The Korean aristocratic class enjoying their
"Luncheon on the Grass"

The Chinese have been using chopsticks for five thousand years. People probably cooked their food in large pots, using twigs to remove it. Over time, as population grew, people began chopping food into small pieces so it would cook more quickly. Small morsels of food could be eaten without knifes and so the twigs gradually turned into chopsticks.

Some people think that the great scholar Confucius, who lived from roughly 551 to 479 B.C., influenced the development of chopsticks. A vegetarian, Confucius believed knives would remind people of slaughterhouses and were too violent for use at the table.

It was recorded in Liji (The Book of Rites) that chopsticks were used in the Shang Dynasty (1600 BC - 1100 BC). It was mentioned in Shiji (the Chinese history book) by Sima Qian (about 145 BC) that Zhou, the last king of the Shang Dynasty (around 1100 BC), used ivory chopsticks. Experts believe the history of wood or bamboo chopsticks can be dated to about 1,000 years earlier than ivory chopsticks. Bronze chopsticks were invented in the Western Zhou Dynasty (1100 BC - 771 BC). Lacquer chopsticks from the Western Han (206 BC - 24 AD) were discovered in Mawangdui, China. Gold and silver chopsticks became popular in the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907). It was believed that silver chopsticks could detect poisons in food.


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Noodles or Chopsticks: Which Came First?

Chopsticks have played an important role in the food cultures of the China, Korea and Japan, the three"chopstick countries". As feasts were part of much of Asian celebrations throughout history, chopsticks have also taken part in royal banquets, aristocratic weddings, ancestral rituals, religious ceremonies, birthdays, and every meal.

One can say that chopsticks were born from the utilitarian need to transport food from the table to the mouth without using fingers, but chopsticks were also catalytic in the development of certain types of food, such as noodles. Once chopsticks were invented, food preparers could come up with culinary creations that could be enjoyed with chopsticks. Exquisite dim sums and sushi morsels were exclusively consumed with chopsticks.


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Chopsticks As Gifts Wedding/Bridal Gift Every pair symbolizes the unison of a Bride and a Groom. This is a perfect way to wish them a happy, everlasting marriage. Lover's Gift Two pairs of His and Hers set makes this a Lover's Set. You don't have to wait till Valentine's Day to show your love. Housewarming Gift Chopsticks are not only practical mealware but also great as home accent pieces. See Sunrise Chopsticks. Anniversary Gift Whether it's for Silver Anniversary or the 1st Anniversary, a pair of Silver Chopsticks will compliment any couple's special occasion. Birthday Gift Impress the Birthday boy/girl with a creative, unique gift. Chopsticks will be a hit at the party.

Lover's Set Sunrise Chopsticks Silver Chopsticks

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Types of Chopsticks

Chopsticks can be classified into five groups based on the materials used to make them, i.e., wood, metal, bone, stone and compound chopsticks. China, Korea and Japan, the three "chopsticks countries", have each developed their own styles of the eating utensil.

Chinese chopsticks are longer than Korean or Japanese chopsticks, measuring just over a foot and squared throughout most of its entire length and rounded at the end. Although they are traditionally made of bamboo or wood, plastic chopsticks have become economically practical in many Chinese restaurants.

Korean chopsticks were made of silver and thinner, flatter and shorter than Chinese chopsticks, measuring approximately 8 inches long. Silver was used by the Korean aristocrats to detect any poison as it would turn color from its contact. Silver chopsticks, today, are still reserved for the upper class of Korean society as most chopsticks are now made with stainless steel.

Japanese chopsticks are shorter than Chinese but longer than Korean chopsticks, measuring approximately 10 inches and made of wood. They are squared off where the grasp is and tapers to a thin round shape at the end. Many Japanese chopsticks are, today, painted in colorful decorations.


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Chopsticks Etiquette

- Chopsticks should have minimal contact with the mouth. It is poor table manners to suck on the tip of the chopsticks.

- If there are serving spoons or communal chopsticks with the serving dish, use those to get the food to your own plate/bowl before using your own set. Although it is not unusual to use one's own chopsticks to obtain food from the serving plates. This can often be alarming to those not familiar with the custom.

- After you have picked up an item, it is yours. You should not put it back in the dish. (So set your aim before raising your chopsticks.)

- It may be a polite gesture to serve the best piece of food and send it to your guests' bowl. (Use caution in this practice; many people observe some kind of special diet and picking food for your guests may not be appropriate to each person's tastes.) Furthermore, it is usually preferred, due to hygienic concern, to use the serving utensil instead of your own chopsticks to do this.

- Never rest chopsticks by sticking them point-first into a bowl of rice. This is reminiscent of ancestral offerings and can be seen as disrespectful.

- Do not point or gesture with chopsticks.


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How to Use Chopsticks

Held between the thumb and fingers of the right hand, they are used as tongs to take up portions of the food, which is brought to the table cut up into small and convenient pieces. Chopsticks are traditionally held in the right hand only, even by the left-handed. (In East Asia, as in Muslim nations, the left hand is used in the toilet, the right hand used for eating.) In modern times, biases against left-handed eating are becoming less severe, and so chopsticks may be held with either hand.