Fork with three prongs. Dessert fork and its features

You finally found time to visit a good restaurant. For a long time they made up their image - beautiful dress and shoes, painstakingly performed makeup and styling. Beauty! Here you are already at the table, you have made an order and everything goes better than ever, if not for one thing… There are a LOT of different forks, spoons, knives and some other completely incomprehensible little things on the table!

A slight panic sets in. Why so many?! What fork is for what? Why is it so difficult??? You can, of course, discard shyness and try everything out from the waiter. And you can prepare in advance and show off your good manners. This article will help you feel confident at possible banquets, receptions, restaurants and guests.

It is customary to classify cutlery into two groups: basic (individual) And auxiliary (collective). The appliances included in the main group (individual) are used directly for eating, and those belonging to the second group (collective) are used to lay out dishes. In our article, we will talk specifically about the appliances that are used at the table for eating, and not for cooking, so we will leave aside ladles, skimmers, and various stirring spoons.

The main devices are divided into subgroups according to their purpose: canteens, fish, snack bars, dessert, fruit(I think from the names it is clear what the group is for).

The usual base is only 24 devices. (knives, spoons, forks, and teaspoons - 6 each). It seems to be nothing complicated, however, in addition to the standard basic set, as I mentioned above, many specialized cutlery, the purpose of which is difficult to figure out, based only on their appearance.

Cutlery

See for yourself what kind of cutlery you can meet ( pictures enlarge when clicked):

1 - coffee spoon
2 - teaspoon
3 - dessert spoon
4 - table spoon
5 - large pastry tongs for laying out baked goods
6 - spoon for preparing mixed drinks (cocktail spoon)
7 - tongs for asparagus
8 - ice tongs
9 - small pastry tongs for laying out sugar, assorted chocolate
10 - cigar pruner (suddenly you decide to pamper your spouse with a chic cigar)
11 - lemon fork
12 - serving fork (a small fork with two strong teeth, for example, for cold meat cut into slices)
13 - cocotte fork (for julienne)
14 and 15 - a spade-shaped blunt knife for fish second courses and a fish fork with a recess for separating bones
16 and 17 - dessert knife and fork
18 and 19 - dessert knife and fork
20 and 21 - knife and fork diner
22 and 23 - knife and fork diner
24 - pouring spoon
25 and 26 - table knife and fork for second courses (except fish)
27 - confectionery spatula for laying out pastries and cakes
28 - spatula pate
29 - oblong fish spatula for laying out cold and hot fish dishes
30 - spatula for caviar
31 - ice cream spoon in the form of a spatula with slightly curved edges

32 - a grapefruit knife with a serrated and pointed blade
33 - cheese knife
34 - lobster set
35 - pizza cutter
36 - set for cutting meat - a large sharp knife and a fork with two prongs (for cutting roasts and poultry)
37 - squeezer - for squeezing a lemon
38 - tongs for lump sugar.
39 - ice cream scoop
40 - sugar spoon (small deep)
41 - spoon and fork for mixing and laying out salad (the fork has three wide cloves, and the spoon can be with a slot in the middle or with a clove)
42 - salad tongs
43 - spaghetti tongs
44 - spaghetti fork

In addition to the knife, fork and fish spatula shown in the first picture, you can get some special options for their execution:

45 - spatula for serving fish dishes, but already with slots
46 - options for a two-pronged fork for serving herring
47 - a chill set for eating hot fish snacks, unlike standard fish cutlery, here the knife does not look like a spatula, it is just straight, the fork has not four teeth, but three and they are wide
48 - fork for unfolding sardines and sprats, may be without the upper "jumper"

The fork became a cutlery much later than the knife and spoon - in the 9th century. But they began to use it actively only from the 17th century: it was believed that eating with hands and a spoon is much more convenient. Now the fork has become an indispensable attribute of the dining table, but sometimes it is not so easy to understand the variety of types of this cutlery. Let's try to do it!

