name drives from the Anglo Saxon spon meaning chip or splinter. It gives you an idea that the earliest ones were taken from tree bark and somehow fashioned into scoops. The Romans had two kinds of spoons, one a cochleare for eggs and shell fish, the other,a ligula for soups and sweets. Forks were a bit trickier to sell to the public. People were using their fingers just fine and thought that any imitation of body was an insult to the Creator. After all we had been made in His Image. Despite the fact that the clergy deemed forks scandalous , they prevailed and were often seen at the end of dinner knives. The spork , the marriage of fork and spoon, came in 1909 in a supply catalog.It wasn't until KFC used it in their meals in the 1970's when it really gained popularity.

Luckily knives were seen as blessings, used for both killing one's dinner and cutting it up into pieces. It was Louis XIV that decreed that all sharp knives be outlawed from the dinner table and the birth of the butter knife came into being. The American colonists loved this idea and quickly incorporated it into their table ware. Of course with the birth of the steak house , sharp knives were seen at tables once more.


So that's where our basic utensils came from. To be honest you never really think of them as being nothing more than a utensil as opposed to being an object of history. Now it's fascinating to know who used the earlier versions of them and where.

A Celebration Of Treats For Saint Joseph's Day

After St. Patrick's Day comes St Joseph's Day. This is also Father's Day in Italy and it's celebrated with gifts and pastries. Here in the States, Italian Americans still celebrate with special cakes and cream puffs usually for men named Joseph or even for carpenters (St Joseph was also the patron saint of this profession). Mostly it is the Southern Italians who observe the feast.

St Joseph's Day pastries are usually cream filled zeppoli. Anyone who has ever attended an Italian feast should be familiar with them. These are pillows of dough fried in deep fat and then heavily dusted with confectioner's sugar. ForSt. Joseph's Day any kind of pudding or sweet cream is injected into them and served. You can also make cream puffs and fill them with cannoli cream. This is a simple mixture of ricotta and confectioner's sugar along with milk, chocolate chips, sugar and cornstarch. Of course you can make a filling from lemon pudding or a vanilla one flavored with rum as well. These are also popular for St. Joseph's Day and are served on both here and in Italy.

Celebrate this great saint's day with zeppolis or cream puffs. these sweet treats not only honor the man who took care of Jesus but also honor his loyalty and dedication.

To Eat Meat On Lenten Wednesdays

During these Lenten Wednesdays some people are forgoing even eating meat. Is it part of the church tradition or rule? Is it possible to ignore this and just omit meat from our Friday diets?


Yes, any Catholic can eat meat today. It's The Greek Orthodox who usually give up meat on both Wednesdays and Fridays. We're OK with this unless it happens to be Ash Wednesday. However if you want to give up meat entirely and adapt a vegan diet for Lent , that's your choosing. The Greek Orthodoxy usually declares its' members to also give up any dairy products , from milk to butter along with eggs during Lent. Karpathian friends of mine usually adhere to a very Spartan (no pun intended here) diet in which they exist on vegetable broth, fresh produce and tea. It's part of the culture and tradition and leaves room for the big lamb centered feast on their Easter.

Don't feel guilty if you're eating that roast beef sandwich right about now. Go ahead. It's allowed. Just remember not to eat it on Friday. That's the day reserved for fish.

Raise A Pint Of Guinness

Today is St Patrick's Day and the world over is hoisting a glass of stout this amazing saint and his amazing life. What will everyone be drinking? Hopefully Guinness , that wonderful brew that's more of a meal than a thirst quencher.

Guinness is one of the world's oldest breweries. It was started by Sir Arthur Guinness in 1759 in County Kildare, in a village known as Leixlip. It later moved to Dublin where it's been brewing a dry stout ever since. Stout itself has been around longer than that, first making its' appearance in the 1670' in Ireland. Irish immigrant brought it over and Guiness is now a staple of many American St paddy's Day celebration.

However you like it, don't over do it. Remember you still have to drive home and work tomorrow. Enjoy your pint of the dark stuff but in moderation.

