Editing Tablespoon

{{Short description|Kind of spoon and unit of volume}}
{{More citations needed|date=November 2023}}
[[File:Loeffel 03.JPG|thumb|left-to-right: {{unbulleted list
|[[Serving spoon]] 
|Tablespoon (tbsp.)
|[[Dessert spoon]] (dsp.)
|[[Teaspoon]] (tsp.)}}]]

A '''tablespoon''' (tbsp., Tbsp., Tb., or T.) is a large [[spoon]]. In many English-speaking regions, the term now refers to a large spoon used for serving;<ref>[http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/196806 The Oxford English Dictionary Third edition, December 2008, entry at tablespoon]{{subscription required}}</ref> however, in some regions, it is the largest type of spoon used for eating.

By extension, the term is also used as a [[Cooking measures|cooking measure]] of [[volume]]. In this capacity, it is most commonly abbreviated ''tbsp.'' or ''Tbsp.'' and occasionally referred to as a '''tablespoonful''' to distinguish it from the utensil. The unit of measurement varies by region: a [[United States customary units|United States liquid]] tablespoon is approximately 14.8&nbsp;mL (exactly {{frac|1|2}} US fluid ounce; about 0.52 imperial fluid ounce), a British tablespoon is approximately 14.2&nbsp;mL (exactly {{frac|1|2}} imperial fluid ounce; about 0.48 US fluid ounce), an international metric tablespoon is exactly 15&nbsp;mL (about 0.53 imperial fluid ounce or 0.51 US fluid ounce),<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.firsthealthmag.com/how-many-tablespoons-in-a-cup-easy-conversions/|title=How Many Tablespoons in a Cup - Easy Conversions|website=First Health Mag|date=28 April 2016 |language=en-US|access-date=2016-05-29}}</ref> and an Australian metric tablespoon is 20&nbsp;mL (about 0.7 imperial fluid ounce or 0.68 US fluid ounce).<ref>{{cite book|author=Chuck Smothermon|title=Better Homes and Gardens Biggest Book of Slow Cooker Recipes|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YEThthG9dsUC&dq=tablespoon+australia&pg=PA416|access-date=9 January 2015|year=2002|publisher=Meredith Books|page=416|isbn=9780696215469}}</ref> The capacity of the utensil (as opposed to the measurement) is defined by neither law nor custom but only by preferences, and may or may not significantly approximate the measurement.

== Dining ==
Before about 1700, it was customary for Europeans to bring their own spoons to the table.{{Citation needed|date=February 2024}} 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" (hyphenated), "table-fork" and "table-knife". Around the same time the [[Teaspoon|tea-spoon]] and [[Dessert spoon|dessert-spoon]] first appeared, and the table-spoon was reserved for eating [[soup]].<ref>{{cite book|first=Simon|last=Moore|title=Spoons 1650–1930|date=1987|publisher=Shire Publications|page=12}}</ref> The 18th century witnessed a proliferation of different sorts of spoons, including the [[Mustard spoon|mustard-spoon]], [[Salt spoon|salt-spoon]], [[Coffee spoon|coffee-spoon]], and [[Soup spoon|soup-spoon]].

In the late 19th century 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]].{{citation needed|date=April 2024}} At the time the first edition of the [[Oxford English Dictionary]] was published in 1928, "tablespoon" (which by then was no longer hyphenated) still had two definitions in the UK: the original definition (eating spoon) and the new definition (serving spoon).

[[Victorian era|Victorian]] and [[Edwardian era]] tablespoons used in the UK are often 25&nbsp;mL (about 0.88 imperial fluid ounce or 0.85 US fluid ounce) or sometimes larger.  They are used only for preparing and serving food, not as part of a place-setting. Common tablespoons intended for use as [[cutlery]] (called [[dessert spoon]]s in the UK, where a tablespoon is always a serving spoon) usually hold 7–14&nbsp;mL (about 0.25–0.49 imperial fluid ounce or 0.24–0.47 US fluid ounce),<ref>{{cite journal
|title=Syrup of ipecac dosing ... How much is a tablespoonful?
|author=Dean BS, Krenzelok EP
|journal=Vet Hum Toxicol
|date=April 1986
|pmid=2871653
|volume=28
|issue=2
|pages=155–6
}}</ref> considerably less than some tablespoons used for serving.

