The first association most people have when they see chopsticks is, of course, Japan. Although in fact the first of them were made in China in the XII century from bamboo. According to one of the legends, this discovery belongs to the Japanese sage Sen no Rikyu, known throughout the world as the founder of the tea ceremony. One day, walking through the morning forest, he collected several pieces of wood and cleaned them in order to enjoy the unsurpassed aroma of fresh wood. The shape of these pieces strongly resembled modern chopsticks.
Used today in everyday life of a simple Japanese, hashi (namely, this is how chopsticks are correctly called) in those distant times were considered an integral attribute of emperors and gods. As for the appearance of the sticks, today it is customary to subdivide them:
By material:
- Wooden;
- Bone.
Section shape:
- round;
- Square.
Point shape:
- Conical;
- Pyramidal.
By use:
- Disposable;
- Reusable.
The growing popularity among Japanese restaurateurs, whose main specialization is the preparation and delivery of sushi, is acquiring varibashi - disposable sticks, for the manufacture of which plastic is used.
Hasi: cutlery or something more?
If for most people chopsticks are an ordinary eating device, then for the Japanese they are a kind of sacred symbol that promises good luck and longevity. For the same reason, their transfer to someone else's use is a bad omen. Among other things, there is an opinion that the ability to handle hashi perfectly trains small muscles and contributes to the development of mental abilities. This is why children in Japan are taught from an early age to want to master chopsticks. Not so long ago, this statement was also scientifically proven: scientists proved that children who started using hashi at the age of one are significantly ahead of their peers who did not want to part with a spoon in their development.
By the way, mastering the art of chopsticks will also come in handy for adherents of Japanese culture who want to learn how to properly mix sauce, hold food, chop and cut it into small pieces that are convenient to put in their mouths.
Note to connoisseurs
Like all other table setting items, chopsticks in Japan are usually divided into "male" and "female". They are served in a special paper case called hashi bukuro. Such covers can be as simple as a restaurant logo, or a real work of art, perfect for collecting.
In conclusion about traditions
Traditionally, hashi is considered one of the best gifts for any occasion. Presented as a gift to the newlyweds, they symbolize the desire to always remain inseparable. In addition, they make special sticks for the New Year and the tea ceremony, as well as gift sets for large families. The smallest inhabitants of the Land of the Rising Sun receive their first hashi already on the hundredth day after their birth during the First Sticks ceremony, when with the help of adults they taste rice for the first time.
It so happened that chopsticks are traditionally used in four countries: China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam. But the Chinese were the first to use them. Now in this country they often use European cutlery, but still they are in no hurry to abandon the usual cutlery, because this applies not only to history, but also to the mentality of this people. In addition, those who have tried eating the same dish with a spoon or kuaizi claim that its taste changes. Perhaps that is why Europeans actively learn how to eat with Chinese chopsticks and learn how to use them with such enthusiasm, because Asian cuisine is becoming more and more popular in the West.
Chinese chopsticks: the history of appearance
There are several versions of how Chinese chopsticks appeared. One says that in the 11th century BC, ivory kuaizi began to be used by the ruler of the Zhou kingdom. There is a record of this in the works of the famous philosopher Han Feizi.
Other versions are more like legends or myths. So, when the Xia dynasty (2070–1765 BC) ruled the country, the great Yu, the tamer of floods, did not have a single free minute during work to come home and eat normally. He, along with his subjects, ate on the banks of the river to save time and thought about how to take hot pieces of food out of the boiler without burning his hands. Great Yu broke two twigs from a nearby tree, sharpened them, and began to eat.
Some Chinese historians believe that chopsticks were originally used only for cooking. With their help, cooks carried hot stones and could turn over pieces of meat, fish or vegetables. Another legend says that the Zhou ruler had a concubine named Daji. He honored her with the first taste of the emperor's food. One day, late for dinner, the girl, fearing the wrath of the ruler, pulled out jade hairpins from her hair and picked up a hot piece of meat with them so as not to burn her fingers. The emperor liked the concubine's idea, and he issued a decree for everyone in the palace to take food only with such hairpins. Over time, sticks spread widely and began to be used everywhere - the Chinese were clearly impressed by the combination of simplicity, convenience, practicality and elegance in these gizmos.
