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History of Chopsticks
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Whether you’re a fan of Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese or Korean dishes, you should be familiar with chopsticks. These traditional eating utensils are a couple of long, thin wooden sticks with a usually tapered end. Aside from wood, they can also be made from other materials such as bamboo, porcelain, animal bone, plastic, ivory, coral, metal, agate and even jade.
In the United States, chopsticks are only used in oriental restaurants and when eating Chinese takeout. The traditional fork, spoon and knife are the preferred eating utensil in the West. However, in the Asian region, chopsticks are a more common sight in the dining table than spoons and forks.
This is especially true in countries where there is a “rice bowl” cultural phenomenon – which includes China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam. The same is not true for other Asian countries, however. Countries like the Philippines, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Central Asia are the parts of the region where the traditional way of eating is with their hands.
Key Points in the History of Chopsticks
So how did these unique eating instruments come about? To have a deeper appreciation of the long and rich history behind the existence of chopsticks, take a long at the following key dates:
• 1600 – 1100 B.C.
It was during the Shang Dynasty that chopsticks originated China and from there, the use of these eating utensils spread to the rest of East Asia.
• 1200 B.C
Bronze chopsticks were excavated from Yin Ruins’ Tomb 1005 at Houjiazhuang, Anyang.
• 500 A.D.
From China, the use of chopsticks spread from China to neighboring Asian countries such as Vietnam and Korea. In Japan, chopsticks were only initially used during religious ceremonies – but it easily became part of their culture as well.
• 6th to 8th Centuries
The civilized Uyghurs on the Mongolian steppes used chopsticks as a common household item.
• 10th Century
Prior to the 10th century, chopsticks were made like tweezers with the ends joined together. During the 10th century, they were produced in two separate pieces.
• 17th Century
In Japan, lacquered wooden chopsticks were produced. In 1878, the Japanese were also the first ones to produce disposable wooden chopsticks, called wari-bashi.
Confucius’ Influence in the Popularity of Chopsticks in Asia
The ancient people in the Asian region used sticks and branched to retrieve their food from the fire.
The individual who is believed to be mainly responsible for the development of chopsticks is Confucius, a great Chinese scholar who lived during the Han Dynasty. According to him, “The honorable and upright man keeps well away from both the slaughterhouse and the kitchen. And he allows no knives on his table.”
The popularity of his teachings during those times further contributed to the popularity of chopsticks, which later on spread from China to the rest of Asia.
For almost five thousand years now, people from all over the world who are trying out the tasty treats offered by Asian dishes have had the pleasure of using chopsticks, which has a long and rich history behind it.
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