Hors d’Oeuvres

Literally translated as ‘outside of the work’, this term refers to small dishes served before the meal and has been used in France for centuries, however in America it has come to mean cocktail food and sometimes the first course. To me, the words signify a charming prelude to a formal meal, but sadly one rarely sees ‘hors d’oeuvres’ on a menu today since ‘antipasto’ is more readily understood.

My abrupt introduction to hors d’oeuvres came at the tender age of 16 in the restaurant attached to the catering college I attended. Trussed up in a white jacket with black and gold epaulettes, the Maître d’Hôtel pointed to a contraption of a trolley holding what looked like 50 varieties of hors d’oeuvres. After the briefest instruction in the manipulation of spoon and fork he gestured to a table of 12 guests and said ‘serve them quickly’. More to the point, I had little idea what I was serving!