Chopsticks: History and Types: Chinese, Japanese and Korean
Japanese Chopsticks (top)
Korean Chopsticks (middle)
Chinese Chopsticks (bottom)
Chopsticks are the traditional eating utensils of various East Asian countries including China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam. Chopsticks are shaped pairs of equal-length sticks that have been used as the traditional ancient kitchen and eating utensils for over 6000 years already.
History
Chopsticks were invented in ancient China before the Shang dynasty (1766–1122 BCE) and most likely much earlier prior to establishment of the Xia dynasty or sometime around 9000 years ago. Chopsticks began to be used as eating utensils during the Han dynasty.
Description
As populations grew and resources became more scarce, people would cut food into ever smaller pieces to save on fuel, as food made in this way could be cooked quickly. Within a century the humble chopsticks had migrated to other Asian countries. Although, originally, the Japanese would only use chopsticks in certain religious ceremonies, they quickly gained popularity as everyday items.
To the casual observer all chopsticks might just look the same; particularly regarding the fact that many Japanese and Korean restaurants overseas (that may not even employ staff from those countries) often generically use Chinese-style chopsticks.
Chinese chopsticks (kuàizi 筷子) can be made from a variety of materials: bamboo, plastic and stainless steel. Kuaizi are around 23 cm to 27 cm (9 inches to 11 inches) long, squared or rounded sides, and taper to a blunt ends. Chinese chopsticks are longer and thicker than Korean and Japanese ones.
Japanese chopsticks (hashi 箸 or otemoto おてもと) can be made from a variety of materials: wood, plastic and stainless steel. Japanese chopsticks are slightly shorter than Chinese, they are typically squared or rounded and taper to a pointed ends. Japanese chopsticks are made of wood and often lacquered, plastic and stainless steel. This may be attributed to the fact that the Japanese diet consists of large amounts of whole bony fish. The pointed ends make it easier to remove small bones from the fish.
Korean chopsticks (jeotgarak or sometimes jeosgalag 젓가락) are of medium-length with a small, flat rectangular shape, and made of metal, wood or plastic. Traditionally they were made of metal, wood or plastic. Many Korean chopsticks are ornately decorated at the grip. They are virtually always used in tandem with a spoon. Because Koreans are love to eat Barbecue and other kinds of soup.
When comparing these three main chopsticks many people may find themselves trying to decide which ones are better, but each type of chopsticks has their advantages and flaws. For example Korean chopsticks are much heavier than Chinese or Japanese because they are made of metal only, but because of this they are often believed to be the most hygienically clean. Japanese chopsticks are shorter than Chinese or Korean, and this it makes them more comfortable for picking up small pieces of food, like rice or beans.
Other East Asian countries like Vietnam, Laos and Thailand use chopsticks as well, but generally speaking their chopsticks are very similar to Chinese chopsticks.
Source: http://www.theworldo...icks-explained/
3 Types of Chopsticks:
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| Japanese Chopsticks |
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Korean Chopsticks   |
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