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Anhors d'oeuvre (/ɔːrˈdɜːrv(rə)/orDURV(-rə);French:hors-d'œuvre[ɔʁdœvʁ(ə)]^ⓘ),appetiser^[1] orstarter^[2] is a smalldish served before ameal^[3] inEuropean cuisine. Some hors d'oeuvres are served cold, others hot.^[4] 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 areception orcocktail party. Formerly, hors d'oeuvres were also served between courses.^[5]

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'œuvre inFrench literally 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.^[1][6] 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"^[7][8][9] (pronounced/ɔːrˈdɜːrvz/).

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.^{[10][self-published source]} 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.^[11] During theRoman Period the meal practice was to have two main courses which were supplemented before the meal with small amounts of fish, vegetables, cheeses, olives^[12][13] and even stuffeddormice.^[14] These would be served at the start of the meal known as eithergustatio orpromulsis. The Greeks called the appetiser coursepropoma.^[13] As early as 500CE, theBabylonian Talmud (Yoma 83^b) 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).^{[citation needed]}

During theMiddle Ages formal French meals were served withentremets between 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 sculpture or other types of crafted work.^[15] With the introduction in the 17th century ofservice à la française, where all the dishes are laid out at once in very rigidsymmetrical fashion, 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.^[15]

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.^[12][15] Hors d'oeuvres were originally served as acanapé of small toasted bread with a savoury topping before a meal.^[16] The first mention of the food item was byFrançois Massialot in 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".^[17] 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 besuperfluous to a well cooked meal.^[18]Service à la française continued in Europe until the early 19th century.^[12][15] 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.^[15]

The style of formal dining changed drastically in the 19th century, becoming successive courses served one after the other over a period of time.^[12][14] 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.^[12]

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.^[19] The custom of thesavoury course is of British origin and comes towards the end of the meal, before dessert or sweets^[20] or even after the dessert, in contrast to the hors d'oeuvre, which is served before the meal.^[21] The British favored the savoury course as apalate cleanser before drinking after the meal, which made the hors d'oeuvre before the meal unnecessary.^[22] The savoury is generally small, well spiced and often served hot, requiring cooking just before serving.^[20] In theVictorian andEdwardian periods,savouries included such toppings asfried oysters wrapped in bacon, andScotch woodcock,^[16] which was a savoury made of scrambled eggs, groundblack pepper andGentleman's Relish on buttered toast, served hot.^[23] In France, cheese was often part of the savoury course or added with simple fruit as a dessert.^[24] A typical Edwardian dinner might consist of up to four courses^[25] that include two soups, two types of fish, two meats, ending with several savouries then sweets.^[26]

The termappetiser (American English:appetizer) is asynonym for 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.^[12] 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.^[27] Acocktail party is considered a small gathering with mixed drinks and light snacks.^[28] Hors d'oeuvres may be served as the only food offering at cocktail parties andreceptions, where no dinner is served afterward.^[29] After the end ofprohibition in the United States, the cocktail party gained acceptance.^[11][12] 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-alcoholic cocktail; 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.^[12][14] 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.^[14]

In restaurants or large estates, hors d'oeuvres are prepared in agarde manger which is a cool room.^{[30][page needed]} 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 oven as necessary before serving.^[31]

If there is an extended period between when guests arrive and when the meal is eaten, for example during acocktail hour, these might serve the purpose of sustaining guests during the wait, in the same way thatapéritifs are served as a drink before meals.^[32]

It is also an unwritten rule that the dishes served as hors d'oeuvres do not give any clue to the main meal.^[33] 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.^{[citation needed]}

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.^[34] Passed hors d'oeuvres provided by servers are part ofbutler-style service.^[34] or butlered hors d'oeuvres.^[35]

