Silverware: Forks

At contemporary meals, the fork reigns supreme, aided by the knife and spoon only when absolutely necessary. It is the newest of the three basic utensils to arrive at the table. The ancient world utilized forks to roast ritually sacrificed meat over the fire, as Homer describes in the Odyssey. The Romans made dainty two-tined forks, perhaps for eating seafood. In general, however, ancient forks were used only as cooking tools, farm implements, or weapons—Poseidon’s trident and the Devil’s pitchfork.