Main (individual) plugs

Guess where is the fork

Table fork. Designed for all second hot dishes. She does not have any special signs: she is most often placed on the table next to the plate. This fork has four long prongs, its length is slightly less than the diameter of a dinner plate. It is placed to the left of the plate with the prongs up, and if there are several forks, this one will be closest to the plate.

Fish fork. It is essential for hot fish dishes. The fish fork is somewhat shorter than the diner and has 4 short prongs at the end. A fork with a special small recess located between the middle teeth or with rounded edges can lie on the table. Everything will depend on the fish. This fork is placed to the left of the table fork.

Snack fork. Served with cold dishes, as well as cold and some hot snacks (scrambled eggs, fried bacon). It is an almost exact, but reduced copy of a table fork: the length is slightly less than the diameter of the snack plate. It is placed on the table to the left of the fish fork.

Used for sweet pies dessert fork. It can be distinguished from others thanks to its three prongs and its length, which corresponds to a small dessert plate. In addition, it is very original. As a rule, it is placed with teeth to the right above the plate.

Fruit fork (salad). It is served when there are apples, oranges, melons and some types of berries on the table. If canned fruits or fruit salads are served, a knife is not needed with the fork. And when the fruit is fresh, both devices must be served. The length of such a fork is approximately equal to the length of a fruit knife, and they necessarily have the same handles. The main difference between this fork and all others is two prongs.

General (auxiliary) plugs

These forks are placed next to the dishes for which they are intended.

lemon fork has two sharp teeth. But you can also use a regular fruit fork.

Fork for herring has 2 teeth.

At forks for sprats wide base in the form of a spatula with 4 or 5 teeth connected at the ends by a bridge

Fork for crayfish, shrimps and crabs you have two teeth. But it is very long.

Fork for cold fish cocktails, mussels and oysters has 3 teeth, one of which is thinner and sharper than the others. This is done for the convenience of separating the pulp from the shells.

lobster fork characterized by two slightly bent, small teeth located at the end of a long rod. With the help of this rod, the meat is removed from the shell.

Usually we use metal knives, spoons, forks: aluminum, steel, various alloys, silver-plated or pure silver, gilded, etc. These items are also made of bone, wood, plastic. By the way, it is recommended to eat boiled eggs with bone spoons.

As you probably already guessed, silverware is recommended for serving a festive table. However, some consider this prejudice. Modern designers create stainless steel appliances that are quite worthy of their predecessors - silversmiths.

So what do they eat? Sometimes this question throws guests into confusion. In fact, a little attention and ingenuity - and this issue can be sorted out.

The main cutlery is those with which they eat: snack bars, fish, tableware, dessert and fruit. Snacks knife and fork are served with cold appetizers and some hot ones - scrambled eggs, scrambled eggs, pancakes. For hot fish dishes, you need a fish knife and fork: the knife is blunt, resembles a spatula, and the fork has short teeth.

The first and second are eaten with cutlery - a knife, the length of which is equal to the diameter of a dinner plate, and a slightly shorter spoon and fork.

Dessert is served with a dessert knife, fork and spoon.. They are slightly smaller than canteens and narrower (the length of the knife is approximately equal to the diameter of the dessert plate), the fork has three prongs. A dessert spoon is served with soups in bouillon cups. Even less fruit knife and fork, and the fork has two prongs.

Sometimes it is difficult to understand the purpose of some devices. Here, for example, is a knife-fork - sickle-shaped, with teeth at the end. Turns out it's very handy. cut and spread cheese, which is served on the table as a whole piece on a porcelain tray.

Lemon is taken with a fork with two sharp teeth. To take a piece of herring, you need a two-horned fork, and for sprats - so as not to break them - a fork with a wide base in the form of a spatula and five prongs connected at the end with a jumper.

If you are serving crabs, shrimps, crayfish, do not forget to bring a knife and a long fork with two prongs at the end. The fork for oysters, mussels and cold fish cocktails has three prongs, one of them (left) is more powerful - they separate the pulp from the shells. Lobsters are eaten with a special needle.