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 withmascarpone and wrapped withprosciutto is an hors d'oeuvre, and plain figs served on a platter may also be served as hors d'oeuvres.^[36] 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.^[31] Single cold items served aresmoked salmon, avocado pear, caviar, pâté, shellfish cocktails and melon withgarnishes and decorations. Seasoned hot dishes served are of vegetables, meat, fish, egg, pasta, cheese, soufflés, tartlets,puff pastry orchoux pastry.^[37]

• Hors d'oeuvres
• 
  Appetisers in a restaurant
• 
  Tomatobruschetta
• 
  Deviled eggs, a cold hors d'oeuvre
• 
  Obložené chlebíčky, aCzech andSlovak appetiser or snack
• 
  Hors-d'oeuvre,Georgia
• 
  Hors d'oeuvres inAzerbaijani cuisine

InMexico,botanas refers to the vegetarian varieties^[49] commonly served in small portions in wine bars.^[50] In manyCentral American countries, hors d'oeuvres are known asbocas (lit. 'mouthfuls').[51]Pasapalos (lit. 'drink passer') isVenezuelan Spanish for an hors d'oeuvre.^[52]

InArabic,moqabbelat (مقبلات, "things which make one accept what is to come". From rootقبل lit. "to accept") is the term for an hors d'oeuvre.^[53] InIndia, it is known aschaat, which is served throughout the day.^[54]Dahi puri is another snack from India which is especially popular from the city ofMumbai in the state ofMaharashtra and in theAhmedabad city ofGujarat state. Chaat is the snack food consumed separately and not part of main course meals.^[55]

Zensai (前菜,lit. before dish) isJapanese for 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.^[56][57][58] 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".^[54] InVietnameseĐồ nguội khai vị ("cold plate first course") is the name for an hors d'oeuvre.^{[citation needed]} 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.^[54]Meze is a selection of small dishes^[59] served inMediterranean cuisine,Middle Eastern cuisine, andBalkan cuisine.Mezedakia is a term for small mezes.^[59]Pembuka (lit. 'opening') isIndonesian for an hors d'oeuvre.^[60]Yemekaltı isTurkish for an hors d'oeuvre.^[61][54] Caviar served inIran is the traditionalroe from wildsturgeon in theCaspian andBlack Seas.^[62]

• 
  Chaat, a starter inIndian cuisine
• 
  A sampling of starters inNorthern Thai cuisine (Lanna cuisine)
• 
  Zensai inJapanese cuisine

InEngland,devils on horseback is 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 (thoughprunes are sometimes used).^[63]Starter is a common colloquial term for an hors d'oeuvre in the UK,Ireland, andIndia.^[64]Crudités fromFrance are a blend of salads of raw vegetables and the serving has a minimum of three vegetables of striking colors.^[65][66]Zakuski are hors d'oeuvres inRussian cuisine and other post-Soviet cuisines, served in the form of a buffet of cured meats and fishes. InItalianantipasto means it is served cold in the form of olive, cheese, pickled vegetables^{[unreliable source?]};^[54] other similar hors d'oeuvres can be found in the rest of Southern Europe under different names (entrada inPortuguese,entrante orentremés inSpanish).^[67][68]Voorgerecht inDutch means the dish ('gerecht') before ('voor') the main course.^[69]Fattoush is a bread salad inLevantine cuisine made from toasted or fried pieces ofpita bread (khubz 'arabi) combined withmixed greens and othervegetables. It belongs to the family of dishes known asfattat (plural) orfatta, which usestale flatbread as a base.^[70]

• 
  Various hors d'oeuvres at abanquet ofRomanian cuisine
• 
  An appetiser served at a restaurant servingSwiss cuisine
• 
  TypicalCarinthian orStyrian "Brettljause", composed of different kinds of cold meat, horseradish, hard-boiled egg, meat paste,Liptauer, vegetables, butter and curd cheese

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 beforeprohibition ended the custom.^[11]

In the U.S., 'appetizers',^[71] referring to anything served before a meal, is the most common term for hors d'oeuvres. Lightsnacks served outside of the context of a meal are called hors d'oeuvres (with the English-language pluralization).^[72][73]

