And by around the 11th century, the table fork began to make regular appearances at mealtimes across the Byzantine empire. Yet by the 14th century, forks had become common in Italy, thanks in part to the rise of pasta. Italian etiquette soon embraced the fork, especially among the wealthy merchant classes. Bona’s court brought Italian manners to the region, introducing more vegetables, Italian wine and, most unusually, the table fork. Table manners manuals now offered guidance on fork etiquette.