Finger Foods

Appetizers are small savory tidbits hot or cold, originally meant to stimulate the appetite and make the meal to follow more appealing.

This basic definition has expanded to include a variety of food types, called by a number of names.

Canapé: Small toasted or untoasted pieces of bread, crackers or pastry topped with a savory topping such as cheese, anchovy or some type of spread.

Crudités: Raw seasonal vegetables in slices, sticks or pieces, often accompanied by a dip.

Dips and dunks: Flavorful thin to slightly thick mixtures, often sour cream based, into which other foods such as tortilla chips, crudités or meatballs are dipped before eating.

Finger food: Term that describes those foods that can be eaten with the fingers, without the use of flatware or toothpicks.

First course: One or two appetizers served as one course during the sit-down meal. Flatware is usually needed. It could also be a small serving of a main dish such as Fettuccine Alfredo or a soup.

Hors d’oeuvre: The French term for savory one or two bite sized tidbits served before a meal, customarily with cocktails. Translated, hors d’oeuvre means "outside the work", or foods that are eaten apart from the regular meal.

Spreads: Thick mixtures, often cream cheeses basted, which is spread on a base such as crackers or vegetable slices, with a spreader or a knife.