Appetizers

Appetizers are a category of dishes traditionally served at the very beginning of a meal, before the main courses. Their main task is to whet the appetite, to set the mood for a pleasant feast, and to create the first impression of the hospitality.

Appetizers can be extraordinarily varied: cold (sliced meats, salads, canapés, pâtés, salted and pickled delicacies, aspic) and hot (julienne, hot sandwiches, small individual dishes). In the Ukrainian tradition, a rich table with a variety of appetizers is a symbol of the host's hospitality and abundance. In world cuisine this category has its own equivalents: Italian antipasti, Spanish tapas, French hors d'œuvre, Greek meze. Although appetizers are small in size, it is often they that most vividly demonstrate the cook's mastery and the culinary character of a cuisine, setting the tone for the whole meal to follow.