Table etiquette. What types of devices are there and how to use them

Hello friends!

Today we’ll talk about table etiquette, how to behave in a restaurant, consider the basic rules of table etiquette at the table during lunch or a special event (wedding, birthday).

I'm sure some of you know the basic rules of table manners, but many will learn a lot of interesting things from this post.

Basic concepts of table etiquette

Etiquette– a set of historically established rules of human behavior in society. The rules of etiquette are based on instilling in people attention, politeness, and respect for each other.

In particular, the rules provide for the ability to behave at the table and use cutlery correctly; both waiters and guests need to know all this. Very often, during your work, guests ask questions regarding these rules; they need to be known and followed.

The most important thing is, when you see a huge number of different cutlery and plates on the table, do not get lost and observe the following:

1. Each plate or cutlery at the table have their purpose. The most important rule to remember: all cutlery located to the left of the plate while eating is held with the left hand, and cutlery located to the right, respectively, in right hand.
2. Start taking cutlery from the outer ones, gradually approaching those that are closer to the plate. In the picture above, first the appetizer fork 2, then the table fork 3, on the right first the knife 9, then for the first course use the spoon 8 and in combination with the fork 3 use the table knife 7.
3. A knife can only be used to cut food on a plate or hold what you take with a fork. The main device is a fork, the knife is only auxiliary, and in no case should you eat from the knife or transfer the knife to left hand, and the fork to the right.
4. When they bring you meat or fish, you don’t need to cut it all into a plate. It is necessary to cut off a piece and eat it, then just cut off the next one, since chopped food cools down faster and loses its taste.
5. When you have poured drinks into glasses, ask to remove those that you will not need during lunch (unless the waiter himself does this). Extra wine glasses clutter the table and can accidentally be caught and broken, so it’s better to remove them from the table.

Basic rules of table etiquette

Additions to the rules of etiquette for waiters

1. If guests ask you to serve some fruit from a common vase, be sure to use tongs or, in extreme cases, a paper napkin. You cannot take fruit with your bare hand and serve it to a guest. You need to take a clean plate from the utility table in one hand, tongs for laying out in the other and put the fruit that you asked for or make assorted on the plate, then put this plate on the guest. Not everyone wants to eat fruit that is served with bare hands; it is not hygienic.
2. If you are carrying dirty dishes(in full view of the guests in the hall), plates on the sink and at the same time a piece of food or a dirty napkin falls from them, do not pick them up with your hands. Go to utility room, take a broom and dustpan, only with their help remove what has fallen on the floor.
3. Give a little more attention to guests of honor, the elderly, and children at the table. It’s just that we often see a picture where, in a company of guests, the waiter finds a young, attractive woman and gives her the most attention, while the birthday boy and the elders at the table feel a lack of attention and this may affect their attitude towards you and the amount of remuneration when calculating.
4. Not all guests know the rules of etiquette, much less follow them, but waiters are obliged to know them and tell guests if they ask for your advice on how to correctly do this or that action at the table. There is no need to smartly and arrogantly teach guests how and what to do correctly until you are asked to do so. You can offend the guest and humiliate him in the eyes of others, be tactful and smart, you don’t always need to say what you think.
5. When you are in a restaurant, learn to behave tactfully, do not shout, do not laugh loudly, do not put your fingers in your nose, mouth or ears, preferably do not cough or sneeze. Control your hands and do not touch different parts of the body with them, try not to adjust your hair in front of guests. Many people do actions out of habit and completely automatically (correcting or touching themselves where they are not needed), which are noticeable to the guest and not very pleasant. Keep this in mind.

There are many more rules of etiquette, I have presented the main ones to you. If you follow them and apply them yourself, you can easily recommend them to guests in the restaurant.

How to use a linen napkin correctly

Besides being beautifully folded, starched and carefully ironed linen cloth adds solemnity and aesthetics, decorates the table and gives it a solemn appearance, and also has its main purpose.

The main purpose of the napkin is to protect the guest’s suit or dress from crumbs, accidental drops of fat or drinks.

