cleaver, Cleavers from China (top) and North America (bottom).David R. Ingham heavy, axlike knife used for about the past one million years to cut through animal bone and meat; in modern times the cleaver, generally made of iron or carbon steel, remains a requisite tool of the butcher and a common kitchen implement. The versatility of the cleaver is probably best exemplified by its prominent role in Chinese-style cooking, in which it figures in every step of preparation from chopping firewood to butchering meat to slicing delicate vegetables and even whittling chopsticks. Its flat side is used like a mallet to pound and tenderize meat.

In addition to the all-purpose broad-bladed cleaver, there is also a standard narrow-bladed and lighter cleaver used for gentler slicing.