Snacks - an important part of the meal. Even a casual dinner decorated with a small portion of salad, and a variety of eateries to imagine without food holiday table is absolutely impossible. Snacks are hot and cold, complicated and very simple, fish, meat, vegetable and mixed: navigate in this diversity can be difficult.

Distinctive features

What is a snack? Strangely enough, this question can not give a definite answer. Traditionally known as a snack dishes that are served before the main course (soup, hot) to excite the appetite. However, in some cases, meals can become self-meal: for example, they often served to alcoholic beverages. Typically, these make more savory snacks, and the choice depends on the kind of beverage. Meals are also fed to the beginning of the meal, should not saturate, so portions of snacks usually do little to consumers have the strength for the main dishes.

Snack table can be very diverse: there are snacks meat, fish and vegetables, hot and cold, holidays and everyday. The difference between the latter, however, are small: except in the cost of products and design specialties - holiday snacks decided to make particularly attractive, smart.

Such dishes are almost all ethnic cuisines, although the composition of the snack table can vary significantly. But in any case it is better to offer the greatest possible variety of dishes. Arranging snack table at home, should take care that the snacks were varied, that is, at least four species - meat, fish or seafood, mushrooms and vegetables.

For starters, supplied at the beginning of lunch or dinner, it is desirable to offer aperitifs - drinks that increase appetite. Vermouth and cocktails based on them, bitters, balsams, sherry, brandy. If a snack is served as an accompaniment to a drink, it should be guided by the drink. For white wines suitable for a variety of fish specialties, as well as vegetables with a gentle, neutral taste (asparagus, cauliflower). The taste of red wine will emphasize hot and cold meats. For cognac served fruit and fish specialties.

Appetizers

Appetizers are a strong taste - spicy, salty, spicy. In recent years become increasingly popular snacks, which unexpectedly intertwine different tastes, such as salty and sweet, sour and bitter.

Assortment of cold dishes is amazing. It is a variety of salads - from fine and light enough to hearty potato; pates and terrines; aspic of all kinds; vegetable pickles and marinades; salted and pickled mushrooms; a variety of cuts - sausage, ham, sausage, salted fish, and even cheese (although cheese is still more suitable for feeding a dessert rather than as a snack); stuffed eggs; caviar; tartlets; canapes and more.

It is necessary to make sure that the snack table was varied, although the portions should not be large. Salads can be made to the table in batches or in large salad bowl. The most elegant option - expanded salads tartlets or Vol au vent. These snacks are very attractive and have them conveniently.

Hot appetizers

Hot snack food is not as widely spread as cold. This is due to the fact that these foods should be served piping, with the heat, while cold snacks is always possible to prepare in advance. Nevertheless, hot snacks - an excellent way to diversify the table and give table of sophistication.

From the main dishes such snacks differ attractive design and quite sharp and spicy taste. Typically, they are prepared by portions. It includes a variety of hot snacks zhuleny, beads, small snack cakes, soufflés and omelets, toast, hot sandwiches. Some of these snacks can be quite hearty - they might as well replace the main course, as you apply them to an alcohol beverage. For example, small fry or fried shrimp is traditionally served in the seaside taverns of Greece, Bulgaria, Montenegro, beer, and in Germany the same drink is accompanied by sausages and sausages of all kinds.

Cheap snacks

Typically, as the snacks are usually served a variety of delicacies, but this does not mean that the snack table is bound to be expensive. In order to feed the visitors delicious, hearty and refined, it is not necessary to spend a lot of money.

Personal snacks - not the price, and variety. The more types of dishes presented, the more colorful is the table. Expensive products such as eggs and fish specialties, can be diluted with more affordable home pickles, mushrooms, salads, smoked meat. Let the dishes are not very expensive, but beautifully decorated and delicious.

If snacks only precede the main meal, they should be small. If nothing else feeding is not planned, it is better to give up not cheap cuts of meat and fish to salads and cereal snacks. So, a perfect option would be a miniature sandwiches, profiteroles stuffed with savory or tartlets. Suit and small snack cakes "one bite." Due to the bread dough and snacks are very satisfying, while they look very tempting. Forget about the variety again is not necessary as it is not necessary, and save on the decoration of dishes Decoration of dishes: a spectacular submission . Colorful appetizers decorated with greens and slices of vegetables or fruit are very attractive.

A real find for economical snack table - hot snacks. Cost of julienne Julien: gourmet hot appetizer   It is quite small, yet this dish is considered one of the most delicate and refined. Fried in spicy breading Breading: the secrets of delicious fried foods   cheese, marinated fish, a variety of toast with vegetable toppings will cost too expensive, but deliver guests a great pleasure.

Maria Bykov

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