Hors doeuvre Wikipedia. This article may lack focus or may be about more than one topic. Please help improve this article, possibly by splitting the article andor by introducing a disambiguation page, or discuss this issue on the talk page. September 2. Hors duvres redirects here. For the Roy Harper song Hors duvres, see Stormcock album. JPG?w=490&$p$w=43141ec' alt='Hors D Oeuvre' title='Hors D Oeuvre' />Looking for the perfect bitesize snacks Here are 20 delicious options, many of which can be made well ahead of party time. Looking for recipes for hors doeuvre recipes Taste of Home has the best hors doeuvre recipes from real cooks, featuring reviews, ratings, howto videos and tips. Names. Hors doeuvre hors doevre in French means outside the workthat is, not part of the ordinary set of courses in a meal. The French spelling is the same. Define hors doeuvre any of various savory foods usually served as appetizers hors doeuvre in a sentence. Hors D Oeuvre' title='Hors D Oeuvre' />Hors doeuvre definition, a small bit of appetizing food, as spicy meat, fish, cheese, or a preparation of chopped or creamed foods, often served on crackers or small. Treat your guests to these delicious and downright easy makeahead appetizers. Define hors doeuvre. English dictionary definition of hors doeuvre. An hors doeuvre French hors duvre, also hors doevre dv  listen, appetizer,1 or starter is a small dish served before a meal. Some hors doeuvres are served cold, others hot. Hors doeuvres may be served at the dinner table as a part of the meal, or they may be served before seating. Formerly, hors doeuvres were also served between courses. Typically smaller than a main dish, it is often designed to be eaten by hand with minimal use of cutlery. Hors doeuvre hors doevre in French means outside the workthat is, not part of the ordinary set of courses in a meal. The French spelling is the same for singular and plural usage in English, the typographic ligature is usually replaced by the digraph oe, with the plural commonly written hors doeuvres and pronounced. Appetizer is a synonym for hors doeuvre. Starter is sometimes used to denote an hors doeuvre, sometimes to denote more substantial courses, known in Europe as entres. OriginseditA 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 smrgsbord, 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, olives1. These would be served at the start of the meal known as either gustatio or promulsis. The Greeks called the appetizer course propoma. French etymologyeditDuring the Middle Ages formal French meals were served with entremets 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 1. 4th century, recipes for entremets were mostly made with meat, fish, pork and vegetables. By the 1. 5th century the elaborate display and performances were served up between courses, and could be edible or displays of subjects relevant to the host, created in butter sculpture or other types of crafted work. With the introduction in the 1. Along with this came elaborate silver and ceramic table displays as well as pices montes. The entremets were placed between the other dishes within the main work of the meal. At about this time in the 1. These were known as hors doeuvre. Hors doeuvres were originally served as a canap of small toasted bread with a savoury topping before a meal. The first mention of the food item was by Franois Massialot in 1. 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 publication Les plaisirs de la table, Edouard Nignon stated that hors doeuvres originated in Asia. He went on to state that the French considered hors doeuvres to be superfluous to a well cooked meal. Service la franaise continued in Europe until the early 1. After the 1. 9th 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 1. Some traditional hors doeuvres would remain on the table throughout the meal. These included olives, nuts, celery and radishes. The changing, contemporary hors doeuvres, 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. English savourieseditFood in England is heavily influenced by other countries due to the island nations dependence on importing outside goods and sometimes, inspiration. Many English culinary words and customs have been directly borrowed from the original French some completely Anglicized in spelling such as cuisine, sirloin, pastry and omelette which came from the 1. In the late 1. 9th and early 2. France made their way into England, such as clair, casserole, la carte, rtisserie and hors doeuvre. The custom of the savoury course is of British origin and comes towards the end of the meal, before dessert or sweets1. The British favored the savoury course as a palate cleanser before drinking after the meal, which made the hors doeuvre before the meal unnecessary. The savoury is generally small, well spiced and often served hot, requiring cooking just before serving. In the Victorian and Edwardian periods, savouries included such toppings as fried oysters wrapped in bacon, and Scotch woodcock,1. Gentlemans Relish on 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 courses2. American appetizers and cocktail hors doeuvreseditThe term appetizer is a synonym for hors doeuvre. It was first used in the United States and England simultaneously in 1. Americans also use the term to define the first of three courses in a meal, which were optional and generally set on the table before guests were seated. Drinks before dinner became a custom towards the end of the 1. As this new fashion caught on, the British took inspiration from the French to begin serving hors doeuvres before dinner. A cocktail party is considered a small gathering with mixed drinks and light snacks. Hors doeuvres may be served as the only food offering at cocktail parties and receptions, where no dinner is served afterward. After the end of prohibition in 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 appetizers. This changed by the 1. Prohibition in the United States, cocktail parties became popular with many different hors doeuvres meant as something to help counter the stronger drinks. It is the cocktail party that helped transfer the hors doeuvres from the formal dining table to the mobility of the serving tray. These appetizers passed around the cocktail party may also be referred to as canaps. PreparationeditIn restaurants or large estates, hors doeuvres are prepared in a garde manger which is a cool room. Hors doeuvres are often prepared in advance. Some types may be refrigerated or frozen and then precooked and then reheated in an oven or microwave oven as necessary before serving. Steward in a vintage 1. Taro Root. If there is an extended period between when guests arrive and when the meal is eaten, for example during a cocktail hour, these might serve the purpose of sustaining guests during the wait, in the same way that apritifs are served as a drink before meals. It is also an unwritten rule that the dishes served as hors doeuvres 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 doeuvres before a meal may be rotated by waiters or passed. Make Ahead Hors dOeuvres Recipes.