Non-Edible Displays by Santosh Malkoti
Channel: CHITKARA UNIVERSITY RESEARCH & INNOVATION NETWORK
Date: 20/11/2020

Although food holds the spotlight in all buffet presentations and the objective of buffet planning must be to achieve visual beauty both in the artistic presentation of each item of edible food and in the arrangement of the many dishes on the buffet table. Nothing heightens the beauty of the buffet more than an out-standing center piece (piece monte) made of ice, tallow or other such materials. The term non edible is used to indicate that the center piece is not meant for consumption along with the rest of the food on the buffet.
The list of possibilities could be divided into:   
- Artistic Displays
- Food Displays

Artistic Displays:
• Ice Carvings
• Tallow Displays
• Butter/Margarine Sculptures
• Salt Carvings or sculptures (Saltillage)
• Sugar Craft (Pastillage)/Wedding Cake
• Fruit and Vegetable Carvings

Food Displays:
These could include
• Bread Displays
• Cheese and Wine displays (for a French Buffet)
• Seafood Displays (for a Seafood Display)
• Pasta Displays (for an Italian theme)
• Spice Displays (for an Indian Buffet)
• Fruit and Vegetable arrangements
• Suckling pig/ Roast Turkeys/Hams (sometimes with ChaudFroid)
• Aspic cut-outs