== <span class="anchor" id="Variants"></span> Culinary measure ==
{{Infobox unit
| bgcolor      =
| name         = tablespoon
| image        = MeasuringSpoons.jpg
| caption      = Measuring spoons, with the largest one representing the volume of a tablespoon.
| standard     = [[Imperial units]], [[US customary units]]
| quantity     = Volume
| symbol       = tbsp
| symbol2      =
| namedafter   =
| extralabel   =
| extradata    =
| units_imp1   = SI units
| inunits_imp1 = 14.207&nbsp;mL
| units_imp2   = US customary units
| inunits_imp2 = 0.961 US tbsp
| units_us1    = SI units
| inunits_us1  = 14.787&nbsp;mL
| units_us2    = Imperial units
| inunits_us2  = 1.041 imp tbsp
}}

===Naming===
In recipes, an abbreviation like ''tbsp.'' is usually used to refer to a tablespoon, to differentiate it from the smaller teaspoon (''tsp.'').  Some authors additionally capitalize the abbreviation, as  ''Tbsp.'', while leaving ''tsp.'' in lower case, to emphasize that the larger tablespoon, rather than the smaller teaspoon, is wanted. The tablespoon abbreviation is sometimes further abbreviated to ''Tb.'' or ''T''.

===Traditional definitions===
In most places, one tablespoon equals three [[teaspoon]]s.  In Australia and the UK, one tablespoon equals four teaspoons.

====International metric====
An international metric tablespoon is exactly equal to 15&nbsp;mL.<ref name=":0">{{cite book |last = Cardarelli |first = François |year = 2003 |title = Encyclopaedia of Scientific Units, Weights and Measures |publisher = Springer |isbn = 978-1-4471-1122-1 |location = London, UK |pages = [https://archive.org/details/encyclopaediasci00card_616/page/n67 44] |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopaediasci00card_616 |url-access=limited }}</ref>  It is the equivalence of 1{{sfrac|1|2}} [[Dessert spoon#Culinary measure|metric dessert spoons]] or 3 [[Teaspoon#Metric_teaspoon|metric teaspoons]].

{|
|-
|1 international metric tablespoon&nbsp;
||=
|align=right|15||mL
|-
|||=
|align=right|{{sfrac|3|4}}||[[Tablespoon#Australian metric|Australian metric tablespoon]]
|-
|||=
|align=right|1{{sfrac|1|2}}||[[Dessert spoon#Culinary measure|metric dessert spoons]]
|-
|||=
|align=right|3||[[Teaspoon#Metric teaspoon|metric teaspoons]]
|-
|||≈
|align=right|4.22||[[Dram (unit)#Unit of volume|British imperial fluid drachm]]
|-
|||≈
|align=right|0.53||[[Fluid ounce|British imperial fluid ounce]]
|-
|||≈
|align=right|1.06||UK tablespoons
|-
|||≈
|align=right|2.11||[[Dessert spoon#Culinary measure|UK dessert spoons]]
|-
|||≈
|align=right|4.22||[[Teaspoon#British culinary measurement unit|UK teaspoons]]
|-
|||≈
|align=right|8.45||[[Salt spoon|UK salt spoons]]
|-
|||≈
|align=right|16.89||[[Pinch (unit)|UK pinches]] (solids only)
|-
|||≈
|align=right|253.41||[[Drop (unit)|UK drops]] (liquids only)
|-
|||≈
|align=right|4.06||[[Dram (unit)#Unit of volume|US customary fluid drams]]
|-
|||≈
|align=right|0.51||[[Fluid ounce|US customary fluid ounce]]
|-
|||≈
|align=right|1.01||US customary tablespoons
|-
|||≈
|align=right|1.52||[[Dessert spoon#Culinary measure|US customary dessert spoons]]
|-
|||≈
|align=right|3.04||[[Teaspoon#United States customary unit|US customary teaspoons]]
|-
|||≈
|align=right|6.09||US customary coffee spoons
|-
|||≈
|align=right|12.17||[[Salt spoon|US customary salt spoons]]
|-
|||≈
|align=right|24.35||[[Cooking weights and measures#United States measures|US customary dashes]] (solids only)
|-
|||≈
|align=right|48.69||[[Pinch (unit)|US customary pinches]] (solids only)
|-
|||≈
|align=right|97.39||[[Cooking weights and measures#United States measures|US customary smidgens]] (solids only)
|-
|||≈
|align=right|292.16||[[Drop (unit)|US customary drops]] (liquids only)
|}