Variety of Chinese chopsticks
The first sticks were made of bamboo, and it was not completely split and they rather resembled tweezers. Of course, ordinary people ate with bamboo sticks, but the rich wanted something more complex and expensive, so these cutlery was made for them from expensive wood - ebony, red, sandalwood, Chinese holly.
The history of China has preserved a beautiful legend about the appearance of a peculiar variety of bamboo, which is now called "bamboo of tears" or "bamboo sticks of concubines from the Xiang River." The emperor, while touring his lands, died suddenly in the south and was buried in the wilderness. Two of his concubines, having learned about the death of the lord, rushed to the Xiang River and began to sob. Their tears dripped onto the nearby bamboo and imprinted on the bamboo trunks.
With the development of production in China, metal sticks began to be produced. Again, in ancient times, food with these devices was affordable only for the rich. Copper sticks quickly fell out of Chinese use, but those made from silver were popular for a long time. Moreover, this was largely facilitated by the bactericidal properties of silver. But the most valued kuaizi made of gold, ivory and jade.
There is also a legend about golden sticks. According to the annals of the Tang Dynasty, at a festive banquet, the emperor presented such a pair to Prime Minister Song Jing as a reward for loyal service. At that time, gold items could only be used at court, and anyone who dared to work with gold himself was severely punished. Song Jing was speechless with joy, and the emperor, noticing his embarrassment, said that he was giving him a gift in gratitude for his devotion, and gold should not be paid attention to.
Over time, Chinese chopsticks have become more diverse. For example, in the Spring and Autumn era they were made cylindrical, in the Han era they were round, and in the Ming era they were square at the top and round at the bottom. Currently, they are pyramidal, with thick and thin ends, as well as flat ones. The cross section is also very different: round, oval, square and with rounded corners.
Now in China, approximately 45 billion pairs of disposable wooden chopsticks are used and thrown away every year. This is approximately 1.7 million cubic meters of wood or 25 million trees destroyed per year. Terrible number! Since April 2006, in order to protect the environment, China has introduced a 5% sales tax on disposable sticks, and many hotels in Beijing have decided to abandon them.
It is well known that Chinese craftsmen can create masterpieces out of everything. Therefore, they even learned to create real works of art from such laconic items as kuaizi. For example, on square-shaped sticks, calligraphers wrote out verses and ancient texts, including entire poems.
Even Chinese craftsmen often carved entire paintings on sticks. A beautiful couple has been preserved, where mountains are carved on the upper end, covered with lush crowns of trees. Lan Xian, the famous Chinese wand connoisseur, keeps in his collection an ivory copy of the Ming era, on which a manor, a bush, a lonely boat on the river bank, and an old man and a young man sitting in it, thoughtfully looking into the distance, are drawn by a talented painter.
Green ceramic kuaizi symbolize the prosperity and prosperity of the family, directly dependent on agricultural work. Porcelain sticks were much more expensive than ceramic ones. They were often made in the form of fish - a symbol of happiness and prosperity of the family. Bamboos were commonly made in southern China, where the plant grows in abundance.
The creators of modern China, thanks to modern technology, have a true scope for the realization of their imagination and rich fantasy. Illustrations for well-known Chinese novels are extremely popular in the country, for example, for such as “A Dream in a Red Chamber” or “River Backwaters”, they also write poems by Li Bo, Du Fu on sticks, depict a pine tree and a crane - symbols of longevity. Most often in China, disposable bamboo and acid-resistant and heat-resistant plastic sticks are used.
Chinese chopsticks - a living tradition
How to eat with Chinese chopsticks is taught from childhood, because the Chinese are very committed to traditions and customs, thus trying to honor distant ancestors. By now, the Chinese have developed special rules and prohibitions on the use of kuaizi. The guest cannot start eating before the host, reach for a dish that is far from him and stick the chopsticks vertically into the food, as this is reminiscent of smoking sticks - an attribute of the funeral ceremony. After finishing the meal, the guests should put the kuaizi on the plate, and only when the host finishes the meal, they shift them from the plate to the table and leave from behind it.
