The composition of restaurant
menus is based on the approved sequential order of dishes which
is French in origin and was adopted by English restaurants in
the nineteenth century. The names for most courses are French
(but native equivalents for some of them are also available),
e.g., hors d’oeuvre, entrée, pièce de résistance,
sorbet, and the naturalized
soup and
dessert. It is also
worth reminding ourselves at this point that such basic words
for meals as dinner
and supper were
taken from Old French.
Restaurant, restaurateur, maître d’hôtel, chef, cuisine, menu, à la
carte, carte du jour, table d’hôte, Sommelier,
and other French words and phrases used in English all bear witness
to the high prestige of the French restaurant culture many of whose
standards and principles still continue to be considered de
rigueur by professional caterers in this country.
