[Ads-l] Forklore

[Jonathan Lighter]

Eva Longoria tells John Berman on CNN that "In the ancient Astrurias [sic]
language, there was no word for 'fork.' Because they ate so many stews."

This is half true. According to WikiP the small table fork was not invented
until about the third century and was not used in Iberia till the fifteenth.

The ancestral Latin "furca" meant a pitchfork or a large serving fork (used
only by the wealthy). Small two-tined forks ("ligulae") were occasionally
used, also in elite kitchens, for special purposes.

The main reason neither Romans or Asturians (or anybody else) lacked forks
was because they ate with spoons and with their fingers. Spoons
("cochlearia") had pointed ends to spear things with when necessary.

The Asturian language developed from Latin in the early Middle Ages, making
it older than the table fork. But Asturian wasn't special for lacking a
name for a utensil that didn't exist.

Season's Greetings and Happy Festivus to All.

JL

-- 
"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."

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