page_title: Hors d'oeuvre
section_title: Origins
hierarchical_section_title: Hors d'oeuvre / Origins
caption_attribution_description: Das Apéro-Gebäck steht in Reih und Glied.
context_page_description: An hors d'oeuvre, appetiser or starter is a small dish served before a meal in European 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 a reception or cocktail 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.
context_section_description: A small number of food historians believe that the tradition may have begun in Russia, where small snacks of fish, caviar and meats were common after long travels. However, it may be that the custom originated in China, possibly coming through Steppes, 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 Swedish smörgåsbord, Russian zakuska, Lebanese mezze, and Italian antipasto. During the Roman Period the meal practice was to have two main courses which were supplemented before the meal with small amounts of fish, vegetables, cheeses, olives and even stuffed dormice.  These would be served at the start of the meal known as either gustatio or promulsis. The Greeks called the appetiser course propoma.
caption: A tray of canapés, a form of hors d'oeuvres,  at a cocktail party
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