Before you start eating, take a napkin from the table, unfold it, fold it in half and place it on your lap. If you need to wipe your mouth or lips, or lightly wipe your fingers, feel free to use a linen napkin for these purposes.

It’s no longer customary to tuck in a napkin at the table))

If your hands are too dirty, then you should go and wash your hands thoroughly in the toilet, since you won’t be able to dry them thoroughly with a napkin.

Some Chinese and Japanese restaurants serve damp, warm terry napkins for this purpose; this is very convenient for wiping your hands.

Previously, in films, one could see how a napkin was placed at one corner behind the collar so as not to stain clothes while eating. Nowadays this is considered a rule of “bad taste”, times change))

It is also considered uncivil to additionally wipe frage (cutlery) before eating, thereby you do not trust the owners of the establishment. If you doubt the cleanliness of the cutlery, ask the waiter to replace them.

A few more rules for waiters that will increase your tips))

The main thing is to be sincere with guests and follow several rules:

• A friendly tone and smile are your main weapons;
• The guest will always see and appreciate the desire to help;
• Learn to think one step ahead of your guest. If he finishes eating another snack, you should already have a replacement plate ready. If a guest finishes a glass of wine, you must prepare the wine and, after asking permission, refill it. If a guest at a banquet begins to eat crayfish or game with his hands, prepare and place a vase with lemon for his hands. Over time, you will learn to think one step ahead, practice));
• Greet guests and be sure to see them off at the entrance, regardless of the size of the reward.

Now you are familiar with the basic rules of table etiquette and recommendations for their application.

All the best, see you soon!

With respect, Nicholai

Notes on the topic:

Since 1996 acquired Huge experience working as a waiter, bartender, administrator in cafes, nightclubs and restaurants. I have experience working at banquets, buffets, outdoor events, I know many colleagues in the catering industry, and I am the author of a video course for waiters.

Discussion: 7 comments

After all, the rules of table etiquette have been tested for centuries, so that the behavior of everyone present at the table is harmonious and rational.

Answer

We set the table for a special event in accordance with the rules of table etiquette - laying out the tablecloth, arranging the dishes, glasses and cutlery.

Answer

Good article, but, unfortunately, the mistake is constantly repeated - the word
"eat" is not used. Only the word "is"

Answer

1. Tatyana, the word “eat” or “eat” is used 6 times in the article, this is not so much for such a volume of material. As for whether I’m right or wrong, read for yourself, there are many posts, you can use the verb “eat” or not, and you will understand that it’s more likely you, not me, who are wrong.

   Answer

I don’t even understand why tipping has become a norm. Include this money in the cost of meals. All these “givings” are killing me. In all places. How is a waiter different from a doctor, a teacher, and finally from me? Everyone does their job and nothing more. Hospital patients don’t pay me “tips” for what I provide for them. beautiful park on the territory, flower beds and cleanliness. And even if they paid, I wouldn’t take it. Yes, there are also those who don’t take it. When one person gives money to another, he seems to thank him, but he also puts him in a dependent position and humiliates him. I'm not against rewards, but not in this way. I understand that my opinion is an empty phrase, but nevertheless, I expressed it.

Answer

1. Irina, a tip is gratitude for the waiter’s hard work, it’s not a handout or a bribe))
   Thank you for your opinion, by the way, in medicine the demand for money is practiced on a large scale, at least in Ukraine.

   Answer

   1. Now, in almost all restaurants, tips are included in the bill. This is called a service charge. It turns out that it is not the waiters who receive tips, but the restaurant owners. And if so, then let the owners transfer a certain amount to the waiters from this amount, and not try to get additional payment from us, stipulating that we still have to thank the waiter additionally.

      Answer

Quite often, people feel embarrassed in the company of strangers, because they do not know which hand to hold a knife and which fork. To feel confident during a feast, it is important to familiarize yourself with basic principles behavior. Currently, there are several styles of etiquette for handling cutlery. We will consider each of them in the presented material. Let's find out in which hand to hold the knife and fork.

