In the US and parts of Canada, a tablespoon is the largest type of spoon used for eating
from a bowl. In the UK, Europe and most Commonwealth countries, a tablespoon is a type of large
spoon usually used for serving. In countries where a tablespoon is a serving spoon, the
nearest equivalent to the US tablespoon is either the dessert spoon or the soup spoon.
A tablespoonful, nominally the capacity of one tablespoon, is commonly used as a measure
of volume in cooking. It is abbreviated as T, tb, tbs, tbsp, tblsp, or tblspn. The capacity
of ordinary tablespoons is not regulated by law and is subject to considerable variation.
In the US one tablespoon is approximately 15 mL; the capacity of an actual tablespoon
ranges from 7 mL to 14 mL. In Australia one tablespoon is 20 mL.
History Before about 1700, it was customary for people
of European descent to bring their own spoons to the table. Spoons were carried as personal
property in much the same way as people today carry wallets, key rings, etc. From about
1700 the place setting became popular, and with it the "table-spoon", "table-fork" and
"table-knife". The 18th century witnessed a proliferation of different sorts of spoons,
including the tea-spoon, coffee-spoon, dessert-spoon, and soup-spoon. In the UK, the dessert-spoon
and soup-spoon began to displace the table-spoon as the primary implement for eating from a
bowl, at which point the name "table-spoon" took on a secondary meaning as a much larger
serving spoon. At the time the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary was published,
"tablespoon" still had two definitions in the UK: the original definition and the new
definition. In the 18th century, the table-spoon became
an unofficial unit of the Apothecaries' system of measures, equal to 4 drams or 1⁄2 fl oz.
It was more commonly known by the Latin cochleare majus or, in Apothecaries' notation, f℥ss
or f℥ß. Variants
A level tablespoonful, the usual meaning without further qualification, is measured by filling
the spoon and scraping it level. A heaping, heaped, or rounded spoonful includes a heap
above the spoon. The exact volume of a heaping tablespoon depends somewhat on the shape and
curvature of the measuring spoon being used, and so is not a precise unit of measurement;
however, in most cases, the volume of a heaping tablespoon is roughly equal to between one-and-a-half
to two times as much as a level tablespoonful. Common tablespoons intended for use as cutlery
usually hold 7 mL to 14 mL, considerably less than some tablespoons used for serving.
Relationship to teaspoon and fluid ounce In most regions, one tablespoonful equals
three teaspoons. In these regions, one tablespoon is approximately 15 mL, which is about 1⁄2 US fl oz.
In some places like the US, the tablespoon was historically defined as 1⁄2 US fl oz.
In Australia a tablespoon is defined as four teaspoons. Victorian and Edwardian tablespoons
used in the UK are often 25 mL or sometimes larger. They are used only for preparing and
serving food, not as part of a place-setting. In writing volume-based recipes, an abbreviation
like tbsp. is usually used, to differentiate it from the smaller teaspoon. Some authors
additionally capitalize the abbreviation Tbsp., while leaving tsp. in lower case, to emphasize
that the larger tablespoon, rather than the smaller teaspoon, is wanted. The tablespoon
abbreviation may be even further abbreviated to T in some cases.
Traditional definitions The traditional US interpretation of the tablespoon
as a unit of volume is:
In nutrition labeling in the US and the UK, a tablespoon is defined as 15 mL.
The Australian definition of the tablespoon as a unit of volume is:
References
See also Teaspoon
Dessert spoon