Laura Dean Bennett
Staff Writer
I think of my mother’s kitchen when I think about wooden spoons.
Displayed in a crock or nestled in a drawer, wooden spoons add a touch of rustic charm to any kitchen.
They are practical and practically indestructible. They feel good in your hand, and they harbor generations of good memories.
Wooden spoons go way back in nearly every culture around the world – way, way back.
Archaeological excavations have revealed that wooden spoons were being used by the ancient Celts in Iron Age Britain and elsewhere in the world, at least as far back as 250 B.C.
Since the moment of its invention, the wooden spoon has been integral to a variety of cultural traditions.
Wooden spoons were buried in Egyptian royal tombs alongside gold and silver spoons, indicating that Egyptians considered them to be essential in the afterlife – and as important as their precious metal cousins.
Since ancient times, they’ve been considered to be important family heirlooms, passed down from one generation to the next. In many cultures, they are often given as gifts at special occasions such as weddings or housewarmings.
Their workmanship has made them into indigenous folk art.
Highly decorated spoons were used as courting gifts and wedding gifts. Many of these beautiful examples of wood-carving craftmanship may be seen in museum collections across the world.
Welsh tradition records prospective young suitors making wooden spoons as courting gifts. Often the number of rings depicted in the carving reflected the number of children the suitor hoped for his family.
If the spoon was accepted, the courtship could commence. The couple’s love-spoon would be one of their family’s most cherished possessions.
In Norway, a bridegroom and his bride often ate their first meal with spoons linked by a wooden chain. The spoons and the chain would all be carved from a single piece of wood to symbolize an unbreakable union.
Artisans in the Khokh-loma region of Russian are still famous for the breathtakingly intricate designs of their wooden spoons.
Iranian paintings from the early to mid-nineteenth century show finely carved wooden spoons balanced on the edges of porcelain bowls. These lime or pear wood spoons were reserved for the use of dignitaries or honored guests during a banquet or important ceremony.
In Africa, wooden spoons often featured carvings of wild animals and symbols of a tribe’s heritage.
In Zulu culture, it’s customary to offer guests food using a special wooden spoon as a sign of respect and goodwill.
In addition to their practical use, Zulu wooden spoons have spiritual significance. Their decorations of cowrie shells and beads have symbolic meaning.
They are used to offer food and drink to the ancestors’ spirits and to ask for their protection and guidance.
In many Native American traditions, hand-hewn wood-en spoons were used by various tribes for ceremonial occasions.
In early 1800s, England’s venerable University of Cambridge took to bestowing wooden spoons as “prizes” for poor academic or sporting performance.
Interestingly, in later years, in other schools, wooden spoon awards were given to the best student in the class or the best sports team.
“Wooden spoon awards,” which don’t always include an actual spoon, are still sometimes presented to a British or Commonwealth sports team with the worst record. They are also handed out as “booby prizes” for last place in modern day British pub games and quizzes.
Beyond their historical and ceremonial uses, wood-en spoons still have a useful and treasured place in the modern kitchen.
In our fast-paced world, the wooden spoon remains a symbol of the enduring value of simple and practical tools, made with attention to craftsmanship.
The best wooden spoons are made of fine-grained hardwoods such as walnut, cherry, maple, sycamore, beech, and apple – which are durable, non-porous and able to stand up to moisture and staining.
They can be used for so many kitchen tasks, from stirring soups and sauces to boiling pasta and scrambling eggs.
Before we had electric mixers, our mothers and grandmothers used wooden spoons for creaming butter and sugar.
These days, as so many people use non-stick cookware, we are learning about the dangers of scraping off microscopic bits of a non-stick surface into our food.
Wooden spoons (and other wooden utensils) are the perfect gentle tool for stirring and scraping non-stick surfaces. Wood is also better to use with seasoned cast iron so as not to scrape off the seasoning, as well as to use with copper cookware, which scratches easily.
They don’t react with acidic foods, such as tomatoes or citrus, which can sometimes take on a metallic taste when repeatedly stirred with a metal spoon.
A wooden spoon brings no foreign flavors to muddling herbs. It can stop a pot of pasta from boiling over, and fold together the wet and dry ingredients of pancake or brownie batter.
They are heat-resistant and can be used on the stovetop without fear of melting and won’t burn your hand if left in a boiling pot.
Wooden spoons are biode-gradable and environmentally friendly.
The argument by some that wooden spoons harbor bacteria doesn’t hold up under scrutiny.
Just wash them in hot, soapy water or put them in the dishwasher, then let them air dry.
To be sure of removing particularly worrisome bacteria (raw meat, fish or poultry), you can wipe wooden utensils down with lemon juice or a mild bleach solution.
Preserve their finish by oiling wooden utensils with coconut oil, mineral oil, hempseed, walnut or flax oil. Other oils aren’t recommended as their residue may become rancid and leech into food as the spoon is used.
For best results, give the oil a little time to dry before using the spoon again.
Wooden spoons make a beautiful addition to any kitchen, and they become heirlooms soaked in family memories which add that intangible, but all-important ingredient to our cooking- love.
When I use a wooden spoon that was my grandmother’s and then my mother’s, I can’t help but think of all the meals that spoon helped those women make. And the love that their hands stirred into the food that nourished our family through good times and bad.