====Australian metric====
The Australian metric tablespoon is different from that of the rest of the world.  The Australian official definition of the tablespoon as a unit of volume is:<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.taste.com.au/healthy/articles/weights-measurement-charts/vnepuhic|title=Weights & measurement charts|website=Taste|language=en-AU|access-date=2023-04-23}}</ref>

::{|
|-
|1&nbsp;Australian&nbsp;metric tablespoon || colspan="3" | = 20&nbsp;mL
|-
| || = 1{{sfrac|1|3}} international metric tablespoons
|-
| || = 2&nbsp;metric dessert spoons, ||style="text-align:right;"| &emsp; &emsp; 1&nbsp;metric dessert spoon = || 10&nbsp;mL each 
|-
| || = 4&nbsp;metric teaspoons,  ||style="text-align:right;"| 1&nbsp;metric teaspoon = || &thinsp; 5&nbsp;mL each
|-
| ||colspan=3| ≈ 5.63 British imperial fluid drachms
|-
| ||colspan=3| ≈ 0.7 British imperial fluid ounce
|-
| ||colspan=3| ≈ 1.41 UK tablespoons
|-
| ||colspan=3| ≈ 2.82 [[Dessert spoon#Culinary measure|UK dessert spoons]]
|-
| ||colspan=3| ≈ 4.12 [[Teaspoon#British culinary measurement unit|UK teaspoons]]
|-
| ||colspan=3| ≈ 11.26 [[Salt spoon|UK salt spoons]]
|-
| ||colspan=3| ≈ 22.52 [[Pinch (unit)|UK pinches]] (solids only)
|-
| ||colspan=3| ≈ 337.87 [[Drop (unit)|UK drops]] (liquids only)
|-
| ||colspan=3| ≈ 5.41 [[Dram (unit)#Unit of volume|US customary fluid drams]]
|-
| ||colspan=3| ≈ 0.67 [[Fluid ounce|US customary fluid ounce]]
|-
| ||colspan=3| ≈ 1.35 US customary tablespoons
|-
| ||colspan=3| ≈ 2.03 [[Dessert spoon#Culinary measure|US customary dessert spoons]]
|-
| ||colspan=3| ≈ 4.06 [[Teaspoon#United States customary unit|US customary teaspoons]]
|-
| ||colspan=3| ≈ 4.06 US customary coffee spoons
|-
| ||colspan=3| ≈ 16.23 [[Salt spoon|US customary salt spoons]]
|-
| ||colspan=3| ≈ 32.46 [[Cooking weights and measures#United States measures|US customary dashes]] (solids only)
|-
| ||colspan=3| ≈ 64.92 [[Pinch (unit)|US customary pinches]] (solids only)
|-
| ||colspan=3| ≈ 129.85 [[Cooking weights and measures#United States measures|US customary smidgens]] (solids only)
|-
| ||colspan=3| ≈ 389.54 [[Drop (unit)|US customary drops]] (liquids only)
|}

This definition was promulgated by the Metric Conversion Board in the 1970s, as part of [[Metrication in Australia|the country’s metrication process]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article45650408 |title=Your Complete metric guide to dieting |newspaper=[[The Australian Women's Weekly]] |volume=43 |issue=33 |date=14 January 1976 |page=26 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>  There is not a distinct Australian metric dessert spoon or metric teaspoon.

====United Kingdom====
In the UK, 1 tablespoon is traditionally 4 [[Dram (unit)#Unit of volume|British imperial fluid drachms]]<ref>[https://www.victorianschool.co.uk/ebooks/enquire%20within/10766-h/10766-h.htm#p665 Paragraph 665], page 119, ''Enquire Within Upon Everything'' (1894)</ref> ({{sfrac|1|2}} British imperial fluid ounce).

