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's only natural to assume that early mankind started off devouring food with all different types of found objects being used as flatware. What ever they managed to come across, it was very likely more to protect their fingers from the heat of the food than any type of bacteria. In fact, it is very unlikely that early mankind was even aware of germs, bacteria or other types of infectious organisms. Considering the early stages of mankind and how ill-equipped they were to deal with sickness and disease, the implementation of utensils was very likely a big part of mankind's survival into the modern day.

As time passed, flatware very likely became a must-have item for those who wished to keep the organisms and bacteria that exists in the fingernails out of their mouth, leading to the general upward climb in the health of the population over the years. While the implementation of silverware had very likely nothing to do with bacteria, as early man was probably unaware of the existence of this type of organism, the effort to keep the heat of the food away from their fingers very likely lead to this lack of contamination and increase in levels of hygiene and the use of flatware in general.

While we take flatware and basic hygiene for granted in the modern day, in the early days of the Dawn of Man, it probably never occurred to anyone that germs or bacteria actually existed, much less existed in the hands of mankind itself. In fact, flatware was very likely invented out of the need to remove the heat of the food from the hands, as it was very likely uncomfortable and caused pain for the somewhat less intelligent forebears that might not have been aware of any type of hygiene to begin with.

Considering the lack of technology in those days, the flatware was very likely formed from some type of bone or wood or perhaps even stone, as there were no metalworking skills available in those dark days. It is assumed that mankind came up with flatware almost accidentally, managing to eliminate the dangers of disease and bacteria that would have resulted from eating with their hands. This very likely saved the human race, despite their complete ignorance of the fact.

While we don't think twice about flatware in the modern day, purchasing silverware at the department store and using it without a second thought, it's interesting to consider how difficult this particular function would have been for early man. Without metallurgical skills or even the knowledge of bacteria to motivate them, mankind simply struck upon flatware very likely accidentally, making all the difference between survival and extinction for the human race.

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.