[Sca-cooks] Forks in period??? (Somewhat OT)

[Pixel, Goddess and Queen]

On Tue, 10 Sep 2002, Gorgeous Muiredach wrote:

>
> Quick question on fork use.  Not quite on topic, but...
>
> I'm sure someone has a handy reference to when forks were actually used at
> first?  I'm looking for forks used for eating, as well as, and more
> importantly, forks used for cooking/carving.  Ideally in the English isles,
> though the rest of Europe would work for me too :-)
>
> Thanks a bunch.
>

If my memory is correct, there are some lovely pictures of flesh forks
being used in the marginalia of the Luttrell Psalter (early 14th c.,
England). And at least one in the Mac, which is 3Q 13th c. French.

In one of my books I have a picture of a carving, although I don't
remember if it's stone or a wooden misericord, of a man toasting a fish on
a fork. And a picture of a similar scene in a manuscript margin, in a
different book.

Chiquart also probably mentions flesh forks.

Margaret