European etiquette

In which hand is the knife, in which fork? European style etiquette? IN in this case The fork is placed on the left side of the plate. The knife, in turn, is placed on the right. Sometimes a dish requires the use of several forks. In such a situation, the outermost one, further away from the plate, is used for salads. The fork that is placed closer to the plate should be used for the main dish.

However, the above subtleties require a separate discussion. For now, let's focus on how the knife and fork are held. In which hand? Etiquette adopted in European countries, involves holding a knife in the right hand. Forefinger must be placed at the base of the blade. The remaining fingers clasp the handle of the device. The fork must be held in the left hand. During the meal, the teeth of the cutlery must be directed downward. Your index finger should rest against the back surface of the fork at the very base. However, it must be positioned so as not to touch the food itself. The remaining fingers should clasp the handle of the device.

How to use cutlery in European etiquette?

So we found out which hand holds the knife and which holds the fork. Now let's figure out how to handle cutlery. Having grabbed them correctly, you need to bend your wrists so that the latter are facing down towards the plate. The elbows should be kept relaxed, slightly pressed to the body. This will allow you to avoid touching the person next to you at the table.

While cutting, the food must be held with a fork. Pressure on the device should only be applied with the index finger. Cut off pieces of food using leisurely sawing movements. Usually one or more cuts are made per pressure on the knife.

Having prepared food for consumption, you need to put a small piece of it in your mouth, pricking it on the tines of a fork facing down. In this case, the cutlery should remain in the left hand, even if it is used by a right-handed person. Although this may seem inconvenient to an unprepared person, such actions are required by the rules of European etiquette.

American etiquette

Which hand holds the knife and which holds the fork in American etiquette? Unlike the European style of handling cutlery, here the fork must be held like a writing pen. The handle is located between the index finger and thumb. The remaining fingers support the base of the cutlery from below. In this case, the fork teeth turn downwards.

The knife is held with the right hand. The fingers are positioned in the same way as in the European style of etiquette. The index finger is located at the base of the device. The rest grab the handle.

After cutting the food, the knife is placed on the edge of the plate. The fork is transferred to the right hand. Its teeth rotate upward. Thus, the food is not pinned on the teeth, but is pryed from below. The presented method remains common in America, but in Lately It is also practiced in European countries.

How to put away cutlery after finishing a meal?

If you need to step away from the table for a while or take a break, for example, to chat or drink water, you need to put the working part of the knife and fork on a plate. The ends of the handles of the cutlery should rest against the table.

Some people mistakenly believe that at the end of a meal, the knife and fork should be placed crosswise on the plate. However, according to generally accepted rules of etiquette, this is not at all the case. Such actions tell the waiter that lunch is not over yet and the time has not come to take the plate. In fact, to tell the wait staff that the meal is finished, you need to place the cutlery parallel to each other. It is noteworthy that in European etiquette, the fork is placed with the tines down, and in American etiquette, the fork is placed up.

Which hand should you take the knife and fork in? There are several tips that you can follow to avoid being afraid of making mistakes at the table:

1. In order not to confuse yourself when it comes to table etiquette, it is recommended to always hold the fork in your left hand.
2. The knife must be grasped with your fingers only by the upper third of the handle of the device. Under no circumstances should you hold it in the blade area.
3. All cutlery is placed on the right side of the plate at the beginning of the meal. After that, take the one you need and lay it on the required side.
4. Dishes prepared from poultry with small bones are separated by hand, without using a knife and fork. Do the same when serving fish.

Finally

So we figured out which hand holds the knife and which holds the fork. Finally, it is worth noting that during the organization of large feasts, the cutlery of the person himself is often served. for various purposes. In this case, the main thing is to adhere to the rules described above. Well, in order to figure out which device is intended for what, before starting a meal, it is worth observing the more experienced neighbors at the table. This will prevent you from getting confused and demonstrating your incompetence in such a delicate issue as maintaining etiquette.

