Canape Recipes

What is a Canapé?

Although sometimes people use the words interchangeably, canapés are appetizers, but not all appetizers are canapés. Canapés are defined as finger foods that consist of crackers, pastry, or thin slices of bread that have been cut into geometric shapes (rounds, diamonds, triangles, etc.), with some type of tasty topping. For a fancy affair, one might serve golden, buttery pieces of toast that are spread with duck liver pâté, piled high with lobster salad, or topped with sour cream, cucumber, and caviar. In a more casual setting, the toppings might consist of a blend of cream cheese and Spanish olives, slices of ham and cheddar, or egg salad.

Because they are easy to pick up and eat neatly, canapés are often served at parties where people are circulating around a room rather than sitting at a table. Thus, they make popular items at events like wedding receptions, art gallery openings, and cocktail parties. However, because of their small size and because they are eaten with the fingers, they are also an excellent choice for children’s parties.

History

Oddly enough, the word canapé is ultimately derived from “konops,” the Greek word for mosquito. “Konopeion,” a related word, refers to the net that was draped over couches or beds to protect people from stinging insects. By the time the word reached Old French, it was used to mean pieces of furniture, like four-poster beds, that were protected by drapes or hanging curtains. It seems chefs thought the appetite teasers made from bread or pastry and “draped” with toppings looked like couches with canopies, and thus the familiar term was born.