Flatware Mall

Using flatware to consume a meal is a relatively recent phenomenon. Throughout most of human history, the instruments of choice were called fingers. In fact, on a recent trip to India, I had occasion to go to a traditional restaurant with some friends. There wasn't a single knife, fork or spoon in sight for me to use. So, even today, flatware is not universally in evidence at dinner tables around the world. As you might expect, there is a history behind flatware.

Read on to gain some understanding of how the dining utensils which are so much a part of our lives in the western world came about.

Robbe & Berking: Setting Fine Tables Since 1874

Humans in the 21st century take a lot for granted. Take flatware, for instance. It seems so rudimentary a concept. Today, no one would dream of sitting down to a bowl of chili with no tableware, but in the grand scheme of things, tableware was a recent development. After all, people had working fingers for transferring food from plate to mouth. What could be more efficient?

While it is true that there were forks used by the Greeks and alluded to in the Bible, these were singularly for serving food. No one thought of using a fork to eat with until the wife of the Byzantine emperor gave it a go in the 10th century. Spoons and knives were used by this time, but their use was restricted to the upper classes.

In later centuries, it became common for people to carry their personal flatware about with them. A special box called a cadena was bought for this purpose. Even in the late 1600s in the French King Louis XIV's court, aristocratic dinner guests brought their own utensils. Meanwhile, the British were disdaining the use of utensils as rather affected. In addition, the mighty Catholic church frowned upon forks because their use seemed to spurn the good hands God gave man with which to eat.

Somehow, the use of etiquette won out, and today no one would dream of hosting a formal without setting the table with gleaming silver tableware. Among the finest is Robbe & Berking. Located in Flensburg, Germany, they have been creating elegant silver pieces since 1874.

Their designs are contemporary and clean in line. Without the fancy engraving and scrolling commonly found in older silver table items, the emphasis is on craftsmanship, letting the rich beauty of the silver star. Whether the Art Deco inspired tea service, the simple round serving tray, or the many sterling silver and silver plated utensil collections, Robbe & Berking exudes high quality. Some of their award winning silver pieces have found their way into the finest homes in the world, as well as into museums. If you want to set a gorgeous table, Robbe & Berking silver is a fine choice.

If you're looking for Robmake & Berking pieces, make sure you purchase them from reputable fine china retailers.

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Tags: dinnerware, flatware, fork, knife, tableware

Tags: dinnerware, flatware, fork, knife, tableware

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 3rd, 2008 at 8:48 am and is filed under flatware. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.