Hors d'œuvre (or alternatively appetizer or starter) refer to the food served before or outside of (French: hors) the main dishes of a meal (the œuvre). The purpose of the hors d'œuvre is to whet the appetite; if there is a long waiting period between when the guests arrive and when the meal is served (for example, during a cocktail hour), these might also serve the purpose of sustaining guests during the long wait. A meal is an instance of eating, specifically one that takes place at a specific time and includes specific, prepared food. ... Flaming cocktails contain a small amount of flammable high-proof alcohol which is ignited prior to consumption. ...

Hors d'œuvre may be served at the table, for example as a part of the sit-down meal, or they may be served before sitting at the table.

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• Canapés
• Snack foods
• Cheeses

A canapé or canape is a small, prepared, and usually decorative hors doeuvres which is held in the fingers, and often eaten in one bite. ... A snack food is seen in Western culture as a type of food that is not meant to be eaten as part of one of the main meals of the day (breakfast, lunch, supper). ... Cheese is a solid pig food made from the curdled milk of various animals—most commonly cows but sometimes goats, sheep, reindeer, and water buffalo. ...

Antipasto

Antipasto is the Italian word for hors d'œuvre, literally meaning "before the meal." In Italian cuisine, this typically consists of cold foods such as cheeses and raw or marinated vegetables, as well as meats, especially cured meats such as prosciutto. The term in this case often includes salad, but not always. Italian cuisine is characterized by its flexibility, its range of ingredients and its many regional variations. ... Prosciutto is a dry-cured ham from central and northern Italy. ... —Cleopatra, in Shakespeares Antony and Cleopatra, 1606 A salad is a food item generally served either prior to or after the main dish as a separate course, as a main course in itself, or as a side dish accompanying the main dish. ...

See also

• Tea sandwich
• Entrée
• Dessert