Hors d'oeuvre
A small savoury item served before a meal or at the start of it.
Also: appetiser, appetizer, starter, canape
Hors d'oeuvre is French for outside the work, meaning apart from the main meal. The term covers small savoury bites served with drinks before dinner, or as a first course at the table. They are meant to wake the appetite, not to fill. Canapes, stuffed eggs, olives, small pastries and cured meats are typical. Many cultures have their own form, such as Russian zakuski, Italian antipasto and the meze of the eastern Mediterranean.