Chances are good that you have never given a second thought to flatware and the need for a replacement for your fingers. In the early days of man, no doubt our forebears devoured all the food with their hands. But as time marches on, all things must bow to progress, including the method of eating. Considering all the bacteria and disease in the world, it is not surprising that one of the critical elements in the culinary process was to remove food from the fingers and move on to something more sanitary.

It is very likely that early mankind started off eating food with objects that they simply found laying about. Utilizing this early form of silverware, they were most likely concerned with keeping the burning and scalding food away from their fingers, more so than protecting themselves from bacteria. After all, early mankind would have had any clue of bacteria or germs to begin with. With his complete ignorance, there would have been no real motivation to protect themselves from disease. The use of flatware in these early days very likely had much to do with mankind survival into the modern day, despite their complete ignorance of the fact.

In the effort to keep the bacteria and other unsavory organisms that exist on the hands and under the fingernails out of the mouth, flatware very likely became extremely popular with those who preferred not to mingle their food with the unappetizing life that exists under their fingernails. By utilizing flatware, the food product could be kept at a distance from the hands and fingers, allowing for a clean and efficient method of ingesting food without such extreme risk from contamination.

While we certainly take these types of silverware and the use of utensils in general for granted today, at one point, it was very likely that mankind was completely unaware of any danger from germs and bacteria. In fact, it is almost certain that flatware was utilized simply for a comfort, a method of keeping the food off the hands and allowing our ancestors to be more comfortable while they ate and avoid scalding burns. Like most things, mankind’s earliest motivations were very likely simple, extremely basic and to the point, with no hidden subtleties to muddle through.

Without any method of manufacturing, utensils in those early days would very likely been made from wood or bone, or passably even stone. There certainly was no metalworking available in those days and it is assumed that the invention of flatware was accidental. While we can only guess at the exact circumstances surrounding the implementation of these utensils, it is very likely that flatware and its use allow the human race to survive, despite early man’s ignorance of bacteria in general.

Today, we take flatware for granted, picking up our favorite silverware at the department store and putting it to use. We no longer have to fashion these objects out of bone or wood, as the current technologies allow us to drop forge and otherwise easily manufacture this type of house ware. But it bears keeping in mind that at one time, simply owning flatware was a tremendous accomplishment for our earlier forebears, and could mean the difference between life and death. Surely, had flatware not been invented by our ancestors, the human race itself would have had a much harder time surviving and would have been beset by all manner of illness and disease over the years.

As time passed by, flatware became more and more common, and was manufactured from all manner of different types of materials. Steel, silver and aluminum were common materials utilized for the manufacture of these types of products. As time marched on, it became more and more convenient, as materials grew cheaper, to have a full range of flatware available. Suddenly, forks, knives and spoons were as natural as breathing, and even the lowliest of households was generally well equipped to serve themselves and their guests with a full service of flatware and dinnerware. Today, this tradition continues, as it is rare to find a home that is not fully equipped with a complete set of flatware.