Appetizers: Hors d’Oeuvres in History

Virtually all cultures have indulged in preprandial morsels designed to whet the appetite for more substantial fare, and there is remarkable consistency across cultures in offering salty foods as stimulants. The ancient Greeks and Romans sampled bits of fish, seasoned vegetables, cheeses, 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 pâtés to slices of beef tongue or braised quails—were shown on table layouts illustrating dinners served à la française. Those Americans who emulated that French model made a variety of hors d’oeuvres (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.