Hot fish snacks cooked in koilniks, eat with a special fork with three prongs, these tines are shorter and wider than those of a dessert fork.

In addition to the appliances that everyone sitting at the table directly uses, common items are needed, with the help of which dishes are laid out or shifted from common dishes to plates.

First of all, these are, of course, salad spoons. They are larger than tablespoons, sometimes the tip of such a spoon is made in the form of three teeth. Grained or chum salmon caviar from the caviar bowl is transferred to a plate with a spatula in the form of a flat scoop, meat and vegetable dishes - with a rectangular spatula, fish - curly with slots, pates with a small curly spatula.

The table setting includes a variety of pliers: for pies and cakes, for sugar and sweets, for cracking nuts. There are special tongs for ice - in the form of a bracket with two blades. Asparagus, so beloved all over the world, is also transferred from the grill to the plate with special tongs, and they are usually sold complete with a grill.

In everyday life, we remember the rules of etiquette only in jokes, and at the table we sometimes get by with one spoon for all dishes. But sometimes situations arise when it suddenly turns out to be important to know how many centimeters of the shirt cuff should be visible from under the sleeve of the jacket and with which fork you should eat fish.

Of course, there will be no talk about sleeves “Cozy kitchen”. But let's try to study and remember the most common cutlery. The easiest way to do this is to use a description with photos.

Snack cutlery

Appetizers usually appear first on the table. To them, respectively, are served cutlery, called snack bars. They traditionally consist of a fork and a knife. The length of the knife from the snack device should be equal to the diameter of the special snack plate or 1-2 cm more. The fork is slightly shorter.

They use a snack device when cold appetizers, hot pancakes, scrambled eggs, fried ham and some other dishes are served at the table.

Basic cutlery

When appetizers are replaced by the main first and second courses, the table is served with appropriate cutlery. This is the classic and most common of all types of cutlery: knife, spoon and fork. The length of the knife is also measured here by the diameter of the plate. Fork and spoon are allowed a little shorter. With these devices, in the absence of special ones, it is allowed to shift your portion from a common plate.

Device for fish

In the case of serving fish dishes, cutlery for fish comes onto the stage. This is a blunt, spatula-shaped knife and fork with four shortened, compared to the "classic" teeth. Such a cutlery is intended for eating hot fish dishes, although it is often used for any fish.

However, according to the rules of etiquette, which strictly regulate all the details, another fork is intended for cold brittle fish - for sprats. This auxiliary device has a wide blade-shaped base and five prongs connected by a bridge. It should be emphasized that they do not eat with this fork, but only shift the fish from the common plate to their own.

dessert appliances

Dessert cutlery and teaspoon

Let's move on to dessert and explore the special cutlery for this category of dishes. This set includes a trio of fork, spoon and knife. Their size is smaller than that of the main counterparts, in accordance with the size of the dessert plate. According to its diameter, as before, the required height of the knife is measured, but the fork (with three teeth) and the spoon have the appropriate dimensions. A dessert knife, in addition, can be distinguished by a narrower blade than a diner, with a pointed tip.

ice cream spoon

A pair of a dessert knife and fork is served with sweets (pies and cakes), watermelon, melon and cheese. Sweet dishes that do not need cutting are accompanied by a dessert spoon. These are various mousses, berry cocktails, compotes, sweet cereals.

It is acceptable to serve a dessert spoon for ice cream. But it’s better to use a special spoon that resembles a spatula in shape.

Of course, the types of cutlery are not limited to this list. There are still numerous tongs, spatulas and other "special tools" that are required extremely rarely, if not at all for home cooking. For example, tools for snails, lobsters or asparagus - is it worth buying them? It is much easier to visit a restaurant for such dishes, where they must be served in accordance with all the rules of etiquette.

And yet, it is worth buying cutlery, which is most often in demand. How to learn how to use them. At least in order not to become like the characters in this video.

Both ceremonial and everyday spoons, forks and knives, first of all, must be perfectly clean. Then the hostess is not ashamed to receive guests of any level. "Cozy Kitchen" recommends a collection of ways - from stainless steel, silver and cupronickel at home.