Getting ReadyFor St Patrick's Day

Tomorrow is St Patrick's Day and it's the day when most people get their yearly dosage of corned beef and cabbage. Yet Irish cuisine is much more than that. There are some phenomenal potato and turnip recipes along with interesting combinations that celebrate Ireland's love of both the land and of the sea.



You should already have your cabbages. What to do with them? Make a buttery dish of colcannon, a mix of mashed potatoes with cabbage and kale. Fry this up in butter and sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper. Some Irish add bacon (usually the streaky kind ) along with garlic and onions to give it more oomph. Serve this with lamb or mutton, which are traditional meats. You can get the ingredients tonight for a hearty lamb stew for tomorrow's party. Seafood has been popular since the Vikings ruled the island and the Irish love a good oyster stew too. Buy your seafood this evening and get it shelled for tomorrow.



If you're going to go a more Irish American route then you should be starting to bake your soda bread tonight. Remember this is made with buttermilk instead of regular milk . It also is made with currents and raisins so if you want more authentic , then make sure you have the correct ingredients. Bake two breads because everyone loves a fresh slice of the stuff for tomorrow.

Tomorrow is the festivities but get ready for them today. You'll have more time to down that Guinness and enjoy whatever Gaelic treats you decide to make.

Pretzels - A Lenten Treat

It's hard to associate the fun party snack pretzels with Lent. However this is true. Thanks to a clever monk and some leftover dough, the world's greatest snack was born. It's amazing that we have such a serious time to thank for such a festive little treat.

The pretzel was born in the early 7th Century around 619 or 620 AD, either in Northern Italy or southern France. It was an ambitious monk who folded strips of leftover, unleavened bread and baked them in the crossed shape. This was to mimic how Christians used to pay with their arms folded against their chests. He named the treat pretiola, the Latin word meaning "little reward". Their popularity soon caught on and were mentioned in the early tomes of the days. Pretzels then became the symbol of good luck and long life. The were and still are a big hit in Germany where they accompany endless steins of beer.

They reached America with the Pilgrims who sold them to the Indians. Once again they became addictive with the indigenous people clamoring for more. The first hard pretzel came out of the New World.it was in the late 17th Century , in Pennsylvania when a baker fell asleep on the job. He had thought he hadn't baked his batch when in reality he did. The baker fired up the oven a second time and the pretzels got their crispy brown look we know them for nowadays. Today pretzels are a great low calorie snack served at parties or even for a night of watching TV. Imagine how their creator would feel seeing the variety of shapes and flavors the humble pretzel now comes in.

Lent is a time for seriousness and fasting. However it's also the time to celebrate its' creation, the pretzel.

Lent Rules

This is the season of Lent where some Catholics give up their favorite foods as well as not eating meat on Fridays.This practice actually goes back to the Middle Ages when meat was scarce and people had to find a way of stretching food. As the centuries progressed giving up foods became a standard for the season. Lent ends with Easter, a time when there are spring banquets and parties.

Since Lent (which is derived from the German word lenct meaning to fast) is really a time of fasting, many people go on a kind of mini fast, that is giving up some food that they really love. Most skip cake and bread for forty days. Others forgo candy . It's a good way to lose weight however once the period ends, there's usually a feeding frenzy at the local bakery or in some poor unsuspecting kid's Easter basket. Myself, I usually give up intolerance or impatience which make for very high blood pressure until Easter morning

Another dictate that some Catholics (including myself) adhere to is not eating meat on Fridays (some like the Greek Orthodox also eschew meat on Wednesdays too). These are the days when we become reacquainted with Manhattan clam chowder and fish sticks. It's not as drastic as giving up a favorite cookie or snack. It's a way of showing respect to the Church. Years ago we were not allowed to eat meat on any Friday throughout the year. However in the last almost fifty years the Vatican has more or less relaxed the rule s and we can eat meat on this day.

Lent means a lot of thing to a lot of people. For most it's soul searching and looking to do good for one's fellow man and community. For others it's just giving up something they love. For foodies it;'s giving up a slice of Italian bread or a pastry until Easter.