what is entree course

by Ms. Samantha Herzog Published 2 years ago Updated 1 year ago 9 min read

What is an entrée course?

The word entrée entered the French culinary lexicon by way of music. An entrée is a term used to speak of an opening act in a musical or opera. So, it follows, an entrée was a beginning course for a traditional, French multi-course meal.

What is the difference between an entrée and a main course?

In the US, the entrée became the main course, and appetizers or starters became the first course. In France, the entrée stuck with its translation (“start,” “beginning,” “entry”) and position of being the course before the roast, thus becoming the first course.

What are entrees examples?

Sample EntreesBackyard BBQ. 5 oz. Grilled Hamburgers. 1/4 Grilled Hot Dogs. 2 oz. Hot Dogs. 4 oz. ... Fun Foods. Steak, Chicken, & Shrimp Kabobs. Steak, Chicken, & Shrimp Fajitas. Lasagna. Spaghetti. Ravioli Dinner. ... Seafood & Shrimp. Fried Catfish. Baked Salmon. Fried Tilapia. Baked Salmon & Jumbo Shrimp. Baked Salmon & Jumbo Scallops.

What is an entrée in food?

countable noun. At restaurants or formal dinners, the entrée is the main course, or sometimes a dish before the main course. Dinner features a hot entrée of chicken, veal, or lamb. Synonyms: starter, appetizer More Synonyms of entree.

Why are they called entrees?

Entrée comes from a word meaning “entrance.” In the 16th century, the first dish at a fancy dinner wasn't just plunked down on the table. It was brought in by a procession of liveried servants to the sound of trumpet fanfares. This first course was termed the entrée de table.

Is entrée a starter or main?

In British English, a starter is the first course of a meal whereas an entree is a dish served before the main dish. However, in American English, a starter is an appetizer and an entree is a main course or dish. This is the key difference between starter and entree.

What are the 5 entrees?

5 course meal: A 5 course dinner menu includes an hors d'oeuvre, appetizer, salad, main course, and dessert.

Is pizza an entrée?

Entree means a food that is generally regarded as being the primary food in a meal and includes, but is not limited to, sandwiches, burritos, pasta and pizza.

Is entrée and appetizer the same?

The main difference between appetizer and entree is that in the United States, an appetizer is a small dish of food served before the main meal to stimulate the appetite while entree is the main course of a meal. In the United States and some parts of Canada, appetizer and entrée refer to two parts of a meal.

Why is entrée a main course?

In the words of one old-fashioned culinary manual, it was supposed to be "easy to eat and pleasing to the appetite but not satisfying." Because it was served immediately preceding the centerpiece of the whole meal - the roast - it was called the "entree," being, in effect, the "entrance" to the really important part of ...

Is soup an entrée?

History of Entrées The first course would usually be a soup, followed by an intermediate course, usually some sort of fish or shellfish. After the fish course would come the entrée, which might feature poultry, or lobster, or possibly even a cold item such as aspic, chaud-froid, or pâté.

What is the word for a starter course?

Americans get made fun of a fair bit for using the word entrée . In the UK, Australia and New Zealand, the word entrée refers to a starter course or courses, coming after the appetizers but before the main course.

How many courses are there in a French menu?

At that time, the “traditional French menu” was explained as consisting of five to six courses: soup, hors d’oeuvres (and/or fish), entrée (or entrées), a roast (the star of the show), a final course and then dessert.

Why did menus become simplified?

Menus became simplified to reflect the changes of a modern world. All of this was cemented by the Great Depression and WWII. The word entrée remained in the American lexicon but the meaning changed in accord with a change in custom.

What is an entrée in French?

Entrée is a French word that Americans use to say “main course.”. However, France uses entrée to denote an appetizer, and calls the main course ...

Where did the word "entrée" come from?

As it often happens with cultural questions, history has the answer. The word “ entrée ” was imported from France to the United States at the end of the 19th century, by French chefs in chic New York restaurants. At the time, meals were often comprised of up to 15 — FIFTEEN! — courses.

Why is the word "entrée" on the decline?

As for its use in modern times, according to Freedman, the word “entrée” is on the decline due to the decreasing popularity of the one-entrée-per-person dining format. People now seem to prefer “small plates” and “tapas,” which can be shared amongst the table.

What was the first course in France?

What is a meal course?

A meal course is a single food item or a set of food items served at once, such as a sandwich, soup and crackers, or steak and mashed potatoes. An average meal consists of one or more meal courses.

Where do full course meals take place?

