Appetizer & Snack Recipes

• A
  • Appetizers from the grill
• C
  • Candies
  • Cold Appetizers
  • Cooking Light Appetizers
  • Country Appetizers
  • Cowboy Appetizers
  • Crackers with Toppings
  • Crunchy Snacks
• D
  • Dips
• H
  • Hearty Snacks
  • Hot Appetizers
• N
  • Nachos and more...
• S
  • Salsa
  • Southern Appetizers

Appetizer or Hors d'oeuvre

Hors d'oeuvre, also known as appetizer refer to the food served before or outside of the main courses of a meal.

The purpose of an hors d'oeuvre or appetizer is to whet the appetite. In restaurants, they also serve the function of giving the kitchen time to prepare the first course without leaving the guests waiting. They may be dishes which are quick to prepare or simply a buffet from which the diners serve themselves or are served by the waiters.

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. Hors d'oeuvres or appetizers are sometimes served with no meal served afterward. This is the case with many reception and cocktail party events.

Hors d'oeuvre or appetizer 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. Hors d'oeuvres or appetizers prior to a meal are either stationary or passed. Stationary hors d'oeuvres or appetizers are also referred to as table hors d'oeuvres. Passed hors d'oeuvres are also referred to as “butler-style”, “butlered” or “butler-passed” hors d'oeuvre..

Snacks

A snack food (commonly shortened to snack) is seen in Western culture as a type of food not meant to be eaten as a main meal of the day (breakfast, lunch, dinner). Rather, the food is intended as a snack: something to temporarily tide a person's hunger, provide a brief supply of energy for the body, or something to be eaten for enjoyment of the taste.

Snack foods are designed to be less perishable, more durable, and more appealing than natural foods. They often contain substantial amounts of sweeteners, preservatives, and appealing ingredients such as chocolate, peanuts, and specially designed flavors (such as flavored potato chips).