Appetizer Recipes
Appetizers,
also known as 'hors d'œuvre' (from the French, meaning roughly 'outside
the main meal') are small tasty dishes usually served before the main
meal, during cocktail hour or as a welcome snack for guests at a
reception. As the name suggests, they are designed to give your guests
an appetite whilst they wait for the main meal to be presented.
Sometimes
referred to as 'starters', appetizers can also be served after a meal
or pretty much at any time of day as a light snack.
Different
countries and cultures have their own version of appetizers, and our
appetizer recipes include snack foods recipes taken from the following
cuisines:
Italian Appetizer Recipes : Known as 'Antipasto',
meaning “before the meal”. Italian appetizers would normally consist of
cold savory foods like marinated vegetables, cheeses, cured ham etc.
Russian
Appetizer Recipes : Known as Zakuski, and common to many slavonic
countries. Typically served with vodka, zakuski might include various
pickles (pickled cucumber being a favourite), salads, fish, caviar and
cured meat and sausage.
Mediterranean and Middle-Eastern
Appetizer Recipes : These have various names, but the most common one
is 'Meze'. Most of us are familiar with Meze from Greek and Turkish
cuisine, but the actual dishes are common thoughout the region and
include Hummus, Tzatziki, Taramasalata, Börek, and Falafel - often
served with and unleavened bread such as pita or khoubz.
The
concept of appetizers or small snack meals are common to many cultures,
and depending on which country you are in, you may also hear them
referred to as picaditas, pasabocas, boquitas, botanas, bocaditos,
entremeses or the more well known 'tapas'.
Of course, you don't
need to restrict these quick and easy snack meals to a being eaten
prior to a larger meal - you can serve them in combination as meal in
their own right, make enough of them to form a party buffet, eat them
for breakfast or take them on a picnic.
Appetizer Recipes - starters for every occasion
