Spoon

A soup spoon

A dessert spoon

Carving a wooden spoon in Tanzania

A spoon is a tool for eating. It is usually used for eating foods that are like liquids (like soup and yogurt), and it can also be used for stirring. Humans use spoons every day. Some solids (like cereal and ice cream) are also usually eaten with spoons. A ladle is a bigger type of serving spoon used for soup, stew, or other foods.

There are many different types of spoons. There are dessert spoons, soup spoons, baby spoons, teaspoons, tablespoons and others. There are also spoons that are collector items and are worth a lot of money. Some musicians even use two spoons as a musical instrument like a castanet.

Spoons have been used as tools for eating since Paleolithic times. Prehistoric peoples probably used shells, or small pieces of wood as spoons. Both the Greek and Latin words for spoon come from the word cochlea, which is a spiral-shaped snail shell. The Anglo-Saxon word spoon, means a chip or splinter of wood.

Spoon Media

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  Wooden spoons, Betsileo people, Madagascar, 19th century

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  Sasanian spoon and fork (4th century)

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  Assorted spoons of the Roman world (British Museum)

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  Medieval spoons with seal top

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  A Crusade-era spoon from 1017 that was found on archaeological excavation of Tursiannotko in Pirkkala, Finland

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  A selection of Georgian-Victorian English sterling silver tableware spoons (c. 1790 – c. 1850)

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  Annaprasana, getting the first solid food (cereals), one of the Hindu-Samskara or Sanskar (consecration). Baby girl getting her first spoon-ful of rice from a custom made silver spoon. This is very soft boiled rice, some sugar and ghee.She is a Rice girl

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  Wooden spoon carving steps

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  Spoon engraved in reindeer antler, Magdalenian c. 17,000 – c. 12,000 BCE