Chopsticks A Comprehensive Guide to Their History, Usage, and Cultural Significance

Chopsticks are a pair of equal-length sticks used as kitchen and eating utensils in most of East Asia for over three millennia. They are held in the dominant hand, secured by fingers, and wielded as extensions of the hand to pick up food. Originating in China, chopsticks later spread to other parts of continental Asia. The use of chopsticks has also spread to the rest of Southeast Asia either via the Chinese diaspora or through some dishes such as noodles that may require chopsticks.

History and Evolution of Chopsticks

The earliest evidence of chopsticks uncovered so far consists of six chopsticks, made of bronze, 26cm long, and 1.1 cm wide, excavated from the Ruins of Yin near Anyang (Henan). These are dated roughly to 1200 BC, during the Shang dynasty. They were supposed to have been used for cooking. The earliest known textual reference to the use of chopsticks comes from the Han Feizi, a philosophical text written by Han Fei (c. 280–233 BC) in the 3rd century BC.

The wide diffusion of chopsticks in Chinese culture is sometimes attributed to Confucian philosophy, which emphasizes family harmony as the basis for civil order. Confucius himself allegedly said that knives are for warriors, but chopsticks are for scholars. His successor Mencius is linked to the aphorism “the honorable and upright man keeps well away from both the slaughterhouse and the kitchen.”

Materials and Styles of Chopsticks

Common Characteristics

Chopsticks come in a wide variety of styles, with differences in geometry and material. Depending on the country and the region, some chopstick styles are more common than others.

• Length: Chopsticks range from 23 cm to 26 cm long, tapering to one end. Very long, large chopsticks, usually about 30 cm or more, are used for cooking, especially for deep-frying foods.
• Cross-section: Chopsticks may have round, square, hexagonal, or other polygonal cross-sections. Usually, the edges are rounded off so there are no sharp 90° surface angles in square chopsticks.
• Taper: Chopsticks are usually tapered at the end used for picking up food. Chinese and Vietnamese chopsticks are more commonly blunt, while Japanese ones tend to be sharp and pointed in style. Korean chopsticks typically have sharp tapers.
• Tips: Some chopsticks have a rough surface at the tip end to provide better friction for gripping food. Also, plastic chopsticks cannot be used for cooking, since high temperatures may damage the chopsticks and produce toxic compounds.
• Materials: Chopsticks are traditionally made of wood, bamboo, metal, ivory, and ceramics. In modern days, they are increasingly available in non-traditional materials such as plastic, stainless steel, and even titanium. Silver-tipped chopsticks were often used as a precaution by wealthy people, based on the myth that silver would turn black upon contact with poison.

Styles of Chopsticks in East Asia

China

Chinese chopsticks tend to be longer than other styles, at about 27 cm. They are thicker, with squared or rounded cross-sections. They end in either wide, blunt, flat tips or tapered pointed tips. Blunt tips are more common with plastic or melamine varieties, whereas pointed tips are more common in wood and bamboo varieties. Chinese restaurants more commonly offer melamine chopsticks for their durability and ease of sanitation. Within individual households, bamboo chopsticks are more commonly found.

Japan

It is common for Japanese chopsticks to be of shorter length for women, and children’s chopsticks in smaller sizes are common. Many Japanese chopsticks have circumferential grooves at the eating end, which helps prevent food from slipping. Japanese chopsticks are typically sharp and pointed, in order to dissect fish and seafood. They are traditionally made of wood or bamboo and are lacquered. Lacquered chopsticks are known in Japanese as “nuribashi,” in several varieties, depending on where they are made and what types of lacquers are used in glossing them. Japanese traditional lacquered chopsticks are produced in the city of Obama in Fukui Prefecture and come in many colors coated in natural lacquer.

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Korea

In North and South Korea, chopsticks of medium length with a small, flat rectangular shape are paired with a spoon, made of the same material. The set is called “sujeo,” a portmanteau of the Korean words for spoon and chopsticks. This (the historical extensive use of a spoon in addition to chopsticks) is also a feature unique to Korea; most chopstick-using countries have either eliminated the use of spoons or have limited their use as eating utensils. It is traditional to rest sujeo on a spoon and chopstick rest so that the chopsticks and the spoon do not touch the table surface. In the past, materials for sujeo varied with social class: Sujeo used in the court were made with gold, silver, or cloisonné, while commoners used brass or wooden sujeo. Today, sujeo is usually made with stainless steel