Appetizers Contribution by the Social Studies Department Hors d’oeuvres, appetizers, and finger foods are terms used synonymously for small portions of food consumed before a main meal. Hors d’oeuvres means “outside the meal” and are generally served away from the table. Finger foods became popular in the 1920s during Prohibition as a method for speakeasies to prevent patrons from becoming too inebriated: a drink in one hand and food in the other. Formally, an appetizer is served at the table as the first course of a main meal; it is meant to stimulate your appetite and complement the entire meal. Whether you are passing the wings at a tailgate party, enjoying oysters Rockefeller at a formal dinner party, or consuming several finger foods without a main course, the one thing in common is the socializing and sharing of food with family and friends. Since the beginning of time, we gather together and tell stories from the past and make memories for the future; we converse, we debate; we laugh, we cry; and we make history. Enjoy!
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