Today it is quite a common item, without which it is impossible to imagine a modern kitchen. But before, attempts to make a fork a household item were perceived as “excessive luxury”, and the church even called it godlessness and a connection with the devil.

History of occurrence

It is known that the first mention of the fork was in the Middle East in the 9th century. And before that, people often ate with their hands or used a spoon. And the aristocrats resorted to the help of two knives: with one they cut food, and with the second they helped bring the food to their mouths.

There is another version of the origin of the plug. According to her, the fork appeared in 1072 in Constantinople (Byzantium). The first place where she appeared was the imperial palace. And it was made of gold, the handle was made of ivory with mother-of-pearl inlay. And they made it especially for Mary of Iberia, the Byzantine princess, by her own order. So she can be considered the inventor of the fork. But it was still not at all the cutlery that is well known to us today. The fork had only two prongs and was mainly used for stringing food.

In Italy, the fork appears in the 17th century. It was the first country in Europe in which the aristocracy began to use a fork during a meal. Later, this cutlery "reaches" to Northern Europe. The fork was widely used in England in the 18th century.

In 1606, thanks to Marina Mnishek, the fork appeared in Russia. Initially, this item in Russia was called "wilts" or "horn". Only in the 18th century, the name fork was assigned to this device, and the cutlery itself began to gain popularity in use. Of course, initially the fork was available only to the rich, served at noble dinners. It was at this time that the fork acquires the shape we know - four prongs.

Today, at modern feasts, almost a dozen different forks are used when setting the table. How to use all these devices, you can read in the modern specialized literature.

Types of forks

Today, there are several varieties of forks that differ in their application. So, there are canteens, snack bars, dessert and fish forks.

• Table forks the largest in size. They have four teeth. As a rule, knives are placed next to them, the length of which is equal to the diameter of a medium-sized dinner plate. Accordingly, the size of the forks should be the same, in extreme cases, no more. Such forks are suitable for meat (possible with a side dish), pancakes, etc.
• snack forks slightly less canteens. They are used for hot and cold snacks.
• dessert forks usually with two or three teeth. They are small in size, intended for cakes, pastries, pies, fruits (canned or fresh).

There is a special lemon fork, which is designed for convenient shifting of lemon slices. The fork has two sharp teeth.

• fish forks have a distinctive feature - teeth of different lengths. From the name it is clear that they are intended for fish and dishes from it. Thanks to the teeth of different lengths, it is very convenient to separate fish meat from bones, as well as the pulp of oysters and mussels from shells.

In addition to forks, there are also various spatulas, needles and other utensils that make eating easier. For example, it is convenient to apply sprats with a special spatula, which has five teeth connected by a jumper. Also, such a fork is very convenient if you need to transfer canned fish to a plate - it warns against deformation of the fish.

Suitable for crabs, shrimps and crayfish long fork with two prongs.

For the use of squid and lobsters use a special needle, which also belongs to the category of forks.

chill fork serves for the consumption of hot fish dishes. It has three teeth. It is very similar to dessert, only the cloves are wider and shorter.

For serving herring use double fork.

dessert fork

Fork Rules

The table is served in such a way that all cutlery is laid out near the plate, both on the right and on the left. Those on the right are taken with the right hand, on the left, respectively, with the left. The device that lies farthest from the plate is taken first. So, gradually all cutlery is used.

The fork can be held in two ways: either like a knife, with the tines down, or like a spoon, with the tines up.

The main thing is to learn how to hold the fork beautifully and correctly. It is important to remember that only three fingers work: thumb, index and middle. Moreover, the index should lie on top, but not on the bend, but slightly higher. And the thumb and forefinger are on the handle along the edges. The ring and little fingers are bent towards the center of the palm.

Waving your fork while eating is unethical.

While chewing food, the fork should be parallel to the plate.

Links

• Lace on fork. Original panels, women's magazine myJane.ru