1.
appetizer, hors d'oeuvre, starter
A small dish served at the beginning of a meal to stimulate the appetite. In Japanese cuisine, often consists of several small seasonal items.
The appetizers are small in portion, but each one is carefully prepared.
前菜 (literally "before-dish") refers to appetizers or starters.
前 = before, 菜 = dish/vegetable
In Japanese cuisine:
- Often called 先付け in kaiseki
- Features multiple small, seasonal items
- Emphasizes visual presentation
- Designed to stimulate appetite
In Western-style restaurants, the word オードブル (hors d'oeuvre) is also used.
Watch out: 前菜 belongs to course meals. The small dish an izakaya serves unasked with the first drink is お通し or 突き出し, not 前菜, and the everyday home-meal pattern (主菜, 副菜, 汁物) has no 前菜.