Wiggle Wiggle. Esther Bunny. Accessories Apparel Jewelry. Learning Hangeul. Banila Co. I'm Sorry for My Skin. Daebak Box. Past Daebak Boxes. Limited Boxes. Daebak Beauty Box. E-Gift Card. HOT Sale. Last Pieces. Close cart. Chinese Chopsticks source: Nile Cappello Chopsticks were actually invented in China about 5, years ago. Metal chopsticks became a symbol of social status, first in the Baekje Kingdom under King Muryeong. Back then, silver chopsticks believed to detect arsenic in food and later those made of bronze were used during the Goryeo Dynasty era.
Though the masses still used wooden or brass chopsticks, those made of metal such as gold and silver were reserved for royalty. More recently, metal chopsticks in Korea have been made more affordable through the use of stainless steel or bangjja , a Korean bronze alloy.
The flat and smooth shape of Korean metal chopsticks makes them difficult to use at first, but unlike square or round ones, they offer a stronger grip. Being thinner and more slippery than common chopsticks, these require greater muscle control but make the eating of a Korean dish much richer and immersive after a diner learns to use them skillfully. Koreans also use a Western-style metal spoon at mealtime in a set with metal chopsticks called sujeo , or "Korean spoon and chopsticks.
Another reason is that metal chopsticks are more hygienic and durable compared to the wooden ones and they can be easily sanitized in boiling water. The final reason is that Koreans use spoons for eating rice and soups, which is too slippery for metal sticks. However, all other dishes such as banchan, vegetables, meat, etc.
On a typical dining table in Korea, you will see a pair of metal chopsticks and a long-handled spoon from the same material on their left side. This set is called sujeo and it should be placed on the right side of the rice bowl known as bap and soup gouk.
Of course, there are some table manners that should be followed and they are the following:. Prior to that, wooden and bronze chopsticks and other utensils were much more common gold and silver were reserved for use by the nobility during the Joseon period or were unaffordable by common people.
Currently, disposable wooden chopsticks mostly imported from SE Asia are also common, especially for foods such as noodles, etc. But steel chopsticks are still more prevalent since they are environmentally friendly. But many restaurants will provide you with wooden disposable chopsticks if you request them.
I could not find on the internet, but there is also a type of steel chopsticks with grooves near the tip that are supposed to make it easier to grip food. The common explanations I hear all the time, that Korean royalties and dignitaries used silver utensils to detect poison and that metal withstands better over the flame for barbecue, are not convincing to me. By Donil Park I think it likely has to do with the fact that among the most popular materials for tableware and utensils in Korea was a certain type of bronzeware that is pretty unique to Korea, called Bangjja.
This type of bronzeware would be used for royal tables, and that is to say that this material was considered to be among the highest class as far as tablewares go. Sure, Koreans also used china and japan for tablewares as well, but Bangjja bronzeware was considered to be classy and prestigious.
It lost popularity somewhat when china was introduced in the middle of the last millennium, but then regained popularity in the 18th century or so due to higher scale metal mining.
Then its popularity went down again during the colonial period because apparently, a new type of fuel was introduced during that time that would easily tarnish Bangjja. All that to say is that Koreans are more used to the idea of using metal tableware and utensils, and so this probably contributed to the prominence of metal chopsticks and spoons and tableware generally in Korea today.
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