What is Canape? Interesting information about Canape

What is a Canape?

Canape, also known as canapé, is a French word for small dishes that are often served to guests before the main party. Canape often appears at wine parties, cocktail parties or social parties; is a type of appetizer; beautifully presented with a small size of a few centimeters, just enough for one bite to enjoy.

Canape belongs to the finger-food line (hand-held food), however, not all finger-food is a canape (like french fries, for example, it is a finger-food but not a canape).

Ingredients of a canape

Traditional canape is defined as a piece of toasted bread, cut into sharp shapes (square, round or triangle). Because it is a hand-held food, canape dishes must be compact in size, not bulky; The food must be dry, and the sauce must be limited to avoid accidents when enjoying it.

A tiny canape can have more than 10 different ingredients, all of which blend perfectly to create a special dish in just one bite. Usually, on that layer of toasted bread, there are additional salty foods such as fish, grilled meat, vegetables, butter, cheese, mushrooms, caviar, etc. They are stacked on top of each other and decorated with toothpicks, green onions or vegetables tied tightly; In addition, it can be put in an iron funnel or a small spoon, …

Principles of processing and presenting canape

Because it is a hand-held food, canapes are often made from dry ingredients and cannot be made into liquid dishes such as noodles, porridge, soup, … The most basic recipe of canape is bread, they are combined with meat, fish, salad, … grilled crispy, cut into small pieces, spread a little filling, with sauce or fruit on top, arranged evenly on a white plate or silver tray, extremely eye-catching and delicious.

In addition, there are canape dishes decorated in tightly wrapped paper funnels; or put into edible funnels made from flour and eggs or small glass cups… creating convenience when enjoying the dish, curiosity, and excitement for diners

Not only salty canapes, dry sweet canapes such as muffins, cupcakes, macaroons,… are also processed and presented similarly. Attractive colors, rich ingredients, unique flavors,… create a complete overall dish.

Principles of serving and enjoying canape

Canape is usually presented on a white plate or aluminum tray and is brought to each place by the waiter for guests to enjoy. Or to make it simpler, some parties place canape right at the table for guests to choose themselves.

Because it is a finger food, before eating, you must make sure your hands are clean.

Canape is similar to a buffer, a self-service food, with up to dozens of dishes but the quantity of each dish is limited. Therefore, you should note that you should not eat many pieces of a dish on the tray continuously because it will be tactless.

You should ask the waiter about the ingredients in the dish before deciding to enjoy it, avoid picking it up but not being satisfied and putting it down, which is very impolite and unhygienic.

When bringing the dish to your mouth, you need to observe, avoid dropping it or sticking it to your mouth; eat slowly, gently, don’t forget to use your other hand to catch it underneath,… remember to have a drink to feel the sophistication and harmony of the dish.

Note: If you don’t like the dish you choose, you should wrap the leftovers in a napkin and give it to the waiter, because they have the duty to collect leftovers and dirty napkins. Absolutely do not throw it away or leave it on the plate of food, which is unsightly and unhygienic.

Small tips when organizing a Canape party

Because canape is a hand-held food, the waiter should wear gloves and use clean trays to ensure hygiene, creating a clean and delicious feeling for diners.

Staff should be trained in carrying trays and serving, allowing them to try and explain the ingredients of each dish, avoiding confusion, incorrect answers or not knowing how to answer when diners ask.

You can flexibly place a small sign with the name and ingredients of the dish on the tray so that diners can easily visualize and choose; at the same time, you do not need to waste time looking for staff to ask.