How many times in movies have we all seen (mostly) comic scenes in which characters are baffled by seemingly ordinary things like cutlery? Or rather, ignorance of their purpose and inability to use them. Many times, isn't it? At the same time, most of us, having laughed at the actors portraying incompetent actors, rarely think about how much they themselves know about table etiquette and cutlery. But in vain - everything happens in life. What if you find yourself at a reception, for example, with the Spanish king! Or at a business dinner with potential partners. Or Robert De Niro will invite you and your friends to lunch... In general, this text will be useful for everyone to read. It contains details about cutlery.

Where else to start a story about table etiquette and cutlery, if not a knife? At first, of course, the knife was a universal object: it was taken to war, hunting, and was also used at the table. But time passed, needs and habits became more refined, people (at first) were no longer satisfied with this state of affairs - knives began to differ from each other in their purpose. A separate type of them appeared - table knives. All of them had (and have) an oval and blunt end of the blade. This, as you might guess, is connected with the rather harsh morals of the past: a sharp knife on the table could always become a weapon. Actually, it can be assumed that a table knife can also become a bladed weapon - it all depends on the situation. But still, one must think that harming them is somewhat more difficult. It's not worth checking.

Spoon

Although the spoon appeared later than the knife, it became a cutlery earlier. For example, in Rus' it has been known since at least the 12th century. Whereas table knives came into European use no earlier than the 16th century (before that, as already mentioned, they were not classified as a separate category). Spoons along with knives were usually worn behind the tops of boots. Those who were richer had special cases. In general, it used to be customary to carry cutlery with you - you never know where you would have to eat. There are even sayings to this effect: “At other people’s dinners with your spoon,” or “A thrifty guest does not go without a spoon.”

Fork

The fork came into use in Europe around the 15th century. Although “came into use” is a strong word: this device appeared in very limited quantities and was the privilege of the nobility. The spread of the top-down fork occurred gradually. As for Russia, Peter I brought it to our state. There were, however, separate attempts to introduce the fork into Russian life before, but they were unsuccessful. Thanks to the first to the Russian Emperor nevertheless, its slow, but ultimately victorious march across the Russian expanses began. Here is what is written in the publication of the century before last “Russian Antiquity”: “They always placed wooden spoon, seasoned with ivory, a knife and fork with green bone handles, and the orderly on duty was required to carry them with him and place them in front of the king, even if he happened to be dining at a party.” At first, forks were flat, with two prongs. But gradually their shape became more convenient, the number of teeth increased to three, and then four. Ordinary people in Russia recognized the fork and began to use it only in the 19th century.

Starring

You must admit, we rarely use each cutlery separately. For example, it is generally impossible to eat with a knife - you need a fork. Except that a spoon is, in general, a self-sufficient thing, but it has long been perceived as one of the rather numerous representatives of the family of cutlery.

The meal usually begins with appetizers. Snack cutlery is available for this occasion. Usually it's a knife and fork. The length of the snack knife is usually equal to the diameter of the snack plate (it is also special). However, it is possible that it (the knife) will be a little longer (a centimeter or two). The fork may be a little smaller. Snackware is served with cold appetizers of all types, as well as some hot ones: pancakes, scrambled eggs, fried ham and others.

Next, most likely, the main courses will appear on the table: first, second. Cutlery must be changed. Actually, a spoon, fork and knife for main hot dishes are called “tableware”. Here, as in the first case, the table knife should be equal in length to the diameter of the table plate. The spoon and fork may be a little shorter. If there are no special utensils on the table (which will be discussed below), a tablespoon, fork and knife are also used to transfer portions of food from a common plate to the plate of the diner.

