I Say Tomato…
In today’s edition of Knoxville News’ Food and Dining section, they get down to business defining the differences between antipasto, hors d’oeuvres and appetizers.
It’s quite simple really and boils down to custom. “Antipasto” means “before the meal” in Italian and “hors d’oeuvres” means “outside the meal” in French. Same thing, right? Yes and no. While the course pretty much has the same meaning, their components are slightly different.
Italian antipasto is generally an assortment of marinated vegetables, cured meats and cheeses. The term “hors d’oeuvres” technically means anything that isn’t a meal, but the term is now mostly associated with cocktail-party-style finger food. Appetizers, on the other hand, are generally something you eat with silverware (soup, salad) while seated. So, while you could technically serve antipasto as an appetizer, you wouldn’t serve an appetizer as an hors d’oeuvre. But even these are general rules of thumb; regional variations may, of course, apply.
Got that? Whatever you call it, it’s still my favorite part of the meal. Tapas anyone?
