[PDF] entrée --- --- plat principal --- --- --

What is the difference between entrée and plat principal?

Nowadays, French diners still use entrée to refer to an appetizer or a starter and use "plat principal" to describe the main course. The modern American three-course meal of an appetizer, entree, and dessert understandably confuses visitors from France.

What does entrée mean on a restaurant menu?

In France, the modern meaning of "entrée" on a restaurant menu is the small course that precedes the main course in a three-course meal, [g] i.e., the course which in British usage is often called the "starter" and in American usage the "appetizer".

When did entrées become a'relevé'?

In the late 18th century, the practice arose of removing the empty soup tureens and replacing them with additional grosses entrées or entrées de broche; these replacement dishes were commonly called "relevés"; they were last of the entrées consumed at the meal, though they often appear on menus right after the potages.

What is a large entrée called?

Large, whole joints of meat (usually beef or veal) and very large fowl (turkey and geese) were categorized as grandes or grosses entrées. When roasted, those whole joints and fowl were called "spit-roasted entrées" ( entrées de broche ); they were always served with a sauce to distinguish them from true roasts.