If lunch or dinner includes a fish dish or even dishes, then in order to taste them, it would be good to use special fish utensils. This is a knife and fork. The first one is blunt and resembles a shoulder blade in appearance. Fish fork - with four teeth, but shorter than the “classic” fork. By the way, fish utensils are used to eat mainly hot fish dishes. There is also (though rarely found) a separate auxiliary fishing device - a sprat fork. It has a wide blade base and five teeth. The teeth at the end are connected to each other by a bridge: to make it easier to pick up fragile fish with a fork, so that it does not become deformed. Please note - the sprat fork is intended only for transferring fish (not only sprat, but also, for example, sardines) into your plate.

Now dessert. It also requires special devices. Desserts include a knife, fork and spoon. The length of the knife, as many have probably guessed, should approximately correspond to the diameter of the dessert plate. A dessert knife is narrower than a snack knife, with a pointed tip (which means not all table knives have a dull tip!). The spoon and fork may be slightly shorter than the knife. The latter should have three teeth.

A dessert knife and fork are used when serving cheese, some types of cakes, sweet pies (including the famous “Charlotte”), watermelon, melon. A dessert spoon is useful for sweet dishes that do not need to be cut. These can be berry mousses, berries with cream or milk, fruit and berry compotes, ice cream, sweet cereals and other types of desserts. It happens that a dessert spoon is also served with broths in cups. This is a common mistake. If broth or light soup is served in a cup, you need to drink it. Eating from a cup with a spoon, even a dessert spoon, is simply inconvenient.

Fruits are also a dessert, but there is a separate type of cutlery for them. Fruit knife and fork are smaller than dessert ones. The fork has only two prongs.

Used for tea and coffee individual species spoons: tea and coffee. However, not only for tea and coffee. For example, a teaspoon is also useful for coffee with milk, cocoa, fruit cocktails, grapefruits, eggs, soft-boiled or “in a bag.” But a small coffee spoon is served mainly only with coffee: espresso or oriental brewed. There are also special spoons with a long handle - they are, for example, served with tea or iced coffee, or other drinks in tall glasses.

Wooden chopsticks are also cutlery. They came to us from East Asia along with dishes of Chinese, Korean, Japanese and other cuisines, which are now very popular in Russia and in the world in general. Actually, chopsticks come not only in wood, but also in metal, bone, and plastic. If this happens outside of countries where chopsticks are traditional cutlery, then European cutlery is usually served along with them, in case someone does not know how to use chopsticks. However, in China, if you are having a meal in a not-so-cheap eatery (anything can happen), they will also serve you a fork and knife if you ask, not to mention in good restaurants.

Corps de ballet

In addition to basic cutlery, there are also auxiliary cutlery. One of them (sprat fork) has already been mentioned above. Now a few words about other table assistants.

Knives. In addition to those already described, there are at least three more types of knives. First of all, a butter knife. It is needed to cut and rearrange pieces butter onto your plate (if it is served in a piece). Characteristic such a knife has a blade curved in a semi-arc.

In addition to the butter knife, there is also special knife to serve with a piece of cheese. It is called a knife-fork and has a sickle shape with teeth at the end. With its help, the cheese is cut from a large piece and placed on an individual plate. There is a saw blade for cutting lemons. After the lemon is cut, you can take a slice with a special two-pronged lemon fork.

Other “auxiliary” forks: for serving herring (two-pronged), in the set of cutlery for crabs, crayfish, shrimp - long, with two prongs, for oysters, mussels, cold fish cocktails - three prongs, one of them (the left one) is more powerful than the others, to make it more convenient to separate the mollusk pulp from the shells. The chill fork has three teeth, they are short and wide - needed for hot fish appetizers.

Spoons. They are also different. In addition to those described above, there is also, for example, a salad spoon. It is usually larger than the dining room. There are salad spoons with three small teeth at the end. The purpose of such a spoon is to transfer salad from a common dish to a portioned plate. The ladle, familiar to everyone, is also a spoon (pouring). It is needed, of course, for pouring soups, as well as milk, jelly, and compotes. The sizes of ladles vary depending on their specific purpose. A very small spoon (about a centimeter in diameter) is for salt. It is placed in the salt shaker.

