Course
One part of a meal, served on its own before or after the others.
In a meal served in courses, dishes come to the table one after another instead of all together. A simple European meal may have a starter, a main course and a dessert. Formal dinners can run to many more, with soup, fish, meat, salad and cheese each served in turn. This way of serving became standard in European restaurants in the nineteenth century. Many other food cultures put all the dishes on the table at once and share them.