Hors d'oeuvre

Anhors d'oeuvre(/ɔːrˈdɜːrv(rə)/orDURV(-rə);French:hors-d'œuvre[ɔʁdœvʁ]),appetiserorstarteris a smalldishserved before amealinEuropean cuisine. Some hors d'oeuvres are served cold, others hot.Hors d'oeuvres may be served at the dinner table as a part of the meal, or they may be served before seating, such as at areceptionorcocktail party. Formerly, hors d'oeuvres were also served between courses.
Typically smaller than a main dish, an hors d'oeuvre is often designed to be eaten by hand. Hors d'oeuvre are typically served at parties as a small "snack" before a main course.
Hors d'œuvreinFrenchliterally means 'outside the work', that is "not part of the ordinary set of courses in a meal". In practice, it is a dish which stands on its own as a snack or supports themain course.The French spelling is the same for singular and plural usage. In English, thetypographic ligature⟨œ⟩is usually replaced by thedigraph⟨oe⟩and two plural forms are acceptable: "hors d'oeuvre" (same as singular) or "hors d'oeuvres"(pronounced/ɔːrˈdɜːrvz/).
A small number of food historians believe that the tradition may have begun in Russia, where small snacks of fish,caviarand meats were common after long travels.However, it may be that the custom originated in China, possibly coming through theSteppes, into Russia,Scandinavia, France and other European countries. The tradition may have reached Italy, Greece and the Balkan nations through Russia or Persia. Many national customs are related, including the Swedishsmörgåsbord, Russianzakuska, middle easternmezze, and Italianantipasto.During theRoman Periodthe meal practice was to have two main courses which were supplemented before the meal with small amounts of fish, vegetables, cheeses, olivesand even stuffeddormice.These would be served at the start of the meal known as eithergustatioorpromulsis. The Greeks called the appetiser coursepropoma.As early as 500CE, theBabylonian Talmud(Yoma83) recounts the practice of feeding sweet desserts to a person before the main course of a meal in order to revive his strength and increase his appetite (Aramaic: מגרר גריר).
During theMiddle Agesformal French meals were served withentremetsbetween the serving of plates. These secondary dishes could be either actual food dishes, or elaborate displays and even dramatic or musical presentations. In the 14th century, recipes for entremets were mostly made with meat, fish, pork and vegetables. By the 15th century the elaborate display and performances were served up between courses, and could be edible or displays of subjects relevant to the host, created inbutter sculptureor other types of crafted work.With the introduction in the 17th century ofservice à la française, where all the dishes are laid out at once in very rigidsymmetricalfashion, entremets began to change in meaning but were still mainly savoury. Along with this came elaborate silver and ceramic table displays as well aspièces montées. The entremets were placed between the other dishes within the main work of the meal.
At about this time in the 17th century, smaller dishes began to be served by being placed outside the main work of symmetrically placed dishes. These were known as hors d'oeuvre.Hors d'oeuvres were originally served as acanapéof small toasted bread with a savoury topping before a meal.The first mention of the food item was byFrançois Massialotin 1691, mentioned in his book:Le cuisinier roial et bourgeois(The Royal and Bourgeois Cook) and explained as"Certain dishes served in addition to those one might expect in the normal composition of the feast".In the French publicationLes plaisirs de la table, Edouard Nignon stated that hors d'oeuvres originated in Asia. He went on to state that the French considered hors-d'oeuvres to besuperfluousto a well cooked meal.Service à la françaisecontinued in Europe until the early 19th century.After the 19th century the entremet would become almost exclusively a sweet dish or dessert with the British custom of the "savoury" being the only remaining tradition of the savoury entremet.
The style of formal dining changed drastically in the 19th century, becoming successive courses served one after the other over a period of time.Some traditional hors d'oeuvres would remain on the table throughout the meal. These included olives, nuts, celery and radishes. The changing, contemporary hors d'oeuvres, sometimes called "dainty dishes", became more complicated in preparation.Pastries, with meat and cream sauces among other elaborate items, had become a course served after the soup.