Forceps. Don’t worry and don’t remember dentistry: we stay within the scope of cooking. Tongs are also auxiliary cutlery. Thus, large pastry tongs are used for transferring (again from a common dish to an individual plate) flour confectionery products. Small pastry tongs are used for transferring sugar, marmalade, chocolates (assorted, without wrapper), and marshmallows. Nutcrackers consist of two handles connected in a V-shape with serrated recesses for nuts. Ice also requires tongs - they are made in the form of a long U-shaped bracket, at the ends of which there are jagged blades on both sides. If you love asparagus, then you probably know that there are special tongs for it too. They are needed to remove asparagus from the grill on which it is often cooked. In fact, asparagus tongs are always sold complete with a wire rack.

Next, let's move on to the shoulder blades. To the table blades. There are quite a few of them: caviar looks like a flat scoop; it is used to transfer granular or chum salmon caviar into a plate of caviar. The so-called “rectangular” spatula is used for transferring meat and vegetable dishes. In general, for hot and cold dishes there is also a shaped spatula with slots. And without a small shaped spatula, you and I, of course, will not be able to cope with the pate. Cakes with cakes (those that cannot be picked up with tongs) must be transferred with a large figured spatula, these come in a quadrangular shape.

Of course, it’s unlikely that anyone will have a complete collection of cutlery in their home. Even restaurants don't always have everything. Nowadays, the culture of food consumption has been somewhat simplified, fast foods and other eateries reign: time is saved on everything, even on food - we are in a hurry to live and feel in a hurry.

Terms of use

In conclusion, just a few words about how to use cutlery correctly. Actually, no one doubts that the readers of “Culinary Eden” are well aware of this matter. But it still doesn’t hurt to consolidate the knowledge.

So, never hold a knife in your left hand. This is an unshakable rule. Even for lefties. Bring the fork (or spoon) to your mouth, not the other way around. During the meal, when you bring a fork or spoon to your mouth, hold it parallel to the table. Don’t be greedy, don’t fill your spoon to the brim with soup - “on the way” you may accidentally spill some of it, stain the tablecloth or even one of your neighbors. Don't blow on hot soup- again, there is a danger that the splashes will reach other participants in the meal. And it doesn’t look too great from the outside. If you tilt your plate to eat leftovers delicious soup- tilt it away from you. Some etiquette experts, however, generally do not allow the possibility of such “liberties” in decent society: a meal is almost a sacred act.

If you have taken a device from the table, you should not put it back on the tablecloth. Not in the sense that you should put it in your pocket, but in the sense that, firstly, you can stain the tablecloth, and secondly, dust particles with lint may stick to the device, which have no way into your mouth. During a pause in the meal, place the cutlery on a plate next to the food. If it is a knife and fork, then their ends should intersect slightly (“draw” a full-fledged cross in the plate). When the meal is over, place the cutlery on the plate parallel (knife pointing towards the fork): the waiter or host of the feast will understand that the plate can be removed.

If at home you can afford to eat as you please, then in a restaurant or fashionable cafe it is customary to eat food with the help of special “tools”. By what signs can they be recognized?

Fork and knife snack bars, which are used to eat cold dishes, salads, as well as ham, sausage and pancakes, are slightly smaller in size than dining rooms.

A fish fork (with four small tines and a slit in the middle) and a knife (with a short wide blade) it is convenient to separate fish fillets from the bones. But if the fish is served whole, so that those present can appreciate the size and admire the design, it is surrounded by additional utensils. Wide knife with a rounded blade and a round flat fork, more like a spoon with an oblique cut, will help to distribute food from a common dish onto plates.

For tea and coffee, in addition to spoons, you will also be served with sugar tongs, a knife with large teeth and a two-pronged fork for lemon. And there are at least a dozen coffee spoons! They differ in size and name: “cappuccino”, “melange”, “glaze”... The smallest one is designed for Turkish coffee.

Exotic dictates its own

No oysters special labor can be separated from the shell with a small trident. The snails are cut using tiny tweezers and a small fork. By the way, it depends on the type of snail and the structure of its shell what shape of tweezers you will be given - with rounded ends, with a ribbed surface, or absolutely flat.