In theHawaiian language hors d'oeuvres and appetisers are calledpūpū.^[74]Hawaiian culinary 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.^[75] This invention of a faux Polynesian experience is heavily influenced byDon the Beachcomber, who is credited for the creation of thepūpū platter and the drink named theZombie for his Hollywood restaurant.^[76][77] At Don's the food was traditionalCantonese cuisine served with a fancy presentation. The firstpūpū platters were eggrolls, chicken wings, spare ribs as well as otherChinese-American foods.^[78] EventuallyTrader Vic would create theMai Tai in his restaurants in theSan Francisco Bay Area and theTiki bar would become an American cocktail tradition.^[77]

Hors d'oeuvres, also calledamuse-bouches, served around bars in Australia areoysters andalsacefoie gras.^[79] Appetisers in New Zealand are lamb skewer or blue cod sliders.^[80] InNew Zealand theMāori call their snacksKai Timotimo.^[81]Kiribati appetisers served include pastes made from chickpeas and eggplant, meat dishes with spices and wheat.^[82] Samoan foil chicken and roast pork, tidbits of meat in a smoky, spicy sauce are appetisers inSamoa.^[83] InTonga, puu-puus or appetisers served areWaikiki shrimp and grilled pineapple with dipping sauce.^[84]

Appetisers served inKenya are raw and fresh vegetables and assorted dips with decorations.^[85] Before modern-day hors d'oeuvre were introduced from Europe into South Africa, starters served consisted of eastern fishsambals and cookedbone marrow served with bread.^[86]

• Cracknell, H. L.; Kaufmann, R. J. (1999)."Chapter 6: Hors-d'oeuvre".Practical Professional Cookery. Cengage Learning. pp. 87–108.ISBN 978-1-86152-873-5.
• Davidson, Alan (21 September 2006).The Oxford Companion to Food. Oxford University Press.ISBN 978-0-19-280681-9.
• Dunham, J. R. (April 2004).Two Women in Africa: The Ultimate Adventure. iUniverse.ISBN 978-0-595-31232-0.
• Foskett, David; Paskins, Patricia; Rippington, Neil; Thorpe, Steve (29 August 2014).Practical Cookery for the Level 3 NVQ and VRQ Diploma, 6th edition. Hodder Education.ISBN 978-1-4718-0671-1.
• Louis, Regis St; D'Arcy, Jayne; Gilbert, Sarah; Harding, Paul; Le Nevez, Catherine; Maxwell, Virginia; Pozzan, Olivia; Watson, Penny (1 May 2012).Lonely Planet East Coast Australia 4. Lonely Planet.ISBN 978-1-74220-660-8.
• Romero, Pedro (2007).Night+Day Mexico City. ASDavis Media Group.ISBN 978-0-9776245-6-0.
• Rombauer, Irma S.; Becker, Marion Rombauer; Becker, Ethan; Guarnaschelli, Maria (5 November 1997).JOC All New Rev. – 1997. Simon and Schuster.ISBN 978-0-684-81870-2.
• Smith, Dennis Edwin (2003).From Symposium to Eucharist: The Banquet in the Early Christian World. Fortress Press.ISBN 978-1-4514-0653-5.
• Willan, Anne (23 March 2012).The Country Cooking of France. Chronicle Books.ISBN 978-1-4521-0767-7.
• Wright, Clifford A. (1 January 2003).Little Foods of the Mediterranean: 500 Fabulous Recipes for Antipasti, Tapas, Hors D'Oeuvre, Meze, and More. Harvard Common Press.ISBN 978-1-55832-227-1.
• Wyk, Magdaleen Van; Barton, Pat (2007).Traditional South African Cooking. Struik.ISBN 978-1-77007-407-1.

• "Bon Appetit's Guide to Modern Hors d'Oeuvres".Bon Appétit. 4 October 2012. Retrieved21 December 2015.

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