Sticks outside of China
Chinese chopsticks, having spread widely throughout all the provinces of the country, moved to Southeast Asia around the 11th century, and later to Europe. At first, the Japanese fell in love with them. Outwardly, their sticks are somewhat different - they are shorter, sharper and thinner. Koreans generally use long and very thin metal sticks.
Interestingly, forks appeared in China in the 17th century, along with European missionaries. But, despite the seemingly greater convenience of this tool, it has not gained popularity among the Chinese. Many scientists still do not understand the reason for this phenomenon, and they build a variety of hypotheses on this score. The Chinese themselves say that the choice of cutlery depends on the way of thinking and mentality of people, and the use of chopsticks is not only a tribute to tradition, but also a symbol of directing energy inward, because it is known that training finger muscles improves brain activity. Europeans, who have always loved to simplify and speed up everything, prefer convenience and comfort. It turns out that the Europeans direct their energy outward, as it were, being more interested in the aesthetic side of the process.
European scientists believe that their compatriots always eat from their plate, as if trying to isolate themselves from the world and retire. This is one of the reasons why children leave the family early and prefer to lead an independent life. In China, everything is different: a family sits down at a common table, eats "from a common pot", so they are more tightly connected and more dependent on each other. To improve their kung fu skills, Shaolin students are offered to learn how to catch a flying fly with sticks.
Modern researchers have proven that Chinese chopsticks contribute to the development of fine motor skills in children, which in turn has a positive effect on the development of mental abilities. Therefore, from an early age, little Chinese are taught the skills to use these cutlery. Here they believe that the sooner the baby learns to use kuaizi, the more capable student he will be.
How to eat with Chinese chopsticks? For those who have taken them in their hands for the first time and do not know how to hold them correctly, this seems like a difficult task. But after using them several times for food, people quickly realize that it is simple and natural. The main condition that practically guarantees success in this matter is not to strain your hand. Let the movements be light, calm and smooth.
Although the Japanese diet has changed a lot and many Japanese love Western food and use forks and spoons every day, chopsticks are always the choice when it comes to Japanese food. And many Japanese continue to use chopsticks for everything they eat. Chopsticks are famous all over the world today and have a long history and tradition. We invite you to learn more about the culture of using chopsticks in Japan and use Japanese chopsticks at your next meal.
History of chopsticks
Sticks have a very long history. The origin of chopsticks dates back to prehistoric times, when people used fire to cook food and needed to use something to get food out of the fire or move hot food into their mouths.
The oldest historical record of chopsticks in Japan is found in the Kojiki (the first book on Japanese history written in 712). The world's oldest chopstick facts are from China. There is information that the emperor asked his servant to make him a set of exclusive ivory sticks, this was 4000 years ago! A set of two pairs of sticks came to Japan from China in the 6th century.
Japanese industry and chopsticks
Today, over 85% of chopsticks in Japan are made in Obama, Fukui Prefecture, which is 2 hours north of Kyoto and slightly to the east (on the Sea of Japan). The best pairs of chopsticks are made only in a few places in Japan. Kyoto is considered by most to be the center of innovation and chopstick design.
In the beginning, chopsticks were not made in Kyoto. Craftsmen in Kyoto felt that chopsticks were too easy and simple to make. However, since Kyoto is a cultural center for making utensils for the Japanese tea ceremony, which is very popular, they used special bamboo and sometimes also began to make cedar chopsticks. And eventually, artisans working with wood, bamboo began to develop their own variations of sticks. Soon a new industry was born in Kyoto, and now there is no place in Japan that makes thinner chopsticks.
Today, the number of chopsticks produced in Kyoto is not very high, but their quality and Kyoto's fame for chopstick production is unmatched.
Ritual accessories for the gods
At the beginning of Japanese history, chopsticks were used only as sacred things and were offered to a god or deities. For example, as part of the autumn ritual, thank heaven and earth for a good harvest. All food in such ceremonies and rituals was processed not by hand, but with chopsticks (the human hand should not touch the food intended for the gods).
