HOW TO USE CHOPSTICKS HOW TO

Between your index finger and thumb, place the first chopstick in the valley. People clutching their chopsticks often just end up splashing their food all over the place.

Step 1: Keep your dominant hand loose.

Most of these people are concentrated in the “chopstick culture” of Asia, but it is becoming increasingly common to enjoy all kinds of Asian cuisine in their home countries with chopsticks for people outside of the continent. Given their long heritage, it’s no surprise that around 1.5 billion people still use chopsticks to eat every day. Many people believe that silver will turn black if arsenic and other toxins are present in their food – but in reality, silver can actually change color if it comes in contact with many foods, including onions and garlic! It seems that during the Sui (581–618 AD) and Tang (618–690 AD) dynasties in China, ornate silver chopsticks became fashionable among the rich and powerful. Later, chopstick use spread to other Asian neighbors along with Chinese political influence and the travels of Buddhist monks. Cooked rice is so sticky and lumpy that it can be transported from bowl to mouth with chopsticks, and spoons are quickly losing their title as the most popular eating utensil, as chopsticks are more versatile. Asian children learn to eat with chopsticks between the ages of 3-5, and there’s evidence that using chopsticks improves a child’s dexterity - which can help with brain development.Īround this time, rice also dominated the Chinese diet. Using chopsticks to pick up food requires fine motor skills and brain-hand coordination, arguably more than using a fork and knife. This gave birth to foods like dumplings as well as noodles, which are more convenient to eat with chopsticks than a spoon. Chopsticks had no place on the dinner table until the 10th century, when the advent of wheat and flour opened up exciting new avenues for Chinese cuisine. This is largely because for hundreds of years, millet was the most widely consumed grain in China – eaten like porridge with a spoon. Originally, chopsticks were mainly used to stir food while cooking, while spoons were the main tools when eating. Many of us might think of chopsticks as pre-existing cutlery, but historically, eating with chopsticks is a relatively new addition to Chinese and Asian cuisine. In addition, Korean chopsticks come in the form of a set with metal spoons, because Koreans often eat rice with a spoon, not with chopsticks. Their wands have a flatter shape to reduce the amount of metal required and keep the sticks light enough for skillful handling. On the other hand, Koreans like to make their eating utensils out of metal. In contrast, the Japanese mostly use wooden chopsticks with tapered ends and shorter lengths – all better for handling foods that require more subtle movements, such as fish with bones. They have to be long because the Chinese like it.

Moreover, like a thin cylinder with a consistent diameter and blunt ends, they tend to have rounded edges. To the Chinese, chopsticks are usually made from bamboo or plastic. The first chopsticks were made of materials such as copper or bone and ivory, although such expensive materials are rarely used today. Chopsticks Vary Across CulturesĪlthough chopsticks are popular in many Asian countries, each culture has its own way of using it. Don’t worry, with just a few simple steps, KITCHENBAR will help you discover the simplest way to use them.

HOW TO USE CHOPSTICKS HOW TO

With Asian dishes like noodles or Pho, it would be a shame if you don’t know how to use chopsticks properly. When we enjoy a food, we want to learn how to eat it in the best possible way.

How to use chopsticks