The +400 Year War on the Fork! | The Devils Tool

About this episode

For hundreds of years, many devout Catholics believed the fork was a tool of the devil. Today it's the most used utensil in the world. How did the fork go from public enemy number one to a place at billions of tables? In this episode, TK digs into the history of the fork, from a scandalous Byzantine wedding in Venice in 1004 to the French pea craze that finally changed Europe's mind. In this episode: - The earliest forks in ancient China and the Byzantine Empire - Maria Argyropoulina, the Byzantine princess whose golden forks horrified her Venetian wedding guests - Why Saint Peter Damian and other churchmen blamed the fork for her death - Why eating with your fingers was considered the natural, godly way to eat - How candied fruit and sugar made the fork respectable in Italy - Catherine de Medici bringing forks to France, and why French men called them too feminine - Louis XIV banning his own children from using forks - How green peas led to the four-tined fork we use today - The English and American backlash against forks, and the Victorian fork obsession Is there an everyday object or food you'd like TK to cover? Send us your suggestions! Support the podcast