These ritual tools are still in use and have a special shape. Both ends of the stick are identical in shape and are almost the same thickness at both ends. One end is for food meant for the gods, and the other is for food meant for humans (or whoever performs the ceremony). Thus, it can be said that the Japanese gods and the Japanese, sharing the same chopsticks, are united through this. Chopsticks play a very important role in Japanese folk culture as a way of showing the power of the deities that ultimately feed them: rain, earth, wind, sun.
Choice of chopsticks
Since there are so many types of chopsticks, it can be difficult to choose which one will work best for your purposes. The most important thing you should pay attention to when buying - do they fit your decor, where will they be used? Do you want a simple option or sophisticated and creative?
Further, the length and thickness of the sticks are the most important parameters. Very thin long chopsticks can be difficult to manage for inexperienced foreigners. The optimal chopstick length is 1.5 times the distance between your thumb and forefinger, or about 15% of your height. Therefore, if you are 160 cm tall, then the ideal chopstick length for you is 24 cm. Also, try not to choose chopsticks that are too thin.
Experienced eaters of Japanese delicacies will only laugh: "What else have they thought of, surprise with chopsticks! Yes, we have these chopsticks ... unless we ate a dog." Meanwhile, design minds are known for their ability to turn the familiar and familiar into the new and surprising. We have already written about these Asian cutlery, but the topic seems to be inexhaustible, take at least our first one. So if you think that you already know everything about these very sticks, then this additional review will probably bring a couple of surprises.
1. Bushido in action
And we will start the review with sticks that really reflect the martial Japanese spirit: they are made in the form of long samurai daito swords. Anyone who has mastered Japanese swordsmanship (ken-jutsu) will be able to get ahead of any clumsy European armed with a spoon with these sticks. The only chance for us is to learn how to wield.
2. Simplicity is better than craftsmanship
But what about those who have not found themselves in Japanese swordsmanship? Even if your chopsticks fall out of your hands, even clumsy Europeans will like this modification: cutlery made from a flexible metal strip with "shape memory" is very easy to use. No more difficult than regular tweezers. There is only one minus: it does not look too much like sticks. Inventor Marcello b. from Münster, apparently, preferred notorious innovation to tradition.
But such sticks-pins called Tukaani can help with the evil eye. You can also slurp molasses with them - it will turn out no worse than with an awl. Other reasonable applications somehow do not come to mind - well, but it's original. In order not to inadvertently gouge out your eyes, you can put on.
4. Pencil sticks.
But these sticks are useful, and very big. With their help, you can successfully pretend to be a fool or crazy in the eyes of the astonished visitors of a Japanese restaurant. They don't know that sticks are only painted like pencils!
Now we will talk about a really useful invention, joking aside. chopsticks designed Aissa Logerot, can turn into a spoon when attached to ceramic scoops. And if you just remove the caps from the tips, then sharp toothpicks will be found under them.
6. Tourist breakfast.
If domestic hikers can eat with knives, axes and folding spoons, then why shouldn't Japanese tourists have folding sticks? Folding sushi would not interfere with the campaign.
7. Spoon sticks.
Chopsticks can be crossed with a spoon in this way. This 11-inch flexible plastic gadget was awarded the 2006 Design Award in Chicago. But if it were not for the bizarrely curved sticks, the award might not have found a hero: there are no trifles in design.
Food sticks -a pair of small sticks, a traditional cutlery in East Asia.
The four countries where chopsticks are predominantly used are China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam.
In Thailand, with the introduction of European cutlery by King Rama V in the 19th century, only noodles or soups are eaten with chopsticks.
Sticks are commonly made from wood, metal, bone, ivory, and nowadays also plastic.
It was believed that in the imperial palace of China, silver sticks were used to detect poisons in food.
Chinese chopsticks
Archaeological research in China suggests that chopsticks, which in China are called kuaizi (Chinese 筷子) appeared in the Shang era (about 3 thousand years ago). They say that their legendary ancestor Yu came up with when he wanted to get hot meat from the cauldron.
Word kuaizi consists of two parts: kuai(筷) - "soon, fast, dexterous", and tzu(子) - a sign of an object. They are used by 30% of people - the same number as fork users. Others eat with their hands.
kuaizi- square at the base, so as not to roll on the table. Their length is about 25 cm, and kitchen ones, usually bamboo ones, are one and a half times longer.