{|
|-
|1 UK tablespoon&nbsp;
||=
|align=right|4||British imperial fluid drachms
|-
|||=
|align=right|2||[[Dessert spoon#Culinary measure|UK dessert spoons]]
|-
|||=
|align=right|4||[[Teaspoon#British culinary measurement unit|UK teaspoons]]
|-
|||=
|align=right|8||[[Salt spoon|UK salt spoons]]
|-
|||=
|align=right|16||[[Pinch (unit)|UK pinches]] (solids only)
|-
|||=
|align=right|240||[[Drop (unit)|UK drops]] (liquids only)
|-
|||=
|align=right|{{sfrac|1|2}}||British imperial fluid ounce
|-
|||≈
|align=right|3.84||US customary fluid drams
|-
|||≈
|align=right|0.48||US customary fluid ounce
|-
|||≈
|align=right|0.96||US customary tablespoon
|-
|||≈
|align=right|1.44||[[Dessert spoon#Culinary measure|US customary dessert spoons]]
|-
|||≈
|align=right|2.88||[[Teaspoon#United States customary unit|US customary teaspoons]]
|-
|||≈
|align=right|5.76||US customary coffee spoons
|-
|||≈
|align=right|11.53||[[Salt spoon|US customary salt spoons]]
|-
|||≈
|align=right|23.06||[[Cooking weights and measures#United States measures|US customary dashes]] (solids only)
|-
|||≈
|align=right|46.12||[[Pinch (unit)|US customary pinches]] (solids only)
|-
|||≈
|align=right|92.23||[[Cooking weights and measures#United States measures|US customary smidgens]] (solids only)
|-
|||≈
|align=right|276.70||[[Drop (unit)|US customary drops]] (liquids only)
|-
|||≈
|align=right|14.207||[[Litre#SI prefixes applied to the litre|millilitres]]
|-
|||≈
|align=right|0.95||[[Tablespoon#International metric|international metric tablespoon]]
|-
|||≈
|align=right|0.71||[[Tablespoon#Australian metric|Australian metric tablespoon]]
|-
|||≈
|align=right|1.42||[[Dessert spoon#Culinary measure|metric dessert spoons]]
|-
|||≈
|align=right|2.84||[[Teaspoon#Metric teaspoon|metric teaspoons]]
|}

====United States====
The traditional U.S. interpretation of the tablespoon as a unit of volume is:<ref>
{{cite report
 |author1=Thompson, A. 
 |author2=Taylor, B.N. 
 |date=March 2008
 |orig-date=April 1995
 |title=The NIST Guide for the use of International System of Units
 |place=Gaithersburg, MD
 |publisher=U.S. [[National Institute of Standards and Technology]]
 |series=[[NIST]] Special Publication
 |volume=811
 |id=NIST SP811
 |url=https://physics.nist.gov/cuu/pdf/sp811.pdf
}}
</ref>

::{|
|-
|1&nbsp;US&nbsp;customary tablespoon ||= 4&nbsp;[[Dram (unit)#Unit of volume|US&nbsp;fluid&nbsp;drams]]
|-
|||= 2 [[Dessert spoon#Culinary measure|US customary dessert spoons]]
|-
|||= 3&nbsp;[[Teaspoon#United States customary unit|US customary teaspoons]]
|-
|||= 6&nbsp;US customary coffee spoons
|-
|||= 12&nbsp;[[Salt spoon|US customary salt spoons]]
|-
|||= 24&nbsp;[[Cooking weights and measures#United States measures|US customary dashes]] (solids only)
|-
|||= 48&nbsp;[[Pinch (unit)|US customary pinches]] (solids only)
|-
|||= 96&nbsp;[[Cooking weights and measures#United States measures|US customary smidgens]] (solids only)
|-
|||= 288&nbsp;[[Drop (unit)|US customary drops]] (liquids only)
|-
|||= {{sfrac|1|2}}&nbsp;US&nbsp;fluid&nbsp;ounce
|-
|||≈ 4.16 British imperial fluid drachms
|-
|||≈ 0.52 British imperial fluid ounce
|-
|||≈ 1.04 UK tablespoons
|-
|||≈ 2.08 [[Dessert spoon#Culinary measures|UK dessert spoons]]
|-
|||≈ 4.16 [[Teaspoon#British culinary measurement unit|UK teaspoons]]
|-
|||≈ 8.33 [[Salt spoon|UK salt spoons]]
|-
|||≈ 16.65 [[Pinch (unit)|UK pinches]] (solids only)
|-
|||≈ 249.8 [[Drop (unit)|UK drops]] (liquids only)
|-
|||≈ 14.8 mL<ref name="usold">{{cite web |author=Mechtly, E.A. |url=https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19730018242.pdf |title=The International System of units |date=January 1973 |id=NASA-SP=7012, 1964, 1973}}<br/>The reference indicates the exact conversion to cubic metres, which has been converted to 14.78676478125&nbsp;ml here for convenience.</ref>
|-
|||≈ 0.99 international metric tablespoon
|-
|||≈ 0.74 Australian metric tablespoon
|-
|||≈ 1.48 [[Dessert spoon#Culinary measure|metric dessert spoons]]
|-
|||≈ 2.96 [[Teaspoon#Metric teaspoon|metric teaspoons]]
|}

