Asian food is synonymous with dexterity, particularly when it comes to showing off your skills with the classic Chinese chopsticks. But when you get down to it, who hasn’t found themselves battling to use them at some point? Chopsticks are versatile utensils that you love once you master them, but that you hate when you’re still getting the hang of them. 

Their origin can be traced back to Chinese peasants. Farm workers would take their food to work with them without cutlery and they would find twigs from nearby trees, which were the perfect utensils to help them eat their lunch. Years later, they were also used to serve food once dishes were ready to be eaten. Want to discover more stories about this emblematic utensil? First, we’d like to introduce you to one of the leading brands in Asian cuisine in Spain: Ta-Tung. 

Among the many features that characterise Asian food, its passion for every detail and respect for tradition are two of its most special ingredients. Asian gastronomy is characterised by the time-honoured preparation techniques that are part of all its products. 

In Spain, Ta-Tung, which recently joined the Gallo family, is the leading company in Asian food. Ta-Tung has excelled in its ability to understand how to keep artistry in its production process. Having completely avoided industrial production, and behaving as if it were a large restaurant, it offers you a wide range of products that will win over any palate. 

Now it’s time to choose your favourite Ta-Tung creation, grab your chopsticks and join us on this journey. 

The date when chopsticks were invented is lost to history. The only thing that’s known for sure is that they were in use during the Shang Dynasty (1766–1122 BC). Not much more is known about the various origins they may have had before that time.  

There’s one popular urban myth that you won’t have heard before and that you’re going to love! The Taiwanese believe that when young people get married, the distance the married couple will move away from home is foretold by how far from the tip they hold their chopsticks. 

Want to know why? Given how hard it is to eat with chopsticks if you hold them at the top end, people who choose to use them that way are thought to be big risk-takers. This is compared with people who hold them closer to the tips. They’re considered more conservative. 

Would you ever have imagined that there’s a connection between using chopsticks and your life insurance? Well, there is! You have to go back to the time of King Chou, during the Shang Dynasty. Before his reign, chopsticks were made from materials like bamboo and wood. Following his death, bronze and iron chopsticks started to become popular. But it wasn’t until the time of the Han–Wei dynasty that they began to use silver- and gold-lacquered chopsticks. 

Each material has different advantages and disadvantages. Chopsticks made with silver alloys were used for many years because silver is considered one of the materials that offer the best protection against poison. This is because it changes colour on contact with it. 

Everyone knows what a drag it is to get home and not have your dinner ready. That’s what Chao Ta must have been thinking in the period known as the Three Kingdoms (221–180 AD). Chao decided to invite himself over to a friend’s house to enjoy some of their culinary delights. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a welcome visit. The friend ended up telling his guest that he had no wine or meat to offer him. 

Chao took his set of chopsticks, spun them on the table and then followed the direction they pointed in. The chopsticks acted as his informants and showed him that there actually was both wine and meat in the direction they signalled. His friend was caught out and that probably made the dinner even more uncomfortable!  

Have you ever wondered why using chopsticks is so ingrained in Chinese society but not in other regions, like Europe? There are three reasons that’ll help you understand why. 

• Tradition: in China, as you’ve already seen, using chopsticks is an established tradition. They’re practical, cheap and the wide availability of raw materials to make them has been a key factor throughout history. 
• Food preparation process: most of the food that originates in Asia is chopped during preparation. Since the food is already cut up once it’s on your plate, you don’t need a knife and can just use chopsticks, which isn’t the same as how things work in the West. In countries like Spain, people are used to using chopsticks with products that are easy to pick up, like gyozas and spring rolls. The most daring will even use them with yakisoba. For other products, they tend to prefer their usual cutlery. 
• Make food, not war: In Asia, the knife is seen as a weapon of war. So, having one on the table isn’t the most appropriate way to enjoy the finer details of a meal.  

Now you know some of the different stories and beliefs that explain the emergence of chopsticks. All you have left to do is to choose your favourite Ta-Tung product, or experiment with one you haven’t tried before, and enjoy all its flavours to the fullest. 

  

Qǐng xiǎngyòng! (Enjoy your meal!)