Full course meals frequently take place at someone’s home, at a venue, or at a restaurant. They are customarily enjoyed in the afternoon or evening for a special occasion. In both upscale restaurants and casual eateries, guests can opt for a full course meal by ordering multiple dishes to come out at separate times.

What is course 5?

Course Five - Salad. This course is usually an assortment of raw vegetables with a flavorful dressing. In some parts of Europe, salad is served after the main course, but it is also common to serve salad before. Garden salad with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and tart vinaigrette. Chopped Thai salad with peanut dressing.

What is a full course meal?

A full course dinner is a meal featuring multiple courses. The basic full course meal consists of three or four courses. Full course meals normally begin with precursors to a main dish, such as an amuse-bouche or soup, followed by the main course (s), and they are finished off with sweets, coffee, and tea.

How many courses are in a meal?

The most basic full course meal is made up of 2 or 3 of the following courses: an appetizer, a main dish, and a dessert. However, meals can feature up to 12 or more courses.

Can you serve a full course meal casually?

The way you serve or enjoy a full course meal is up to your discretion and can be as casual or formal as you prefer. Below are some tips to curate a full course meal, along with information on traditional etiquette.

When was the word "entrée" first used?

EDIT (June 10 2015) In 1555, when entrée was first used to refer to the first course of a French meal, the privileged classes staged sumptuous dinners. Entrée comes from a word meaning “entrance.”. In the 16th century, the first dish at a fancy dinner wasn’t just plunked down on the table.

What was the first course of French food?

This first course was termed the entrée de table. After the entree (or entrees) came the soup, and after the soup, the roast, and after the roast, the final course. According to food historians, this order of service gradually changed. By the 1650s, the French entrée was a hot meat dish served after the soup.

What does "oed" mean in French?

8. The French word doesn't actually mean "appetizer"; it comes from a dish introduced between two courses in a formal dinner. It may originally have come from the word "entrance" and even changed in its French meaning. OED has a citation.

Overview

An entrée in modern French table service and that of much of the English-speaking world (apart from the United States and parts of Canada) is a dish served before the main course of a meal. Outside North America, it is generally synonymous with the terms hors d'oeuvre, appetizer, or starter. It may be the first dish served, or it may follow a soup or other small dish or dishes. In the United …

Early use of the term

The word entrée as a culinary term first appears in print around 1536, in the Petit traicté auquel verrez la maniere de faire cuisine, in a collection of menus at the end of the book. There, the first stage of each meal is called the entree de table (entrance to the table); the second stage consists of potaiges (foods boiled or simmered "in pots"); the third consists of one or more services de rost (meat or fowl "roasted" in dry heat); and the last is the issue de table (departure from the table). …

"Classical Order" of service

The stages of the meal underwent several significant changes between the mid-16th and mid-17th century. Notably, the entrée became the second stage of the meal and potage became the first. At this point, the term "entrée" had lost its literal meaning and had come to refer to a certain type of dish, unrelated to its place in the meal. The cookbooks and dictionaries of the 17th and 18th centuries rarely discuss directly the composition of the dishes for each stage of the meal, b…

Changes in the 19th century

In the 19th century, due at least in part to the collapse of the church's authority in France, rules governing meat and lean days were followed irregularly. In particular, fish was commonly served on meat days, providing even more variety to the meal. Fish came to be considered a classic relevé, and in some cases was served as a separate "fish course". After the 1820s, the bouilli was no longer routinely served at fine dinners. In addition, cold entrées became increasingly commo…

Modern French cuisine

In France, the modern meaning of "entrée" on a restaurant menu is the small course that precedes the main course in a three-course meal, i.e., the course which in British usage is often called the "starter" and in American usage the "appetizer". Thus a typical modern French three-course meal in a restaurant consists of "entrée" (first course or starter (UK); appetizer (U.S.)), followed by the "plat" or "plat principal" (the main course), and then dessert or cheese. This sequence is common…

Notes, References, and Sources

• Escoffier, Auguste (1907). A Guide to Modern Cookery. London: William Heinemann.
• Flandrin, Jean-Louis (2007) [2001]. Arranging the Meal: A History of Table Service in France [L’Ordre des mets]. Trans. Julie E. Johnson. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0520238855.
• Hyman, Philip; Hyman, Mary (1992). "Les livres de cuisine et le commerce des recettes en France aux 15e et 16e siècles". In Carole Lambert (ed.). Du manuscrit à la table. Paris, Montréal…

New content will be added above the current area of focus upon selection

External links

• Recipes at the Wikibooks Cookbook subproject
• The Language of Food: Entrée