As a result of French influence on theEnglish language, "hors d'oeuvre" has become a commonly used term in English to refer to small dishes served before meals.The custom of thesavoury courseis of British origin and comes towards the end of the meal, before dessert or sweetsor even after the dessert, in contrast to the hors d'oeuvre, which is served before the meal.The British favored the savoury course as apalatecleanser before drinking after the meal, which made the hors d'oeuvre before the meal unnecessary.The savoury is generally small, well spiced and often served hot, requiring cooking just before serving.In theVictorianandEdwardian periods,savouriesincluded such toppings asfried oysters wrapped in bacon, andScotch woodcock,which was a savoury made of scrambled eggs, groundblack pepperandGentleman's Relishon buttered toast, served hot.In France, cheese was often part of the savoury course or added with simple fruit as a dessert.A typical Edwardian dinner might consist of up to four coursesthat include two soups, two types of fish, two meats, ending with several savouries then sweets.
The termappetiser(American English:appetizer) is asynonymfor hors d'oeuvre. It was first used in the United States and England simultaneously in 1860. Americans also use the term to define the first of three courses in a meal, an optional one generally set on the table before guests were seated.Drinks before dinner became a custom towards the end of the 19th century. As this new fashion caught on, the British took inspiration from the French to begin serving hors d'oeuvres before dinner.Acocktail partyis considered a small gathering with mixed drinks and light snacks.Hors d'oeuvres may be served as the only food offering at cocktail parties andreceptions, where no dinner is served afterward.After the end ofprohibitionin the United States, the cocktail party gained acceptance.Prior to the First World War, American dinner guests would be expected to enter the dining room immediately where drinks would be served at the table with appetisers. This changed by the 1920s, when hors d'oeuvres were served prior to anon-alcoholiccocktail; however, after therepeal of Prohibition in the United States, cocktail parties became popular with many different hors d'oeuvres meant as something to help counter the stronger drinks.It is the cocktail party that helped transfer the hors d'oeuvres from the formal dining table to the mobility of the serving tray. These appetisers passed around the cocktail party may also be referred to as canapés.
In restaurants or large estates, hors d'oeuvres are prepared in agarde mangerwhich is a cool room.Hors d'oeuvres are often prepared in advance. Some types may be refrigerated or frozen and then precooked and then reheated in an oven ormicrowave ovenas necessary before serving.
If there is an extended period between when guests arrive and when the meal is eaten, for example during acocktailhour, these might serve the purpose of sustaining guests during the wait, in the same way thatapéritifsare served as a drink before meals.
It is also an unwritten rule that the dishes served as hors d'oeuvres do not give any clue to the main meal.They are served with the main meal menu in view either in hot, room temperature or cold  forms; when served hot they are brought out after all the guests arrive so that everyone gets to taste the dishes.
Hors d'oeuvres before a meal may be rotated by waiters or passed. Stationary hors d'oeuvres served at the table on a tray may be referred to as table hors d'oeuvres or asbuffet-style.Passed hors d'oeuvres provided by servers are part ofbutler-style service.or butlered hors d'oeuvres.
Though any food served before the main course is technically an hors d'oeuvre, the phrase is generally limited to individual items, such as cheese or fruit. A glazed fig topped withmascarponeand wrapped withprosciuttois an hors d'oeuvre, and plain figs served on a platter may also be served as hors d'oeuvres.It could be pickled beets or anchovy eggs as topping over tomatoes as part of the initial "drinks" session such as of alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages. They are also served in the forms of dips, spreads, pastries, olives or nuts with or without a base of egg, cheese, meats, vegetables, seafood or breads.Single cold items served aresmoked salmon, avocado pear, caviar, pâté, shellfish cocktails and melon withgarnishesand decorations. Seasoned hot dishes served are of vegetables, meat, fish, egg, pasta, cheese, soufflés, tartlets,puff pastryorchoux pastry.
InMexico,botanasrefers to the vegetarian varietiescommonly served in small portions in wine bars.In manyCentral Americancountries, hors d'oeuvres are known asbocas(lit. "mouthfuls").Pasapalos(lit. "drink passer") isVenezuelan Spanishfor an hors d'oeuvre.
InArabic,moqabbelat(مقبلات, "things which make one accept what is to come". From rootقبلlit. "to accept") is the term for an hors d'oeuvre.InIndia, it is known aschaat, which is served throughout the day.Dahi puriis another snack from India which is especially popular from the city ofMumbaiin the state ofMaharashtraand in theAhmedabadcity ofGujaratstate. Chaat is the snack food consumed separately and not part of main course meals.
