How often have we called over a waiter to ask for a knife and fork when faced with the challenge of eating with Chopsticks? You either love them or hate them. Thankfully, those who love them and use them daily number in the billions, as Asian and Pan-Asian cuisine becomes ever more popular.
First invented during the Zhou Dynasty, around 1100BC, chopsticks are now used in countries around the world and remain the traditional form of cutlery in China, Japan, Vietnam Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia and Thailand, to name a few. They are smooth and tapered by design, and are commonly made from bamboo, plastic, wood or stainless steel.
Chopsticks come in three individual styles. Chinese chopsticks tend to be blunt. Japanese chopsticks are often sharp and pointed, whilst Korean chopsticks have sharp tapers and a flattened grip.