Game tongs resemble curved scissors with slightly curved blades, which are convenient for breaking bones.

A special device is used for fish caviar. It is laid out in crystal caviar bowls, covered with ice and placed next to a spoon, spatula and knife. The spatula has an elongated, pointed shape so that the eggs do not become deformed.

One for all

Etiquette rules require that eaters transfer salads, appetizers and cheese from shared dishes onto their plates using so-called shared utensils - tongs, forks, spoons and spatulas. All these “tools” are placed next to the dish for which they are intended, so it is impossible to confuse them. If you have to rack your brains, it’s only to understand which knife is for butter and which for cheese; as a rule, they are located next to each other. But a recognizable detail will help to distinguish them: the one for cheese has noticeable teeth at the end - they are used to pick up the cut slices.

Pastry tongs come in large and small sizes. The first to transfer baked goods to their plate is the second - sweets and chocolate. If the sugar is lump, then tweezers with sharp blades are placed next to it. The same device is used to remove ice cubes from a special bucket.

To devices common use include a fish spatula for laying out slices, and a pastry blade for cakes.

Look for the extreme ones

Two knives, two forks, a spoon - classic table setting. All other utensils come with the corresponding dishes.

You need to start using cutlery from the edges to the center: further from the plate there is a pair for appetizers, closer to it there is a knife and fork for the main course.

At the end of the meal, the fork and knife are placed parallel to each other with the handles to the right. If you have not finished your meal, but for some reason want to take a break, the cutlery should be placed on the plate in the same way as you held it: the knife on the right, the fork on the left.

A caustic story

The fate of the device for stabbing food, the fork, in Russia was dramatic and comical at the same time.

The first fork was brought to us from Poland at the beginning of the 17th century. During a lavish dinner in honor of his marriage False Dmitry I And Marina Mnishek used this new device, which caused a storm of anger from the boyars and clergy. Some historians even say that the fork provoked Shuisky’s conspiracy: the Russian Tsar could not, they say, eat “not the Russian way.” In Rus', even two centuries after these events, holding a fork in your hand, much less dropping it, meant bringing disaster upon yourself.

How to behave at the table

1. Broths are served in cups with one or two handles. One is a hint that the first one can be drunk, two - that it should be eaten with a spoon.

2. The bread is broken over a plate and eaten in small pieces. They bring a special saucer for the buns. A bun from a common tray is first placed on this saucer, and only then eaten.

3. Meatballs, cutlets, cabbage rolls, omelette are broken with a fork, a knife is optional.

4. A spoon and a fork are needed at the same time when eating spaghetti. The pasta is wrapped around a fork, held in the right hand, and then “cut off” with a spoon.

5. Tobacco chicken (pieces after preliminary cutting of the carcass) can be eaten with your hands. In this case, it is assumed that the waiter will bring a bowl of warm water and a cloth to rinse your fingers.

6. The grapes are eaten one berry at a time, and the seeds are discreetly placed on a plate. But no matter how hard you try, it looks unaesthetic. Therefore, at lavish social events, either sultanas are served at the table, or grapes are not brought at all.

7. They don’t drink compotes, but eat them with a spoon. Drinking liquid first and then eating dried fruit is considered not comme il faut. The bones are placed on a saucer, which is served specially.

Anetta Orlova:-Etiquette is certain support points that form certain style behavior. When a lot of people gather at the table, everyone brings their own habits - from eating food to talking. Here etiquette is the bridge that can connect different people.

The knife has been a universal item since ancient times. The knife was used in hunting, in war, and at the table. Time passed, habits, and people's needs changed, knives began to appear that differed from each other in their purpose, as a result, a special type arose - table knives.

All table knives have a dull oval blade tip. This happened historically, since a sharp knife could become a weapon in tough times of the past. The spoon appeared later than the knife, but became a cutlery earlier. They carried a spoon and a knife behind the top of their boots. The rich had special cases for spoons.