Zensai(前菜,lit. before dish)isJapanesefor an hors d'oeuvre; commonly for western dishes,ōdoburu(オードブル), which is a direct transcription of hors d'oeuvre, is used.InKorea,banchan(반찬) is a small serving of vegetables, cereals or meats. Additional Korean terms for hors d'oeuvres includejeonchae(전채), meaning "before dish" orepitaijeo(에피타이저), meaning "appetiser".InVietnameseĐồ nguội khai vị("cold plate first course") is the name for an hors d'oeuvre.InMandarin,lěng pán冷盘("cold plate") orqián cài前菜("before dish") are terms used for hors d'oeuvres, which are served in steamer baskets or on small plates.Mezeis a selection of small dishesserved inMediterranean cuisine,Middle Eastern cuisine, andBalkan cuisine.Mezedakiais a term for small mezes.Pembuka(lit. "opening") isIndonesianfor an hors d'oeuvre.YemekaltıisTurkishfor an hors d'oeuvre.Caviar served inIranis the traditionalroefrom wildsturgeonin theCaspianandBlack Seas.
InEngland,devils on horsebackis a hot hors d'oeuvre in different recipes, but in general they are a variation onangels on horseback, made by replacing oysters with dried fruit. The majority of recipes contain a pitteddate(thoughprunesare sometimes used).Starteris a common colloquial term for an hors d'oeuvre in the UK,Ireland, andIndia.CruditésfromFranceare a blend of salads of raw vegetables and the serving has a minimum of three vegetables of striking colors.Zakuskiare hors d'oeuvres inRussian cuisineand other post-Soviet cuisines, served in the form of a buffet of cured meats and fishes. InItalianantipastomeans it is served cold in the form of olive, cheese, pickled vegetables;other similar hors d'oeuvres can be found in the rest of Southern Europe under different names (entradainPortuguese,entranteorentremésinSpanish).VoorgerechtinDutchmeans the dish ('gerecht') before ('voor') the main course.Fattoushis a bread salad inLevantine cuisinemade from toasted or fried pieces ofpitabread (khubz 'arabi) combined withmixed greensand othervegetables. It belongs to the family of dishes known asfattat(plural) orfatta, which usestaleflatbread as a base.
In the United States the custom appears to have come fromCalifornia, where a foreign saloon owner may have put out trays of simple hors d'oeuvres to serve his customers. This tradition soon became the 5-cent beer and free lunch in early America beforeprohibitionended the custom.
In the U.S., 'appetizers',referring to anything served before a meal, is the most common term for hors d'oeuvres. Lightsnacksserved outside of the context of a meal are called hors d'oeuvres (with the English-language pluralization).
In theHawaiian languagehors d'oeuvres and appetisers are calledpūpū.Hawaiianculinary influences are very diverse due to the multiple ethnicities living in the islands. This diversity, along with the Americanization of entertaining in the mid 20th century led to the Hawaiian Cocktail and thepūpū(hors-d'oeuvre) served at the beginning ofluaus.This invention of a faux Polynesian experience is heavily influenced byDon the Beachcomber, who is credited for the creation of thepūpūplatterand the drink named theZombiefor his Hollywood restaurant.At Don's the food was traditionalCantonese cuisineserved with a fancy presentation. The firstpūpūplatters were eggrolls, chicken wings, spare ribs as well as otherChinese-American foods.EventuallyTrader Vicwould create theMai Taiin his restaurants in theSan Francisco Bay Areaand theTiki barwould become an American cocktail tradition.
Hors d'oeuvres, also calledamuse-bouches, served around bars in Australia areoystersandalsacefoie gras.Appetisers in New Zealand are lamb skewer or blue cod sliders.InNew ZealandtheMāoricall their snacksKai Timotimo.Kiribatiappetisers served include pastes made from chickpeas and eggplant, meat dishes with spices and wheat.Samoan foil chicken and roast pork, tidbits of meat in a smoky, spicy sauce are appetisers inSamoa.InTonga, puu-puus or appetisers served areWaikikishrimp and grilled pineapple with dipping sauce.
Appetisers served inKenyaare raw and fresh vegetables and assorted dips with decorations.Before modern-day hors d'oeuvre were introduced from Europe into South Africa, starters served consisted of eastern fishsambalsand cookedbone marrowserved with bread.