Word of the Week: Aperitif

Booze menus might as well be written in Martian. I’m starting to learn the things that I like, but I don’t really drink enough to have developed a deep understanding of different alcohol types, tastes or words.

The first libation related Word of the Week is (boozy drumroll, please): Aperitif!

An aperitif, according to Webster is, “an alcoholic drink taken before a meal as an appetizer.”

That sounds fine and all, but I like Jim Nelson’s description more. He writes, “An aperitif (the word comes from the Latin aperire, “to open”) is a light, most often dry, most often modestly alcoholic beverage meant to spark the appetite without overwhelming the senses.” Nelson goes on to list some of his favorite aperitifs, whose recipes are often secretly guarded, such as Campari and Lillet.

Aperitifs are often not as sweet as other drinks, the idea being to wake the senses and ready oneself for dinner. Though I am a notorious hummingbird when it comes to drinks, I would love to jump on this particular bandwagon and try to broaden my horizons. To that end, I would love to make it to one of the places highlighted in The Boston Commons list of great places for an aperitif. Check them out here. The only one from this list I’ve been to so far is Posto, and I was more interested in their chili infused oil than their drink selection that night.

For one more article extolling the joys of the aperitif, check out this 2003 article from Anthony Giglio, writer at Boston Magazine here.

“Aperitif.” Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2014. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aperitif

Nelson, Jim. “Spirits: The Art of the Aperitif.” Food & Wine. Time Inc., May 2002. Web. 11 Nov. 2014. <http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/spirits-the-art-of-the-aperitif&gt;.

Word of the Week: Amuse-Bouche

In continuing the conversation around small plates and little bites common in restaurants and at events, we’ll look at this weeks Word of the Week — Amuse-Bouche!

According to Merriam Webster, an amuse-bouche is “A small complimentary appetizer offered at some restaurants”

I’m not usually able to patronize restaurants with amuse-bouche offered. Unfortunately, my budget for eating out is tighter than it used to be these days. In college, I was dating a person with a fairly large allowance (I know, I know) and whenever his wealthy parents would visit, we would all get treated to pricier options in and around Boston.

We sometimes splurged, just the two of us, and restaurant week made that more feasible. During Restaurant Week one year we went to a restaurant in Boston, and of course I can’t remember the name of it because I have a memory like a goldfish. At this place, I ordered risotto and before our meals came, we were given little complimentary shot glasses of gazpacho. Aha! The elusive amuse-bouche in its natural habitat!

Word of the Week: Hors D’oeuvre

Last week’s Word of the Week was canape and I wondered how it differed from a hors d’oeuvres. To satisfy this curiosity, today’s Word of the Week is hors d’oeuvres!

Referring again to Webster’s, an hors d’oeuvres is “any of various savory foods usually served as appetizers ”

After reading around for a while, it seems that a canape is a type of hors d’oeuvres, one that characterized by an edible base. As I mentioned last week, these may be made of bread or crackers. Hors d’oeuvres is a larger umbrella term that may be used to mean any small bite of something, usually served in lieu of a meal at a cocktail party or other event. It seems like the word appetizer is used more often to mean the first course at a meal, rather than a snack outside of a meal.

Word of the Week: Canapé

I realized that there are a lot of culinary terms out there. A lot of them. Most of the time, if seen in context I can suss them out using reading or conversational cues, but I would be hard pressed to define them on the spot. I’ve decided then to add them to my site, with a definition and examples when appropriate.

Today’s word of the the week is (drum roll please): Canapé which, according to Webster’s Dictionary means the following:

“a small piece of bread or a cracker that has cheese, meat, fish, etc., on top of it and that is often served at a party”

and goes on to include:

“an appetizer consisting of a piece of bread or toast or a cracker topped with a savory spread (as caviar or cheese)”

After looking around a little on google images and foodgawker, it seems that this definition is being expanded to include other small bites and appetizers. It might be fun to play around with the idea of bread or crackers and use firm polenta, plantains, rice cakes, or sweet versions with firmer cakes? I haven’t made something before and said, “This, this is a canapé.” I wonder how a canapé differs from a hors d’oeuvre?

Thank you for joining me for the first ever Word of the Week. That’s WotW if you’re a cool guy.

“Canapé.” Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2014. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/canapé&gt;.