Definition: cutlery

In other countries (England, United States of America, etc.), the opposite is true: the points face upwards and therefore the initials (or coat of arms) are positioned so that they are visible. This difference leads to a difference in the position of silver hallmarks or goldsmiths' marks and other decorations.

Why are there knives with rounded tips? Everyone says: so that children don't hurt themselves!

Wrong! First of all, it is only very recently that children have been sitting at the table with everyone else; before that, they had their own table (but without knives).The origin lies elsewhere. Cardinal Richelieu, irritated that gentlemen were cleaning their teeth at the table with their knives, asked his cutler to round off the tips of these utensils, promulgating an edict in 1669.

Why shouldn't we cut salad with a knife? Because it's not considered refined? Once again, behind "proper etiquette" lie purely practical reasons: knives were often made of silver, and silver and vinegar do not mix well.

Speaking of toothpicks: considered an essential item by the Romans, toothpicks were made of ivory, chiselled gold or silver. In^17th-centuryFrance, it became very rude to pick your teeth with a knife; an educated person would rinse their mouth with wine and use a toothpick made from fragrant woods such as rosewood, cypress or myrtle. There were folding spoons with a screw-off end that concealed a toothpick.