In nutrition labeling in the U.S., a tablespoon is defined as 15&nbsp;mL<ref name="us">{{cite report |title=21 [[Code of Federal Regulations|CFR (Code of Federal Regulations)]] |section-url=http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/cfr_2004/aprqtr/21cfr101.9.htm |section=101.9(b)(5)(viii) |publisher=U.S. [[Government Printing Office]] }}</ref> (about 4.22 British imperial fluid drachms (0.53 British imperial fluid ounce) or 4.06 US customary fluid drams (0.51 US customary fluid ounce)).

===Dry measure===
{{main|Dry measure}}

For dry ingredients, if a recipe calls for a ''level tablespoon'', the usual meaning without further qualification, is measured by filling the spoon and scraping it level. In contrast, a ''heaped'', ''heaping'', or ''rounded'' spoonful is not leveled off, and includes a heap above the spoon. The exact volume of a heaped tablespoon depends somewhat on the shape and curvature of the measuring spoon being used and largely upon the physical properties of the substance being measured, and so is not a precise unit of measurement. If neither a rounded nor a level tablespoon is specified, a level tablespoon is used, just as a cup of flour is a level cup unless otherwise specified.

==Apothecary measure==
In the 18th century, the table-spoon became an unofficial unit of the [[apothecaries' system]] of measures, equal to 4&nbsp;drams ({{sfrac|1|2}}&nbsp;fl&nbsp;oz, 14.8&nbsp;&nbsp;mL). It was more commonly known by the Latin name ''cochleare majus'' (abbreviated ''cochl. maj.'') or, in apothecaries' notation, ''f℥ss'' or ''f℥ß'' ('''f'''luid ℥, i.e. ounce, '''s'''emi'''s''', one-half).<ref name=encyclopedia1884>{{cite book |editor=Whitelaw, A. |editor-link=Alexander Whitelaw (editor) |title=The popular encyclopedia; or, 'Conversations Lexicon' |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=68LpFwitupEC&pg=PA11|access-date=12 December 2011|year=1884|page=11}}</ref><ref name="RitterJohnstone1910">{{cite book |author1=Ritter, Thomas Jefferson |author2=Johnstone, Elizabeth |year=1910 |title=Mothers' Remedies: Over one thousand tried and tested remedies from mothers of the United States and Canada |publisher=G. H. Foote Pub. Co. |page=637 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j3xrAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA637 |access-date=12 December 2011 |via=Google Books}}</ref><ref name="Hazell's annual">{{cite book |title=Hazell's Annual |year=1910 |publisher=Hazell, Watson, and Viney |page=584 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tFlPAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA584 |access-date=12 December 2011 |via=Google Books}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Dessert spoon]]
* [[Teaspoon]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Wiktionary inline|tablespoon}}

{{Imperial units}}
{{United States Customary Units}}

[[Category:Alcohol measurement]]
[[Category:Cooking weights and measures]]
[[Category:Customary units of measurement in the United States]]
[[Category:Imperial units]]
[[Category:Metricated units]]
[[Category:Spoons]]
[[Category:Units of volume]]