We know from accounts of everyday life in ancient Rome and classical Greece that they did not use table forks. Food was served after being cut into small pieces during its preparation. People ate with their fingers. The technique was well developed, with special ceremonies and ways of holding the fingers.

If the food was hot, Roman etiquette prescribed the use of “digitalia”. These were small fabric finger protectors. They were discarded after use, and could be said to be the precursors of disposable cutlery.

The first forks appeared in Italy in the 1500s. They had just two tines to begin with, and it was a further 50 years before forks with three tines arrived. Italians used forks for everyday eating, but elsewhere in Europe forks were met with great scepticism. The fork was wicked – after all, it looked like the devil’s trident!

Only when forks were made from pure metals and had decorative designs were they accepted as a sign of affluence.