Spoon

A type of cutlery (sometimes called flatware in the United States), especially as part of a place setting, it is used primarily for transferring food to the mouth (eating).

Present day spoons are made from metal (notably flat silver or silverware, plated or solid), wood, porcelain or plastic.

[1] The knop-top spoons with a variety of knop shapes described by colorful terms like "acorn", "writhen-end" (spiral ornament on a ball), "maidenhead" (a bust), "diamond point," "apostle" were particularly popular in England in the 14th to 17th centuries.

[3][4] Preserved examples of various forms of spoons used by the ancient Egyptians include those composed of ivory, flint, slate and wood, many of them carved with religious symbols.

[6] The spoons of the Greeks and Romans were chiefly made of bronze and silver and the handle usually takes the form of a spike or pointed stem.

[5] There are many examples in the British Museum from which the forms of the various types can be ascertained, the chief points of difference being found in the junction of the bowl with the handle.

The study proposes that these objects, often found alongside items associated with warfare and featuring a small disk 10-20 millimeters in diameter, were likely used to administer drugs, especially stimulants, before battles.

Germanic peoples of the era had access to various substances with potential medicinal or psychoactive properties, including poppy, hops, hemp, henbane, belladonna, and certain fungi.

[5] The full descriptions and entries relating to silver spoons in the inventories of the royal and other households point to their special value and rarity.

[5] In the first quarter of the 18th century, the bowl becomes narrow and elliptical, with a tongue or rat's tail down the back, and the handle is turned up at the end.

[5] Spoons are used primarily for eating liquid or semi-liquid foods, such as soup, stew or ice cream, and very small or powdery solid items which cannot be easily lifted with a fork, such as rice, sugar, cereals and green peas.

Used for stirring, a spoon is passed through a substance with a continued circular movement for the purpose of mixing, blending, dissolving, cooling, or preventing sticking of the ingredients.

For storage, spoons and knives were sometimes placed in paired knife boxes, which were often ornate wooden containers with sloping tops, used especially during the 18th century.

The souvenir spoon generally exists solely as a decorative object commemorating an event, place, or special date.

To make a spoon the traditional way by way of hand forging, a bar of silver is marked up to the correct proportions for the bowl and handle.

It is then buffed to remove any file marks and fire stain from inside the bowl and is polished to the desired finish.