The History of Appetizers

Appetizers and hors of d’oeuvre

the latter literally meaning
“outside of the work”- assume a
wide variety of forms in American
dining.
Late twenty century dictionaries
treat appetizers and hors d’oeuvres –popularly understood to be
bite-sized finger foods offered at cocktail parties and receptions
– as synonyms.
Americans also use “appetizer” to indicate the first course eaten
when seated at table in a three course (appetizer, main course,
dessert) meal.
Virtually all cultures have indulged in pre-prandial morsels
designed to whet the appetite for more substantial across
cultures in offering salty foods as stimulants.
The ancient Greeks and Romans sampled bits of fish, seasoned
vegetables, cheese and olives while the Renaissance Italian writer
Platina recommended thin rolls of grilled veal to stimulate the
appetite for food and drink.
Wealthy Frenchmen picked at hors d’oeuvre throughout fancy
meals from the late seventeenth through the mid-nineteenth
centuries, when little plates and their suggested contents –
ranging from oysters, stuffed eggs and plates to slices of beef
tongue or braised quails were shown on table layouts illustrating
dinners served a la française.
Those American who emulated that French model a variety of
hors of d’oeuvre (the plural is used only in English) part of the
American table and offered them throughout the meal as a palate
refresher, until the desserts were served.
Styles of service changed radically in the nineteenth century,
evolving to the successive, multi course structure of formal
contemporary meals.
The role of hors d’oeuvres in the structure of meal changed as
well. Although simple hors d’oeuvres such as olives, radishes,
celery and nuts remained on the table throughout the meal, by
the late nineteenth century, more complicated hors d’oeuvres,
sometimes called “dainty dishes” – such as small pastry cases
filled with bits of meat in creamy sauce - had become a separate
course after the soup was served.
The term “appetizers” seems to have appeared nearly
simultaneously in England and America in the 1860s simply to
provide an Anglophone equivalent for the French hors d’oeuvre.
By the 1890s, both appetizers and hors d’oeuvres could appear
within the same elegant menu.
One writer in 1896 describes appetizers as an optional first
course preceding soup, that is set on the table prior to a party’s
entering the dining room.
These appetizers were most often raw oysters or clams, but they
might be small canapés, such as caviar on toast.
The writer assumed that celery, salted nuts and the like would
fill the table throughout the meal and she described the host to
place these “various hors d’oeuvres within reach of each guest ,
these appetizers serving to fill in the time between course.”
 The History of Appetizer
Appetizers were originally
introduced by the Athenians

as a buffet in the early third

century B.C. They would serve
sea urchins, cockles, sturgeon,
and garlic. However they were
unpopular to start as these tiny meals weren’t followed up with
a main course, leaving everyone hungry and wanting more. It
wasn’t until the nineteenth century that appetizers truly caught
on, as meals evolved into more of a structured ordeal.
Aperitifs came about by the Romans and were classified as a liquid
appetizer that typically contained alcohol. In addition to inciting
hunger like food appetizers, the purposes for aperitifs were also
meant to help with the imminent digestion process. These drinks
would be shared from a single glass and passed around the table
to all members of the eating party. Aperitifs are still utilized
today, typically with the company of food appetizers.
The word itself, “appetizer,” as being used in the Americas and
England in the 1860s, is more of a local flavor than “hors
d’oeuvres.” For a time, appetizers are served between the main
course and dessert as a refresher, but by the twentieth century
they had taken their place as a precursor to the main course.
On the other hand it is said that appetizers are the dishes that
can truly be considered Filipino because we are best known for
using our hands to eat the small finger foods that come with the
first course. Appetizers can include anything from fish to meat,
nuts and chips. They are often served before dinner or at large
family lunches.