They are made from wood, metal, plastic, bone. Common in China weisheng kuaizi- disposable wooden ones, not very well processed, so they need to be rubbed against each other before use to avoid splinters. In the 6th and 7th centuries, silver sticks were sometimes used to test food for poison; at that time one of
The most common poison was arsenic, upon contact with which the silver sticks darkened.
Japanese sticks
Sticks (箸, hashi) came to Japan from China in the 12th century and were made from bamboo. It was believed that immortal gods and emperors eat with chopsticks.
There are many variations in the shapes and sizes of reusable sticks (nuribashi), which are sometimes a real work of art: they are painted, varnished, inlaid with mother-of-pearl and decorated with various patterns.
Modern hashi are bone, wooden (from bamboo, pine, cypress, plum, maple, black or purple
sandalwood), round or square with a conical or pyramidal point.
It is believed that chopsticks train fine motor skills that develop mental abilities, so in Japan they teach how to handle
hashi from an early age. Raising in children the desire to master chopsticks, Japanese scientists consider an important and relevant task for their country.
Confirmation of the effectiveness of "exercises" with chopsticks is the statement of researchers that children who began to eat with the help of hashi immediately after they were one year old are ahead of their peers who could not part with spoons in development.
By the way, in Japan, dishes (bowls for rice, soup, plates for other food) and serving items are divided into “male” and “female”. Sticks are no exception.
Sticks for the Japanese are not only an everyday personal item (it is not customary to lend them to others), but also a sacred symbol (the Japanese respectfully call them 御箸).
According to legend, they bring good luck and long life to the owner, and therefore khasi are considered a good holiday gift.
For example, hashi is presented to newlyweds, implying a wish to be as inseparable as a pair of sticks.
They are given to a baby on the 100th day from the moment of its birth.
birth, when during the ceremony "First sticks" adults for the first time
give him a taste of the rice with chopsticks.
They also make gift sets for the whole family.
In addition, there are hashi for the New Year, the tea ceremony, for sweets. There are sticks invented by Rikyo, the founder of the tea ceremony. It is said that one morning he went to the forest to collect pieces of trees and stripped them in order to enjoy the smell of fresh wood.
There are special stands for chopsticks in Japan: hasioki
.
This name is formed by adding the verbal noun oki from the verb oku - to put. Put the sticks on the hasioki with thin ends, so that they look to the left. If there is no hashioki on the table, hashi can be placed next to the edge of the plate or on the table.
Chopsticks are served in a special paper case (hashi bukuro),
which often turns out to be a real decoration and object
collectibles. It can be painted with fancy designs, and
may contain the logo of the restaurant.
With the help of chopsticks, you can not only hold food and send it to your mouth, but also perform a lot of other more complex operations: mix sauce, separate pieces, chop and even cut. These steps usually do not have to be performed during a traditional meal, as Japanese culinary rules require food to be served in small pieces so that they are easy to put in the mouth.
Chopsticks nowadays
Nowadays, most restaurants serve disposable chopsticks (割箸, waribashi) made of plastic or wood. Disposable sticks are a relatively recent invention that appeared at the end of the last century. Often, before use, they must, if not already done, be broken along.
In China alone, about 45 billion pairs of disposable wooden sticks are used and discarded each year, which equates to approximately 1.7 million cubic meters of wood or 25 million destroyed trees per year. In order to protect the environment, since April 2006, China has introduced a 5% sales tax on disposable chopsticks.
More than 300 hotels in Beijing have joined the campaign called "Save the forest - say NO to disposable sticks!" launched with Greenpeace and several private websites to stop the use of disposable chopsticks.
Ma Lichao, director of Greenpeace's forest program, speaking to local media, said they hope their ad campaign will make people aware of the environmental crisis and thereby lead to a reduction in the number of disposable chopsticks used in restaurants. . According to Ma Lichao, more than 300 restaurants and hotels in Beijing have formed an alliance and pledged to stop using these food utensils, which are harmful to the environment.
