Chopsticks,a pair of small even-length tapered sticks,are the traditional eating utensils of East Asia (China,Japan,Korea,and Vietnam,the four "chopstick countries") as well as Thailand,where they are now restricted to just soup and noodles since the introduction of Western utensils by King Rama V in the 19th century.Chopsticks are commonly made of wood,bamboo,metal,bone,ivory,and in modern times,plastic as well.It is believed that silver chopsticks were used in the Chinese imperial palace to detect poison (possibly metallic oxides) in the Emperor's meals; if poison was present,the chopsticks would become blackened owing to displacement reactions on the silver.
Chopsticks were invented and developed in China about 3,000 to 5,000 years ago,although the exact date is unknown.
Tools resembling chopsticks were unearthed in the archeological site Meggido in Israel,belonging to Scythian invaders of Canaan.This discovery may reveal the existence of a trade relationship between the Middle East and the Far East in early antiquity,or may be an independent parallel development.Chopsticks were also common household items of civilized Uyghurs on the Mongolian Steppes during the 6-8th centuries.