what are the names for ALL the forks? and what order?

Answer 1

The one thing that amazes me when I was in the USA, is how they never use a knife. They turn their fork around side way to cut their food.

Answer 2

The "order" of forks will depend upon many things. It differs from country to country and from social event to social event.

It would be safe to say that the order of forks will follow the order of the courses served. Under very formal settings, the first fork on the left will be for the first or starter course, unless of course the first course is oysters or snails, or mushroom caps, in which case you will find that fork on the right hand side.

Next you will find the fish fork. Nowadays the fish course utilizes a fish fork and a fish knife. However, old aristocracy would eat the fish with two forks, the second fork being on the right hand side of the plate.

The main course fork follows, then the salad fork, and possibly the dessert fork. The dessert fork could also be found above the place setting or it could be brought in on a service plate with the fingerbowl.

Some will argue that the salad fork would be the first fork to use, but that is for restaurant dining. At a formal dinner the salad accompanies or follows the main course.

Answer 3

Not all restaurants have the entire set of forks, but when they do it is a bit confusing.

The smallest, on the left, is a shrimp fork. the nest is the salad fork with just 3 tines. the dinner fork has 4 tines and rests on the inside of the three. The fact that forks are on the left and most people are right handed is easily explained.

When someone begins dinner, they need to cut their food. A right-handed person will hold the food (meat, fish, etc) with the fork in the left hand and cut the food with the knife, held in their right hand.

Having these extra forks is not to confuse, but to accomodate the diner. The extra tools give the diner a clean fork for each course which may contain higer acid or inconducive spice mixtures. Using the same shrimp fork to cut your Moelleux au Chocolat et au Café dessert?

Sacre bleur!

Answer 4

There are many different forks for different purposes, but the most common are the dinner and dessert forks. Then there are cake forks, those that pair with fish knives (blunt), oyster forks, hors d'oevre forks, salad servers, and who knows what else. Any purpose that can be thought of will have had someone design a fork for it.

Whenever you set a place, you put the cutlery on the side it should be used (left for fork, right for knife), and it goes from first courses outside to last courses inside.

A typical setting (in my country; it will differ elsewhere), outer to inner:

Left: First course fork, second course fork, dessert fork
Right: Soup spoon, first course knife, second course knife, dessert spoon.

Any specialty dishes will have their own setting.

Answer 5

There are three types of forks: fish, dinner, and salad. These are all placed on the left side of the plate. The salad fork is closest to the plate, then the dinner fork. The fish fork is the farthest away, and placed just before the napkin.

Answer 6

From right to left:

Margaret
Forkie
St. George
St. George the Lesser
Granny Clem
Buggles McGee III
Dopey
Sneezy
Groucho
and
Wee Li'l Winkie (the fork provided to clean your fingernails with)