Campaign organizers say their goal is to get 2,000 hotels to join the alliance and change their restaurants' policy on single-use chopsticks. However, some citizens and restaurateurs believe that it will be difficult to change people's habits due to the convenience of using disposable chopsticks.
and their sanitary and hygienic functions.
It's interesting that: Many Asian manufacturers of microcircuits and liquid crystal monitors, when hiring staff at the factory, conduct a test for coordination of movements: you need to quickly collect small beads with chopsticks.
Etiquette for eating with chopsticks
Sticks are a part of culture and history, their use is surrounded by a lot of conventions and ceremonies.
There are many rules and good manners related to chopsticks, and etiquette in different countries has its own characteristics.
The general part of the rules as a whole looks like this:
bang on the table, plate or other objects with chopsticks to call the waiter;
"draw" with chopsticks on the table;
"wander" with chopsticks around food;
digging with chopsticks in a bowl in search of the best piece - you need to take food from above.
Chopsticks are only used to take food and put it in your mouth or on your plate. Any other manipulation with chopsticks may be considered inconsistent with etiquette. In particular, you should not:
You should choose a piece in advance. Having touched the piece with chopsticks, you need to take it and eat it.
You can not prick food on chopsticks.
You can not shake the sticks to cool the piece.
It is not nice to lick sticks, and, in general, to keep sticks in your mouth just like that.
You can not point with sticks, you should not wave them in the air.
Do not move dishes with chopsticks. Dishes are handled by hand.
Before asking for more rice, the chopsticks must be placed on the table.
You can't stick chopsticks in food. This is considered bad form, as it resembles incense sticks that are placed on deceased relatives.
How to eat with Chinese chopsticks
The Chinese often use European utensils for eating, in particular, forks and spoons. Traditional dishes are eaten with chopsticks, the most convenient for taking with chopsticks.
When taking food with chopsticks, palms should always be pointing down. Turning the hand over with the wrist and palm up is considered uncivilized.
The Chinese traditionally eat rice from a bowl. The bowl of rice is brought to the mouth and the rice is then eaten with chopsticks. If rice is served on a plate, as is customary in Western culture, it is allowed and even
it is considered more practical to use a fork or spoon.
Unlike the Japanese tradition, it is quite acceptable to pass food with chopsticks to close people (children, parents, relatives) if it is difficult or inconvenient for them to take food themselves. In relation to elders, it is considered a sign of respect to give them food first, even before the start of the meal (which corresponds to the Confucian tradition of respect for elders).
After finishing the meal, the chopsticks should be placed across the bowl, with the ends to the left - this is a sign that the meal is completed and no supplement is required.
How to eat with Japanese chopsticks
You can’t hold the sticks in your fist: the Japanese perceive this gesture as threatening.
You should not pass food with chopsticks to another person on a plate or into other people's chopsticks. This gesture is used for
repositioning by close relatives of the bones of the deceased after cremation in an urn, and is taboo in all other cases.
Do not place chopsticks across the cup. When you have finished eating, you need to put the chopsticks on a stand, on the table or on the edge of the plate, parallel to the edge of the table.
Technique of eating with chopsticks. How to take chopsticks in your hand, hold them correctly and eat successfully.
Relax the hand and stretch the index and middle fingers forward, and slightly bend the ring and little fingers.
Place the thick end of one of the sticks at about a third of its length in the hollow between
thumb and forefinger of the right hand, so that the second point of the wand (approximately the middle) rests on the ring finger. Fix the "tool" by pressing on it with the base of your thumb.Place the second stick on the first phalanx at the base of the index finger, and with the tips
medium and large stick it closer to the middleSqueeze and unclench the ends of the sticks, manipulating them like tongs.
The lower stick remains motionless when eating, all manipulations are performed with the help of the upper one: when the middle and index fingers are straightened, the sticks move apart. Accordingly, bending the middle and index fingers,
bring sticks together, grabbing pieces of food.
The main condition that guarantees the successful use of chopsticks is not to strain your hand. The hand should be relaxed, and the movements should be light, calm.
To develop skills in handling chopsticks, it is recommended to practice on small objects - peas, corn grains.
