Soup Spoon History

Prior to the eighteenth century a table spoon was used to eat soup, whereas today mainly people use table spoons as serving spoons, despite never originally being intended for this purpose. From the eighteenth century a separate soup spoon was available within a table setting, with the shape of the bowl widely varied. The nineteenth century brought a standardisation of a soup spoon, with a more circular bowl, of a reflective volume of a dessert spoon, thus smaller than the original table spoon.

Within the UK, in the late nineteenth century the silver soup spoon and dessert spoon components of a canteen displaced the table spoon as an eating implement; at this point the table spoon became a much larger serving spoon.

When observing an extensive canteen there is possibility that there are two types of soup spoons, identified by the circular rounded bowl with one example subtly smaller and shallower. This smaller example is a bouillon spoon, traditionally used for clear broth-based soups.

Whilst many cultures have their own variations of soups, there are further shapes, styles and materials used. For example, the Chinese soup spoon is classically made out of wood or ceramic and is a flat bottom deep spoon with an oval form and a short handle.

Chinese Soup Spoon History

The Chinese soup spoon is easily identifiable. They have deep, flat bowls that are ideal for holding soup and other brothy liquids common in Chinese cuisine. Their short handles and thick bodies allowed them to easily be stacked when not in use. The earliest examples of soup spoons in China come from the Shang dynasty, around 1500 BCE. There are small soup spoons clearly used for eating, in addition to larger version in the same style which were likely used as serving ladles.

Made predominantly from ceramic, these spoons are designed to be as durable as possible. The long, slender handle of a Western soup spoon is too vulnerable when made with ceramic. Therefore, the Chinese soup spoon has a small handle and is rounded on all sides. The sides of the bowl and the handle are typically higher than on other spoon styles, meaning that more soup can be held, and the stacking is easier.

For a period of around 11,000 years, the soup spoon was a more popular cutlery choice than chopsticks throughout much of Asia. The introduction of wheat milling in the 1st century led to noodles and dumplings being easy to access. These foods were better eaten with chopsticks, and eventually soup spoons were used for soup only, while chopsticks were used for everything else.

Soup Spoon Etiquette

A soup spoon is not set above the crockery with the dessert spoon as one may expect, instead it can be found to the right hand side with the knives, graduating from table and side knife to soup spoon. This layout allows for the guest to utilise the classic ‘outside-in’ method of utensils, as soup would typically be one of the first courses.

Dependant on the table layout there are various ways to handle a soup spoon. If served a bowl of soup on an underplate, when you are done with the eating implement the spoon should be left within the soup plate/bowl, and not on the underplate. For many the etiquette states that the spoon should be left to the right-hand side of the plate, or when left in the bowl with the handle pointing right. Whereas if your soup was served in a cup on a saucer, the spoon should reside on the saucer.

If you enjoy a crusty piece of bread with your soup, always ensure that you do not hold the bread with one hand and the spoon in the other, instead place the spoon on the underplate and utilise the same hand to eat the bread.