Today we’re so much used to using knives in our daily life that we almost don’t even consider their importance. Actually, that is true for all the things we get used to and we don’t actually think about, until we don’t have them.

What do you think is the most important invention in history? Many people can’t decide between a wheel and cable TV, but jokes apart, would a wheel be possible to do without a tool – whether it was an axe, or one of its earlier ancestors – knife? Certainly not.

Not surprisingly, knife was one of the first tools people invented, because it’s so handy for so many things, and life back then is hard to imagine without a knife.

Long time ago knives could look like this:

or like this, a bit later:

Yes, you’re right, at first people were happy to use chopped stones to cut things, because even that is better than using your hands for that purpose.

Further iteration of knifes you probably can imagine – people have learned how to work with iron and steel. And there was a real need in that – once they have decided they don’t like this place by the mountain and that neighbor’s area looks better – hence you need weapon for conflicts and later, wars. Back then if you were not carrying a knife with you, it could result in a trouble. Now you’re more likely to get into one if you do.

But, here let’s focus more on a kitchen use of knife. The chef knife in a form we’re use to nowadays was introduced in 17th century in France. As most of the inventions in that days, first rich people started to use it and only after that, poor. At that time France king’s cooks decided that this form of knife would work better. Interesting is that double-bladed knives were initially more popular than those with one blade, and they are still nowadays.

Useful resources:

https://lansky.com/index.php/blog/history-knife/#.VkfhgXarSUk

http://www.newwestknifeworks.com/content/information/about-chef-knives/chefs-knife-history

http://listverse.com/2014/12/20/10-fascinating-knives-from-world-history/