Spoons

Spoon is a piece of cutlery with a shallow bowl-shaped container and a handle, used to stir, serve or eat food.

History of Spoon
Spoon has been used as cutlery or eating utensil since Paleolithic times. Earlier chips of woods were used as spoons. The Greek and Latin words for spoon has been derived from cochlea, a spiral shaped snail shell.

A stick fastened to the shell allowed for a longer reach and then hollow horns of sheep and goats functioned as vessels for liquid, giving a way to the development of Spoon. The word spoon actually came from the Anglo Saxon word spon, meaning a chip or splinter of wood.

Two spoons, ligula, used for soups and soft food and cochleare, used for shell fish and eggs were designed by Romans in the 1st century. During the middle ages spoons were usually made of wood and spoons made of gold and silver were a symbol of royalty. Later, in the 14th century the use of spoon was widespread and several materials like tinned iron, brass and other metals were used to make spoons.

Types of Spoon Materials

• Wooden Spoons - Wooden spoons are inexpensive, easy to maintain and they don't scratch non stick pots and pans.
• Metal Spoons - Metal spoons are used for heavy duty cooking and these days they are widely used for their durability.

Types of Spoons
Now-a-days, different types of spoons are use to perform different tasks. Followings are the types of spoons available in the market:

• Tea Spoon - It is a small spoon widely used to stir the contents of a cup of tea or coffee. Another popular usage of teaspoon is as a unit of volume, while preparing various recipes.
• Table Spoon - It is slightly bigger than standard teaspoon and used as a serving tool. Like teaspoon, it is also used as a unit of volume.
• Iced Tea Spoon - It looks similar to a tea spoon, but with a long handle. Iced tea spoon is a thin and tall spoon used to stir the contents of ice tea that is generally served in tall glass.
• Soup Spoon - Soup spoons are used to eat soups. Its bowl is larger, deeper and circular than a table spoon.
  
  • Metal Soup Spoon: Looks similar to a teaspoon in shape.
  • Chinese Soup Spoon: Made of ceramic and has a distinct shape.
• Dessert Spoon - This spoon comes with a pointed rather than rounded bowl. Mostly used for eating dessert, size of a dessert spoons varies between table spoon and tea spoon.
• Grapefruit Spoon - Similar to a tea spoon with a serrated front edge that helps to separate the grapefruit from the rind.
• Absinthe Spoon - This spoon is a must for the absinthe-drinker's ritual. The bowl of the spoon is usually flat, and there is a notch in the handle where the rim of the glass rests. Absinthe spoon is used to mix a sugar cube into a glass of absinthe, which helps to remove the bitterness of the wormwood.
• Caviar Spoon - These spoons are made of mother of pearl, gold, animal horn or wood. Silver is not used as it may affect the taste.
• Plastic Spoon - Very economic and produced in bulk. Widely used in parties and receptions by contact caterers.
• Ladles - It is a spoon with a long handle attached to its bowl vertically. Ladles are used for serving soups and liquids.
• Slotted Spoon - This spoon is used for food-preparation, such as to remove solid foods from liquids.
• Wooden Spoon - Made of wood, these spoons are used for cooking on expensive cookwares.
• Love Spoon - Traditional wood-made spoon, usually given to a girl as a token of love.
• Silver Spoon - Made of silver, these spoon are presented to a newborn baby with a traditional belief that this will bring good fortune to him/her.