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They were used to measure the amount of pasta noodles depending on the amount of expected guests. Way more elegant than what we have from ikea today.

Another theory of mine is a candle holder which adapts to stump size.

Except that pasta came from China 1000 years later ....

except that there seems to be no truth to the Marco Polo story

Interesting, I was thinking perhaps it was to hold soft boiled eggs such that it was convenient to dip strips of buttered toast into the yolk.

I like that theory too. Nice kitchen aids they had back then