In ancient times, it was customary to carry cutlery with you, since it was unknown where you would have lunch. In the fifteenth century, the fork appeared in everyday life in Europe. The fork appeared in limited quantities and began to be used only by the nobility. The first forks brought to Russia by Peter the Great had two prongs.

Gradually, along with changes in the shape of the fork, the number of teeth increased. Over time, there were three, and then four.

How to use cutlery in a restaurant

According to etiquette, there are several rules for using cutlery in restaurants. Each dish has a specific cutlery.

Snacks:

• The feast according to the rules begins with appetizers. Snack cutlery is: fork and knife.The length of the snack knife is equal to the diameter of a special snack plate. It is acceptable if the knife is a little longer.The length of the fork may be slightly shorter.
• Snack cutlery provided for each cold appetizer and some hot dishes (with fried or fried eggs). Next, the first and second main courses are brought to the table. According to the rules of etiquette, cutlery must be changed.
• U table knife the length should also correspond to the diameter of the dinner plate; the spoon and fork may be slightly shorter. If there are no special utensils on the table, a table fork, spoon or knife is used to place portions from a common plate into a separate plate.

• For fish dishes, it is customary to serve utensils, this is a special knife and fork. By appearance the knife resembles a spatula and has a blunt end. A fork designed for fish has four tines. They are shorter than the tines of a classic fork. Fish cutlery is often needed only for a hot fish dish.
• The sprat fork is a rather rare utility device; it has a wide base and five teeth, which are connected by a bridge. This fork can be used not only for, but also for other fish, for example.

• Special utensils are also served with dessert, such as a dessert spoon, fork, and knife. A dessert knife has a sharp tip, and a dessert fork has three teeth. By the way, you are also supposed to put a dessert knife and fork.
• A dessert spoon is used to eat sweet dishes that do not need to be cut - berry mousse, sweet porridge, soda. It is incorrect to serve a dessert spoon for broth in a cup. Light broth or soup served in cups should be drunk. It is inconvenient to eat from such cups even with a dessert spoon.
• You are required to bring your own cutlery with the fruit for dessert. Knife and forks for fruit are somewhat smaller in size than dessert ones.

• For coffee and tea, use separate spoons - coffee and tea. A teaspoon can also be used for soft-boiled cocktails. A small coffee spoon is served with espresso coffee or coffee brewed in an oriental style.

How to use cutlery correctly

There are also auxiliary cutlery. These include: spoons, knives, forks, tongs. There are also devices for cheese, as well as a knife-saw for cutting.

Use auxiliary forks to serve herring (two-pronged), a long fork with two cloves - crayfish, crabs, a fork with three cloves, etc.

Among the auxiliary spoons, one can name a special salad spoon. The well-known ladle used to pour soup or compote is also a spoon. A very small spoon is used for this; it is placed in the salt shaker.

Among the auxiliary cutlery, you can also call tongs. Using large pastry tongs, you can transfer flour products. Use small pastry tongs to transfer sugar, marshmallows, chocolate candies, marmalade

We can't help but mention the table blades. The caviar spatula is used for transferring. Use a special rectangular spatula to transfer meat and vegetable dishes. A small shaped spatula is designed for pate.

Cutlery includes: wooden sticks for food. They appeared along with Chinese, Japanese and Korean dishes. In these countries, chopsticks are a traditional cutlery. There are wooden, bone, plastic, and metal sticks.

General rules for using cutlery :

• The knife is never held in the left hand.
• A spoon or fork is brought to the mouth. When a spoon or fork is brought, they are held parallel to the table. There is no blowing on a hot dish.
• If you need to tilt the plate to finish the rest of the soup, tilt it correctly away from you.
• During a pause in the eating process, cutlery is placed on a plate next to the food.
• At the end of the meal, the cutlery should be left parallel to each other on the plate.
• The knife is positioned with the tip facing the fork. This means the plate can be removed.

Watch the video on how to use cutlery: