FRENCH CLASSICAL MENU


French classical menu comprises thirteen courses arranged in a particular sequence or pattern. In professional menu planning for lunch or dinner dishes are selected from the thirteen courses and arranged in the same sequence The thirteen courses and their examples are discussed hereunder.


STARTER

These are also referred to as horsd’oeuvres in French. They are served at the beginning of a meal particularly in lunch. They traditionally comprise small amount of tidbits which are tangy in taste and are served to stimulate the appetite for the future courses to come. Horsd’oeuvres are divided into two different types. They are:

1. Classical horsd’oeuvres.
2. Horsd’oeuvres/ Horsd’oeuvre varies.

Classical horsd’oeuvres-- These are very expensive and each has a unique standard of service. When served they are not served accompanied with any other starter. Hence they are also referred to as single horsd’oeuvres. Since they are served as substitute to the inexpensive horsd’oeuvres they are also referred to as horsd’oeuvre substitute..Each classical starter or horsd’oeuvre has it’s unique standard of service. Unique standard of service mean
a) Each has it’s own unique set of cutlery to eat.
b) Each has it’ own set of accompaniments.
c) Each of them is served in a style typical to only itself.

Following are the examples of some of the classical horsd ‘oeuvres.

Non-vegetarian classical horsd’oeuvres:

1. Caviar. In French it is referred to as “caviare”.
2. Smoked salmon. In French it is referred to as “Saumon fume”.
3. Smoked trout. In French it is referred to as “Truit fume”.
4. Smoked Eel. In French it is referred to as “Anguille fume”.
5. Ham mousse. In French it is referred to as “Mousse de jambon”
6. Snails. In French called “Escargot”
7. Oysters. In French called “Les huitre”
8. Potted shrimps.
9. Gull’s egg. In French it is called “Oeuf de mouette”
10. Fresh prawns. In French called as “Les crevette rose”
11. Pate de foie gras.
12. Shell fish cocktail.

Vegetarian:

1. Grapefruit cocktail In French it is called “Cocktail de pamplemousse”
2. Tomato juice. In French called “Juice de tomate”
3. Asparagus. In French referred to as “asperges”
4. Corn on the cob. In French referred to as “Mais naturel”
5. Globe artichoke. In French referred to as “Artichaut”
6. Avocado. It is referred to as “Avocat”
7. Chilled melon. In French it is referred to as “Melon frappe”

Horsd’oeuvre varies:.

They are not as expensive as classical horsd’oeuvres. They normally comprise tangy tidbits prepared from leftovers from other main meat., fish, poultry and vegetable preparations. When they are served they are served in combination with other horsd’oeuvres, hence referred to as horsd’oeuvre varies. When they are served to the guest they are often presented in a trolley or a tray. The tray or the trolley has individual compartments called ravier which contains the horsd’oeuvres from where the starters are served with the help of a tea spoon. Every ravier contains a separate teaspoon. When horsd’oeuvres are served they are traditionally accompanied by oil and vinegar cruet. Oil and vinegar cruet is also referred to as horsd’oeuvre varies cruet. All horsd’oeuvres (not classical horsd’oeuvres) are eaten with a fish knife and a fish fork.

Examples of vegetarian horsd’oeuvre:

1. Artichoke ala Grecque—Cook small ones in water, lemon juice and oil with fennel, bay leaf, thyme and coriander and serve with some of the cooking liquid.
2. Beetroot Normande—Cut into batons, mix with French dressing and garnish with batons of apple.
3. Pickled red cabbage—Blanch finely shredded cabbage, cover with spiced cold vinegar and use as required.
4. Cole slaw—This is finely shredded white cabbage and carrots and mixed with mayonnaise. Optional additions include gherkins, nuts, onion, pimento, sultanas etc.
5. Carrots Jardiniere—Marinate cooked batons of carrots in a French dressing.
6. Cauliflower Portugaise—Cook florets of cauliflower in a mixture of chopped onions and diced tomatoes in oil with thyme and bay leaf.
7. Celery a la Russe-- Mix batons of celery with grated horseradish cream and mustard.
8. Marinated mushrooms—Cook in a mixture of vinegar, oil, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, fennel and coriander and serve with some of the liquid.
9. Pimento salad—Finely shred green yellow and white pimentos and mix with batons of tomato flesh and vinaigrette dressing.
10. Sweet corn paprika—Mix cooked grains of corn with cream and paprika.



Mixed vegetable salads can also be served as a part of horsd’oeuvre varies selection.
Some examples are as follows:

1. Salad jardinière—Mix equal quantity of batons of carrots and turnip, peas and diamonds of French beans and flavour with vinaigrette.
2. Russian salad—Take equal quantities of 8mm dices of carrots and turnip, peas and diced French beans and mix with mayonnaise.
3. Salad Nicoise—Mix sliced French beans, diced tomatoes and stoned black olives with chopped onions and dressing.

Non-vegetarian
Fish based
1. Bismark Herring- They are soused boned herring usually purchased ready for use.
2. Roll Mops- Roll fillets into paupiettes, pack in jars, cover with vinegar and white wine, flavour with onion rings, bayleaf and keep refrigerated for 3 to 4 days before serving.
3. Herring a la Russe- Cut smoked fillets of herrings into thin slices, arrange on sliced cooked potatoes and sprinkle with chopped chervil, shallots, fennel, oil and vinegar.
4. Kilkis- These are Norwegian anchovies that are served as purchased.
5. Sardines a la crème- Sardines coat with mustard flavored acidulated cream.
Egg based-
1. Egg Aurore- Fill halves of hard boiled eggs with yolk made into a puree with béchamel and coat with cocktail sauce.
2. Egg mayonnaise- Arrange sliced, halved or quartered egg on shredded lettuce and mask with mayonnaise, garnish to choice.

Pasta based-
1. Spaghetti Humbert- Mix with batons of tomato, red and green pimento and flavor with French dressing.
2. Macaroni Milanaise- Mix with juliennes of tongue, mushrooms and truffle and bind with mayonnaise.
Meat based-

1. Beef salad- Mix diced cooked beef with diced potato and tomato, chopped onions and French dressing.
2. Pork trotters- Cut into juliennes and mix with mustard flavored French dressing.
3. Ham cornets- Roll thinly cut triangular shapes slices of ham into cone and fill them with ham puree.
4. Veal’s ears- Cut into juliennes and mix with julienne of gherkins and pimento, mix with French dressing.
5. Sausages- Remove the skin, cut the sausages into very thin round slices and arrange overlapping in a ravier with thin elongated slices of gherkins between each slice.




SOUP


A liquid food served at the beginning of a meal, or for lunch, a snack etc.
French for soup is soupe or potage .
Originally in France soupe was a slice of bread on which was poured the content of the cooking pot (potage). Soup and potage are almost synonymous although the former is used to designate unstrained vegetable , meat or fish soup garnished with bread, pasta or rice. It is also used for regional or classical soup with bread added to them such as French onion soup.

Soups can be classified into two broad categories. They are :-
1. Thick soups
2. Thin soups

Thick soups are further subdivided basing upon the kind of thickening agent used. Thick soups are further subdivided into the following categories:-
1. Cream soup
2. Puree soup
3. Veloute soup
4. Bisque

1. Cream soup – Cream soup is characterized by the presence of Bechamel sauce is the thickening agent. The basic ingredients can be fish , shellfish , poultry , vegetables or rice etc. Cream soups normally use chervil leaves or croutons as the thickening agent .This type of soup can be made by finishing a puree soup with cream.It can also be made by adding veloute sauce to a puree of veg or meat and finishing with cream. It always used to made by mixing equal quantity of basic puree , Bechamel and stock. Any of the puree and potage soup can be creamed and included under this heading . The resultant soup would be very smooth and creamy .
Some examples of thick soups are:-
• Cream of Tomato soup
• Cream of Mushroom soup
• Cream of Asparagus soup
• Cream of Artichoke soup
• Cream of rice soup
• Cream of Rice soup
• Cream of Almond soup
• Cream of Spinach soup


Cream of Spinach is also referred to as Cream Florentine in Freach. The word Florentine indicates the presence of spinach in the preparation.
Below given are some descriptions and the main ingredient they indicate presence of:-

Description Ingredients they indicate presence of
1. Florentine Spinach
2. Clamart Split peas
3. Du Barry Cauliflower
4. Gumbo Okra
5. Doria Cucumber
6. Portugaise Tomato
7. Nasselrode Chestnut puree
8. Palestine Jerusalem artichoke
9.Crecy Carrots
10. Princesse Asparagus tips
11. Argenteuil Sauce containing asparagus puree
12. Albert Leeks
13. Champenoise Celery
14. Bressane Pumpkin


PUREE SOUP : This category of soup is thickened by the starch content of the vegetable itself , which is used for the preparation of soup . this kind of soup is usually made from a particular kind of vegetable either fresh or dried often with the addition of potatoes or rice if the veg used is not a starchy one. Fresh vegetables are first cooked in butter before adding stock or water. The consistency should be smooth and the colour and flavor very delicate. Some examples of puree soups are:-

1. Puree of Avocado Soup
2. Puree Albert – cook leeks in butter , add stock and potatoes , make into a puree and finish with cream , garnish with juliennes of carrots, celery and leeks.
3. Puree Argenteuil – Stew sliced onion and trimmings of asparagus in butter, cook in stock, make into a puree , finish with cream and garnish with asparagus tips.
4. Puree Celery – Puree of celery and finish with butter and cream and garnished with diced celery.

VELOUTE SOUP: This category of soup is made by cooking cut meat or vegetables in Veloute sauce made with chicken or veal stock. After being pureed, the soup is thickened with liaison of egg yolk and cream after which it must not be allowed to boil. The velvety smoothness of fine flavor is further enhanced by the addition of butter . either plain or flavored and colored one.

Examples of Veloute soup :-
1. Artichoke Veloute soup
2. Asparagus Veloute soup
3. Mushrom Veloute soup
4. Chicken Veloute soup

BISQUE: This category of soup is made with pureed shellfish and cream . The shellfish is cooked raw in butter with a mirepoix , flamed with brandy and cooked in white wine and stock with rice as the thickening agent. The shells are crushed and replaced in the soup which is then passed and finished with cream and then butter.

Examples of bisque are :-

1. Shrimp bisque - Bisque de cervettes
2. Crayfish - Bisque de langustine
3. Lobster bisque - Bisque d’homard
4. Crawfish bisque - Bisque de langouste
5. Calamar bisque - Bisque of squid
6. Chicago bisque - Mix bisque of lobster with tomato soup and garnish with seed tapioca and dices of lobster .
7. Potato Americaine - Blend crayfish bisque with cream of tomato soup and garnish with tapioca seeds.





THIN SOUP--- CONSOMME

Meat , poultry or fish served hot or cold generally at dinner, at beginning of a meal particularly.
Consomme is traditionally clarified with aggshell.


DIFFERENT CONSOMME GARNISHES

1. Consomme Royal – Chicken consommé garnished with savoury egg custard cut into any shape.
2. Consomme Celestine – Beef consommé garnished very thin pancakes made with fine herbs in the mixture.
3. Consomme Carmen – A beef consommé made with the flavor of tomato and pimento and garnished with dices of tomato ,juliennes of pimento, rice and springs of chervil.
4. Consomme Mercedes – C0nsomme flavored with dry sherry , garnished with small rings of red pimento and cockscomb.
5. Consomme Ambassadrice – Chicken consommé garnished with dices of thre different types of royals .peas , tomatoes and truffles also diced chicken and mushroom.
6. Consomme Monte Carlo – Chicken consommé garnished with paysennes of carrot truffles,turnips and juliennes of savory pancakes made with fine herbs .
7. Consomme Bonaparte – Chicken consommé garnished with ordinary chicken quenelles.
8. Consomme Nesselrode – Chicken consommé garnished with profit roles half-filled with chestnut puree and onion puree and other half with duxelles.


COLD SOUP


1.Ajo Blanco – Emulsify almond and garlic in olive oil and moisten with water and served poured over dried slices of bread .
2. Avocado – Cold soup made from puree avocado , lemon juice and chicken stock and garnished with chives and cream.
3. Botvinia - Cold soup from Russia made with from beetroot leaves ,sorrel and spinach , white wine ,tarragon and gherkins and served with ice in it.
4. Chotodriece – Fermented picked gherkins juice garnished with chives , crayfish , dill, diced beetroot and sliced hard-boiled eggs.
5. Cucumber soup – Pureed cucumber with veloute bound with liason and garnished with diced cucumber and shredded sorrel.
6. Gazpacho – Blend raw cucumber , pimento and tomatoes and crushed garlic and and bread emulsified in oil , season with cumin and serve accompanied with chopped onion , diced cucumber , tomato ,pimento and fried breadcrumbs.
7. Okhrochka – Mix hard boiled egg yolks with mustard , cooked mashed potatoes and sour cream and moisten with kyass and diced cooked white of eggs , cooked beetroot , carrot ,pickled gherkins and flavored with dill.
8. Princesse Royale – Mix equal parts of cream of chicken and cream of asparagus and garnish with juliennes of chicken , ham and ox tongue.
9. Ritz – Add concentrated tomato puree to Vichyssoise and finished with chopped chives and chopped tomatoes.
10. Saint Cloud – Add chopped fresh mint to cream of green pea soup and garnish with dices of green pea royale.
11. Strawberry soup – Macerate strawberries with stock syrup , pass through a sieve and then add white wine and lemon juice.
12. Vichyssoise – Stew leek with onion butter , add chicken stock , milk and potatoes and finish with cream and chopped chives.
13. Lilly soup – Garnish cream of chicken soup with chopped stewed sorrel and juliennes of chicken.
14. Consomme Madrilene – Make a consommé with celery , pimento and tomatoes and set with very little gelatine.


NATIONAL SOUPS


1. Avgolemeno – ( Greece) – Mutton stock blended with egg and lemon juice.
2. Minestrone – ( Italy) –An Italian mixed veg soup containing pasta or rice . It is made with pumpkin, cabbage ,broad beans, courgettes , red kidney beans , celery and tomatoes and garnished with three pastas : cannolichi ( small cubes filled with meat and herbs ) ,ditalini (small finger shape0 and penne (feather like) . It is often served with pesto ,which is thick oily sauce made with fresh basil , olive oil, garlic and grated cheese.

3.Gazpacho – (Spain) – The literal meaning of Gazpacho is soaked bread.

5. Bortsch – ( Russia) – A soup based on stewed meat with various veg like beetroot , mushrooms and white kidney beans.
6. Calm Chowder – (U.S.) Stewed diced leeks , onion and salt belly of pork . Potatoes and cooked clam and butter and fish stock, finish with cream and crushed cream craqckers.
7. Linsensuppe (Germany) – Lentil soup flavored with salted pork.
8. Waterzoi (Belgium) – A Flemish speciality compromising freshwater fish and eel cooked in a court buillion with herbs . Hamburg parsley root and veg . The preparation is finished with generous amount of fresh cream and thickened with breadcrumbs sometimes .
9. Cock –e Leekie (Scotland) _ A Scottish specialty whose name literally means cock and leek. It is a substantial soup made with chicken and leek and thickened with barley.
10. Hungarian Goulash (Hungary) – A soup made from beef and potatoes flavored with paprika .
11. Oxtail (England) – A soup made from the liquid extract in which the oxtail has been boiled to which is added lean beef , egg white and aromatic veg tor clarification and garnished with dices of oxtail and brunnoise of vegetables.
12. Mulligatawny (India and Sri Lanks) – It is a chicken consommé to which are added stewed veg (cumin, carrot and celery ) and highly seasoned with curry powder and spices garnished with blanched almonds and coconut cream.
13. Pot e feu (France) – A soup almost a meal in itself made with meat mainly beef and various types of veg in stock water.
14. Polish Bortsch (Poland) –








PASTA (Farinaceous)



This course compromises pasta and rice dishes .

Pasta are made from durum wheat semolina that has high gluten content , water and egg.
In Italy pasta is eaten as a first course , a main course and a garnish to many soups and meat dishes . In France pasta is generally eaten as an accompaniment to the main course .

Pasta can be divided into 2 broad categories.

1. Dried Pasta
2. Fresh Pasta




Dried pastas are generally factory made and thoroughly dried so that it can be stored indefinitely.
Fresh pasta are made in the kitchen itself.

The main types of pastas :-

• Spaghetti – Long thin rod shaped pastas.
• Macaroni – Long and short tubes .
• Fettuccine - Lomg flat strips, ribbon shaped pastas.
• Buccatini – Very thin macaroni .
• Fussili – Long hollow spirals .
• Cannelloni – Large tubes .
• Ravioli – Stuffed squares .
• Agnelotti – Stuffed rounds .
• Farfalle – Bow or butterfly shaped . Linguini -Thin flat ribbon shaped thinner than fettuccine.
• Penne – Angled tubes .
• Ziti – Large tubes .
• Lasagne – Wide flat strip also made in green and red color.
• Rigatoni – Ribbed tubes .
• Manecotti – Smooth tubes.


Some pasta preparations :-

Spaghetti Napolitaine – spaghetti in tomato based sauce comprising tomatoes. Chopped concassed tomatoes , garlic , shallots, basil or marjoram and olive oil .
Note : The sauce that is served with this dish is not Napolitiane Sauce, it is known as Pizzaola sauce.

Spaghetti Bolognaise – Saute chopped and minced beef until brown and sliced mushroom and red wine. Reduce. Add brown sauce and garlic . Cook and pile in ……….. of buttered pasta.

Fettuccine Carbonara – sauté chopped garlic and ham ; add whisked cream . Cook lightly before mixing with the pasta.

Ravioli Arabiata – Ravioli mixed with pimento flavored spicy tomato sauce .

Macaroni Italienne – Tossed drained macaroni in hot butter , season with salt papper and grated nutmeg and fish by adding grated parmesan cheese.

Ziti Levantine – Add cooked Ziti to diced ham and tomato flavored cream sauce.

Farfalle Imperial – Add dices of foie gras , mushrooms and truffles and mixed with Madira Sauce.

Linguini Sicilienne – Make a fine puree of lightly sautéed chicken liver , mix with little chicken veloute and stir in the pasta .

The different rice dishes that are incorporated in this course are :-

Risotto –An Italian rice dish. The rice is fried in oil with chopped onion till golden brown that put in stock. Butter and various garnishes are added such as various veg , cheese , ham , mushrooms etc.
Risotto garnish ala Milanaise, Piementaise etc can be served .

Other rice dishes include:-

Rice ala Creole
Rice ala Grecque – Rice cooked with olive oil , raisin , onion and garlic.
Rice au Gras – Rice cooked with chicken and beef stock .





EGG (Oeufs)


This course does not include preparations like boiled eggs , fried eggs , scrambled eggs , etc. which are served during the breakfast. This course includes the following preparations:-

• Moulded Egg – Oeufs mould – Break into a buttered dariole mould , cook in a bain marie , almost covered with a lid for apporx. 10 mins. The egg should be soft . Turn out and serve .
• Egg Africaine – Serve on slice of ham placed on a round buttered toast, garnish with a spoonful of pilaf rice and some tomato concase .
• Egg Aurore – Place the egg on an oval or round bouchee and coat with sauce supreme colored and flavored with tomatoes
• Eggs Benedictine-Cover a toasted crumper with a round Ox tongue, place the egg on top and cover with sauce Hollandaise.
• Eggs en-cocotte/Oeufs en –cocotte – Break an egg into a buttered egg cocotte dish, cook in the oven in a bain marie of hot water for approximately 6 mins. Cover with a lid. The yolk should still be soft.
• Oeufs en –cocotte bordelaise- Place a poached slice of bone marrow in the cocotte dish when cooked and finish with red wine sauce.
• Oeufs en –cocotte Colbert – Line a cocotte dish with chicken and fine herbs, force meat and eggs .Cook and finish with Colbert Sauce.
• Oeufs en –cocotte Florentine- Place the buttered spinach mixed with diced anchovy in the cocotte dish and eggs.Cover it with grated parmesan cheese, cook and glaze.
• Oeufs sur le plat- Shirred eggs.
• Oeufs sur le plat Alsacienne- Place cooked saurkrat in a Oeufs sur le plat dish, break an egg on top and cook and serve with a slice of hot garlic sausage.
• Oeufs sur le plat bercy- Cook in the usual way and garnish with a pair of small chipolatas and tomato sauce.
• Oeufs sur le plat doria- Garnish the cooked egg with diamonds of sautéed cucumber mixed with cream.

Fish (Poisson)

Deep fried fish preparation:
• Fillet of sole Colbert- Fillet of sole egg washed , rolled in the bread crumbs, deep fried and served with Colbert butter(Maitre d’ hotel butter + meat glaze + chopped tarragon)
• Fillet of pomfret Orly- Fillet of pomfret egg washed, rolled in bread crumbs, frying batter .Deep fried and served with tomato sauce.
• Fillet of Halibut frit- Fillet of halibut egg washed, rolled in bread crumbs, deep fried and served.
• Fillet of Lemon Sole Crawford- Roll the fillet of lemon sole in egg wash , roll in bread crumbs. Deep fried and served with tartare sauce.
• Fillet of cod Bambouche- Fillet of cod egg washed , rolled in bread crumbs, twisted into a spiral, deep fried and served on a bed of buttered macedaine of vegetables.
Shallow fried fish- The basic method of cooking is called a la meuniere.
• Fillet of sole Meuniere- Roll fillet of sole in flour, shallow fry on hot butter, basting it occasionally. .Place it in a dish with a peeled slice of lemon on each fillet sprinkle with lemon juice, pour nut butter all over at the last moment and sprinkle with chopped parsley.
• Fillet of sole Belle Meuniere-Dip in flour, shallow fry in hot butter garnish with skinned tomato, mushrooms, sautéed soft roe and sprinkle with lemon juice and coat with nut butter.
• Fillet of John Dory Benzamine- Fold the fillet of John dory into half, egg wash, bread crumb, shallow fry and place it on a baked potato which is mptied, filled with creamed mushrooms and serve with sauce Americaine.
• Fillet of carp David- Shallow fry the fillet of Carp, sprinkle with bread crumbs, lemon juice and chopped parsley.
• Fillet of dover sole Grand Hotel- Shallow fry fillet of dover sole and garnish with bouquet of sautéed diced potato, artichoke bottoms, cover with nut brown butter and little meat glaze and sprinkle with parsley.

Poached fish preparations-
• Fillet of sole Duglere- Cook fillet of sole in white wine and fish stock with chopped parsley , shallots and tomatoes. Reduce the cooking liquid.
• Fillet of pomfret Bonne Femme- Cook in white wine, fish stock with chopped shallots, parsley and diced button mushrooms. Reduce the cooking liquid , finish with butter and cream. Coat the fish and glaze. A border of cooked sliced potatoes is authentic.
• Fillet of perch Princesse- Coat the poached fish with white wine sauce containing puree of asparagus, decorate with truffles and garnish with nest of duchesse potatoes, filled with asparagus tips.
• Fillet of haddock Walevwska- The name given to fish poached in a fumet, garnished with slices of lobster and thinly sliced truffles and covered with Mornay Sauce. Finish it with lobster butter and glaze in the oven.
• Fillet of dover sole Provencal- Poach the fish in fish stock and oil with chopped garlic, coat with sauce provencal containing the reduced cooking liquid and garnish with tomato stuffed a la provencal.

Grilled Fish preparations :
• Grilled salmon with lemon butter- Pieces of salmon without bone, grilled and served with lemon butter.
• Grilled whitebait Maitre d’ hotel- Grilled whitebait served with pieces of maitre d’ hotel butter.
• Grilled conger eel Nicoise- Cover the grilled slice of conger eel with garlic and tomato and decorate with olives and trellies of anchovy.


Shellfish Preparations:

• Lobster Americaine-Dices of lobster cooked with tomatoes, butter, crushed garlic, shallots and white wine and oil, finally a good helping of brandy.
• Lobster/crayfish/crawfish Newburg- Lobster Americaine with cream and fish stock.
• Lobster/crayfish/crawfish Thermidor- Cooked in bercy sauce or cream. Seasoned with mustard and arranged in two half of the shell,either sprinkled with grated parmesan cheese and gratinated or covered with Mornay Sauce.


Entrée
Entrée is the first meat course in the French Classical Menu. This course comprises small pieces of meat, which are served with a sauce or gravy. The meat preparation may or may not be with bone.
Some Chicken based entrée are as under-
• Chicken Maryland- Coat with egg wash and bread crumbs, shallow fry and serve with a grilled rasher of bacon, corn and banana fritters grilled tomatoes and served with a horseradish sauce.
• Chicken Marengo- Sautéed chicken garnish with sautéed mushrooms, glazed onions, fried eggs and crayfish tail.
• Chicken sauté chasseur- Sautéed chicken cooked in a sauce made up of demiglaze, mushrooms, shallots, tomatoes and white wine.
• Chicken Mexicaine- Sauteed chicken served with tomato flavored demiglaze, which has been mixed with shredded red peppers and garnished with mushrooms, stuffed with chopped tomatoes, sautéed peppers and aubergine pulp.
• Chicken a la rex- Chicken cooked in a veloute containing mushrooms and red and green sweet peppers.

Some beef based entrée are as under-
• Beef Wellington-Seal the fillet of beef in hot fat for 10 minutes.Allow it to get cold. Place it on a bed of duxelle lined on a puff pastry . Envelope the steak in the pastry. Transfer onto a tray and apply with egg wash, bake for 10 mins at around 150 degree C. Slice and serve with Madeira sauce.
• Beef Stroganaff- A preparation of thinly sliced beef, coated with a cream sauce and garnished with mushrooms and onions. Served on a bed of rice.
• Beef Bourgogne- Marinate the joint in white wine and braise it with calf’s foot. Half way through the cooking remove the joint and place it in a casserole with carrots and glazed onions. Complete the cooking in a casserole.
Cold Entrée are as follows-

• Tartare steak- A raw steak made with minced beef, seasoned with salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce. The meat is shaped into balls and hollowed in the centre. Break an egg into the hollowed part . Arrange 1 tb spoon of chopped onions , chopped shallots and chopped parsley around the meat and serve.
• Entrecote Bordelaise- Grilled entrecote garnished with chopped bone marrow, which is poached in stock and sprinkled with chopped parsley.Serve with Bordelaise sauce. (Espagnole + meat glaze + lemon juice + diced bone marrow + reduction of red wine, shallots and seasonings.)

Mutton based entrée are as under-
• Moussaka- A dish from Greece, made from dices of aubergine arranged in layers alternating with chopped mutton, onion, aubergine pulp often with addition of a thick béchamel sauce. Moussaka is served with a tomato fondue.
• Irish stew- A stew made from mutton and potatoes. Pieces of neck end of mutton are arranged in alternate layers with sliced potatoes and onions. Water is added to the pot and is left to simmer on a very low heat. The traditional accompaniment is pickled red cabbage and Worcestershire sauce.
• Halicot- A stew made from chopped muttons, turnips, onions, potatoes and sometimes haricot beans.
• Mutton cutlet chasseur- Sauteed cutlets of mutton served with a demiglaze containing shallots, mushrooms, tomatoes and white wine.
• Mutton cutlets a la Villeroi- Braise the mutton cutlets and leave them to cool in their stock. Drain them and coat in Villeroi sauce. Then dip them in beaten eggs and roll in bread crumbs. Fry till golden in clarified butterand serve them with perigaux sauce.
Villeroi sauce- Meat stock + white stock + mushroom essence (reduced). The sauce may be finished with truffle essence and puree of tomatoes and onions.
Perigaux sauce-Madeira sauce + chopped truffles.

Lamb based entrée-
• Breaded lamb cutlets- Season the cutlets with salt,peppers and coat them with beaten eggs and roll in breadcrumbs and coat them with beaten egg then with breadcrumbs. Saute on both sides in clarified butter. Arrange them in a crown and sprinkle with noisette batter.
• Lamb cutlets Du Barry- Sauteed or grilled lamb chops arranged in a dish with cauliflower, Mornay on its side.
• Lamb chop Mexicaine- Sauteed or grilled lamb chops cooked and served with a tomato flavored demiglaze to which shredded red pepper has been added. It is garnished with mushrooms stuffed with chopped tomatoes, chopped sweet potatoes and aubergine pulp.
• Lamb brochettes- Boneless cubes of lamb cut from the leg of lamb skewered with alternating slices of blanched lemon and sliced wild mushrooms. Brush with melted butter before grilling. Serve on a bed of buttered rice.
• Grilled lamb cutlets- Season the cutlets with salt and pepper, brush them with melted butter and cook over a barbecue. Arrange on a serving dish, garnish with watercress. Serve sprinkled with lemon juice.

Pork based entrée-

• Grilled pork chops- Season the pork chops with salt and pepper, brush with melted butter and grill either on barbecue. Arrange on a serving dish, garnish with watercress. Serve sprinkled with lemon juice.
• Mother’s creton- A cold preparation made out of minced pork, mixed with chopped onions, garlic, breadcrumbs, milk, chopped parsley, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly and cook for 2 hrs. Cool and blend in a processor. Put in a buttered terrine and refrigerate until firm.
• Pork chops charcutier- Sauteed pork chops served with a Charcutier sauce. Charcutier sauce is a demiglaze added with white wine, mustard and gherkins. The serving dish should be lined with mashed potatoes.
• Pork chops Alsacienne- Sauteed or grilled pork chops served with braised sauerkraut with bacon and slices of chipolata.
• Pork chops with Robert Sauce- Grilled pork chops served with Robert Sauce. Robert Sauce is a demiglaze with white wine, sugar and mustard.

Offals (Internal edible 0rgans) based entrees
• Haggis- A Scottish national dish consisting of sheep’s stomach stuffed with a spicy mixture of animal’s heart, liver, lungs, onions, oatmeal and mutton fat. The haggis is boiled for 2 hrs in stock. It is served with a puree of turnips or vegetables that have been boiled with it. The traditional accompaniment is Malt Whisky.
• Steak and kidney pie- A British specialty consisting of a hot pie with a filling of lean beef and kidney to which are added onions and mushrooms or sometimes potatoes, hard boiled eggs or oysters.
• Lamb kidney Turbigo- Lamb kidney cut into half, sautéed and garnished with grilled chipolatas , sautéed mushrooms and covered with a sauce made from cooking juice mixed with white wine and tomato flavored demiglaze sauce.
• Calf liver al’anglaise- Thin slices of calf liver sautéed in hot butter. Served garnished with fried bacon, sprinkled with lemon juice, chopped parsley and accompanied with steamed potatoes.

RELEVE
These generally comprises the big joints etc. that must be carved before the guest for service. These are generally the butcher’s joints, which are either roasted or grilled or braised. They are served with their own accompanying sauce and accompanying vegetables.

Examples-
1. Roast leg of lamb with mint sauce.
2. Roast leg of mutton with onion sauce.
3. Roast leg of pork with apple sauce.
4. Roast shoulder of pork with 5 spices.
5. Roast Milk lamb.
6. Roast loin of lamb.
7. Braised joint of beef.
8. Spit roasted ribs of beef.


SORBET

It is the interval course and taken after the releve to provide some kind of an interval before the roast is served.
A type of water ice that is softer and more granular than ice cream and it does not contain any fat or egg yolk.
The basic ingredients of Sorbet are-

1. A fruit juice or fruit puree, fruit fumet.
2. Wine, spirit, liqueur or infusion of tea or coffee.
3. Sugar syrup sometimes with the addition of glucose.
4.
The mixture should not be beaten during freezing and when it is set some Italian meringue can be added to give it volume. A sorbet differs from an Italian Granita in having Italian meringue. Granita does not contain any Italian meringue.

Examples
1. Peach sorbet.
2. Pear sorbet.
3. Raspberry sorbet.
4. Calvados sorbet.
5. Lemon sorbet.
6. Champagne sorbet.
7. Apricot sorbet.
8. Sugarcane and Champagne sorbet.

During this course the Russian cigarettes are passed to the guest in a formal banquet and hence the ashtray is also passed. Nowadays the sorbets are also served as sweet dishes.

Roast
This is the heaviest course in the French Classical Menu and comprises roast poultry, roast game birds and roast game animals. Game birds are called feathered game and game animals are called furred animals. When these dishes are served they are served with their own accompanying sauce, roast gravy and vegetables. Game chips or roast potatoes are commonly served with roast course. A salad is also served along with the roast, which is served in a salad crescent.
Examples-
Game Animals
a. Large games.
1. Deer or Venison
2. Roebuck
3. Wild boar.
4. Reindeer
5. Hare




Game birds- Woodcock, pheasants, hazel grouse, partridge,, wood pigeon, capercaille, black grouse, lark, garden warbler, thrush, black bird, ortollan plover, wild turkey etc.
Poultry -Chicken, turkey, rabbit, duck, hazelhen etc.
When a roast is planned it is just planned as “Roast chicken or Roast turkey or Roast venison or Roast partridge”.

The game animals are normally served with redcurrant jelly or Cumberland sauce which is Port wine + Orange juice + Lemon juice + Red currant jelly.
Roast game birds are generally served with bread sauce and cranberry sauce.


Vegetables
From here onwards the menu tends to become lighter. Normally all the vegetables that are served as classical hors d’ oeuvres are served here as well. Same accompaniments are also served.
Examples-
1. Asparagus
2. Artichoke
3. Corn on the cob

SWEET
Some examples are as under-

• Peach Melba- Created in 1892 by Escoffier when he was the Executive Chef at the Savoy Hotel in London. He dedicated it to Dame Nellie Melba, the famous 19th Century opera singer from Australia. It was first served at a dinner given by the Duke of Orleans to celebrate his triumph. Escoffier first introduced Peach Melba in a menu in 1900 for the opening of the Carlton when he was in charge of the kitchen. Today it consists of poached stoned peach halfs placed on a bed of vanilla ice cream covered with raspberry puree.
.
• Baba-au-rhum-A cake made from leavened dough that contains raisins and is steeped after baking in either rum or kirsch syrup. The origin of the dish is attributed to the greediness of the Polish King Stanilas Leszcsynski who was exiled in Lorraine who found the traditional kougloaf dough too dry and tried to improve it by adding rum. As a dedicated reader of The thousand and one night. He is said to have named the creation after his very favourite hero Ali Baba.

• Baked Alaska- Also called as Norwegian Omelette and quite similar to Omelette Surprise. An American doctor called Dr. Rumford first invented the recipe of the dish. The dish comprises a base of Genoise sponge soaked in liqueur on which is placed a block of fruit or vanilla ice-cream, the whole thing being masked with Plain or Italian Meringue. This is cooked in a very hot oven for aq very short period of time so that the meringue is coloured but the ice cream is not melted. It is served immediately sometimes flamed.

• Sachertorte- A famous Viennese gateaux created at the Congress of Vienna(1814-1815) by Franz Sacher Metternich’s chief pastry cook. It literally means Sacher’s cake. It is a type of chocolate Savoy cake filled or spread with apricot jam then covered with chocolate icing. It is traditionally served with whipped cream and a cup of coffee.

• Crepe Suzette- A type of sweet pancake flavored with tangerine and coated with a tangerine flavored sauce. In the recipe given by Escoffier tangerine juice and curacao batter are used to flavour the pancake batter and the melted butter and sugar are added to the tangerine juice to mask the pancake.

Henry Charpentier who was to cook at the Rockefeller’s in U.S., falsely claimed to have discovered Crepe Suzette in 1896 at Café de Paris in Monte Carlo as a compliment to the Prince of Wales and his companion whose name was Suzette, but the fact is that at that date Henry Charpentier was not old enough to be the Head Waiter to serve the Prince
• Charlotte- The original Charlotte, which was invented at the end of the 19th Century, is probably in honour of Queen Charlotte the wife of George III of England. It is made from a thick fruit puree flavored with Cinnamon and lemon and poured into a round mould with slightly flared rum lined with slices of buttered bread. The dish is then baked in the oven then turnede out of the mould and served with cold custard cream. The classic example is Apple charlotte.
• Charlotte Russe- Careme invented Charlotte Russe. This is a chilled uncooked dish consisting of vanilla Bavarian cream poured into a charlotte mould lined with a sponge finger. The sponge finger can be soaked in coffee or liqueur before hand. The preparation is allowed to cool and then turned out of the mould.
• Apfel Strudel- One of the most famous Vienniese pastry inspired by the Turkish Baklava. A Hungarian chef created the recipe. The dough is made with a strong (high gluten) flour, is difficult to prepare and handle. It is sprinkled with ground almonds and breadcrumbs, then with the chosen filling and then rolled. The usual filling is an apple.
• Baklava- A cake of eastern origin consisting of several very thin layers of pastry made fron semolina flour, oil and eggs. The pastry is stuffed with chopped grilled almonds, pistachio nuts and walnuts and mixed with sugar and cut into triangle before baking. When they are taken out of the oven, they are poured over with honey or a golden syrup and lemon juice.
Some examples of other sweet dishes are-
Eggless Sweet dishes-
1. Apple tart
2. Jam tart
3. Pineapple flambé
4. Banana flambé
5. Mango fool
6. Blancmange
7. Rodgrod (from Denmark)
8. Different fruit compote with ice cream

Sweet dishes with use of eggs-
1. All different types of mouse.
2. All different types of iced soufflés.
3. All different types of ice creams
4. All different types of Pastries.
5. All different types of cakes and gateaux
6. All different types of Bavarois.
7. Caramel Custard.
8. Baba au rhum.
9. Apfel Strudel.
Sweet dishes which are served hot-
1. Pineapple flambé
2. Banana flambé
3. Crepe suzette.

Savoury (Savoreux)

A savoury as an item indicates a savoury item served on varying shapes of toast in tartlets(round), in barquettes (oval), in bouchees, a quichelet etc. The term savoury also includes savoury soufflés and stuffed omelettes.

On lunch and dinner menu savoury is served as an alternative to sweet, while in a banquet it may be a course on its own coming between the sweet and the dessert. Ina full a la carte menu the savouries are listed in a section on their own.

Savouries on toast-

1. Anchovies on toast- Toast the bread and lay the anchovy fillets side by side. Trim the toast and finish with the heated oil from the anchovies. Decorate with sieved hard boiled egg yolk and chopped parsley.
2. Sardines on toast- Split sardines into half and remove the backbone. Lay head to tail on the toast and finish with oil from the sardine.
3. Roes on toast- Shallow fry the roes and dress on toast. Sprinkle with lemon juice, coat with beurre noisette and serve.
4. Mushrooms on toast- Peel, wash and slice mushrooms. Shallow fry and dress on toast. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.
5. Welsh Rarebit- Reduce 1/4th litre of beer to 1/8th . Mix into 1/8th litre of thin béchamel sauce. Stir in 118 gms of grated Cheddar. Season with salt, cayenne pepper and Worcestershire Sauce. Bind with a liason of 1 yolk. Pour onto fingers of toast and glaze.
6. Buck’s Rarebit- A Welsh Rarebit garnished with poached egg.

Savouries based on canapés-
These are shaped pieces of bread approximately 6mm in thickness, brushed with melted butter and placed under a salamander and colored on both sides.

1. Canape Baron- Garnish with slices of fried mushrooms, grilled bacon and poached bone marrow.
2. Canape Ritchie- Creamed haddock garnished with slices of hard boiled egg.
3. Canape Quo Vadis- Grilled roes garnished with small mushroom heads.
4. Angels on Horseback- Poached oysters wrapped with streaky bacon and grilled on skewers and served on a slice of toast.
5. Devils on horseback- Stoned cooked prunes stuffed with chutney and sprinkled with cayenne , wrapped with streaky bacon and grilled on skewers. Serve on a slice of toast. This is also called as Toast Menelick.

Savouries based on croutes-
1. Croute Derby- Spread with ham puree and garnished with pickled walnut.
2. Croute Windsor- Spread with ham puree and garnish with small grilled mushroom.
3. Scotch Woodcock- Scrambled egg garnished with trellis of anchovy and studded with capers.

Apart from the above mentioned savouries, savoury soufflés can also be served in the savoury course. The different examples are as under-
1. Cheese souffle.
2. Salmon soufflé.
3. Cauliflower and cheese soufflé.
4. Avocado and shrimp soufflé.
Also can be served in the savoury course are the stuffed omelettes like chicken omelette, mushroom and pepper omelette.

Finally all kinds of cheese can also be served in the savoury course.

Dessert
This course comprises fresh fruits and nuts. It must be distinguished from sweet dishes which have been discussed earlier. The different examples of dessert are-

Fresh Fruit:
Fresh raspberry, strawberry, blueberry etc.
Apple, orange, pineapple, fresh mango.
Grapes, grapefruit, shaddock, pomello, Clementine etc.

Nuts: Almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, brazilnuts etc.

The Service of Afternoon Teas
The old English tradition of taking afternoon tea at 4 o’clock is slowly dying out and in its place the trend is towards ‘tea and pastries’ only, the venue changing from the hotel lounge to the coffee bars and tea gardens. This trend is due to two main factors, the first being the problem of the staffing of the afternoon period between lunch and dinner, and the second being a simple case of economics in that in order to make the service of afternoon tea pay the hotelier would have to charge a price unacceptable to the public.
However afternoon tea is still served in many establishments and in a variety of forms which may be classified into three main types:
a) Full afternoon tea as served in a first class hotel;
b) High tea as served in a popular price restaurant or café;
c) The reception or buffet tea.
Full Afternoon Tea
This is usually served in the hotel lounge by the lounge waiters or by a small brigade drawn from the restaurant on a rota basis. The lounge tables will be used and are covered with an afternoon tea cloth which may be white or coloured. A buffet table may be set up in one corner of the lounge, preferably with immediate access to the stillroom and service area. It would be set up as a sideboard with all the necessary equipment for serving and relaying the afternoon teas.
The menu will usually consist of some or all of the following items which are served in the order in which they are listed.
1. Hot beverages
2. Assorted afternoon tea sandwiches – Smoked salmon, cucumber, tomato, sardine, egg, Gentleman’s relish
3. Tea cake, crumpets, scones, muffins etc
4. Sliced brown and white bread and butter, fruit bread and butter, & preserves like raspberry or strawberry jams
5. Gâteaux , pastries, iced cakes, sweet deserts ,etc
With reference to the menu above:
1. The sandwiches are sent from the larder already dressed on silver flats and these are set out on the buffet prior to service.
2. Tea cakes, crumpets, scones, muffins etc are obtained from the stillroom as ordered and are served in a soup plate or welled dish with a silver cover on an underplate. An alternative to this would be the use of a muffin dish which is a covered silver dish with an inner lining and with hot water in the lower part of the container. It is essential that all these items are served hot. When serving hot buttered toast for afternoon tea, the crusts from three sides are removed, and the toast is then cut into ‘fingers’ with part of the crust attached to each ‘finger’.
3. The assorted buttered breads are obtained from the stillroom and are dressed on doilies on silver flats and are also set out on the buffet. Preserves are also obtained from the stillroom, either in individual pots or in preserve dishes, both of which are served on a doily on an underplate and with a preserve spoon.
4. Gâteaux and pastries are collected already dressed up on doilies on silver flats or salvers from the chief pâtissier. An alternative to this would be the use of a pastry trolley.
Cover for afternoon tea
1. Side plate.
2. Paper serviette.
3. Side or tea knife.
4. Pastry fork.
5. Tea cup and saucer with a tea spoon.
6. Slop basin and a tea strainer.
7. Sugar basin and tongs.
8. Tea pot and hot water jug stands or underplates.
9. Jug of cold milk.
10. Preserve dish on a doily on an underplate with a preserve spoon.
11. Ashtray.
Items 9 and 10 may be brought to the table only when the guests are seated and are not part of the basic
mis-en-place.
Service of afternoon tea
As soon as the order has been taken, the top copy of the check is sent to the stillroom for the beverage and any toasted items that may be required. While these are being prepared, items 9 and 10 of the cove listed above are set on the table.
The beverage will be served first making sure that the teapot, hot water jug and milk jug are placed to the right of the hostess of the party and with the handles correctly positioned for easy pouring. The toasted items are served next and are followed in turn by the other savoury items and then the assorted buttered breads with the appropriate preserve.
The side plate will then be changed before serving the pastries. There are three alternative methods for the actual service of the food, this depending on the type of establishment and style of service being employed, and also the number of staff available. These are as follows:
a) Silver service direct from the various silver flats
b) As for a) but with all the flats on a trolley which is wheeled from table to table.
c) The waiter plates up the food at the buffet with the appropriate portions and the plates are all set on the table. This method has obvious disadvantages in that it is time wasting and uneconomical.


Additional reading material
Afternoon Tea is a light meal typically eaten between 3 pm and 5 pm. The custom of drinking tea originated in England when Catherine of Braganza married Charles II in 1661 and brought the practice of drinking tea in the afternoon with her from Portugal. Various places that belonged to the former British Empire also have such a meal. However, changes in social customs and working hours mean that most Britons will rarely take afternoon tea, if at all.
Traditionally, loose tea is brewed in a teapot and served in teacups with milk and sugar. This is accompanied by sandwiches (customarily cucumber, egg and cress{any of various plants of the mustard family which are cultivated for their sharp tasting leaves , which can be eaten raw or cooked} , fish paste, ham {ham is cut from the leg of pork}, and smoked salmon), scones (with clotted cream and jam, see Cream tea) and usually cakes and pastries (such as Battenberg, fruit cake or Victoria sponge). The food is often served on a tiered stand: there may be no sandwiches, but bread or scones with butter or margarine and optional jam or other spread.
A formal, proper afternoon tea nowadays is usually taken as a treat in a hotel, café or tea shop. In everyday life, many British take much simpler refreshment consisting of tea and biscuits at teatime.
Anna Maria Russell, Duchess of Bedford, is credited as the first person to have transformed afternoon tea in England into a late afternoon meal rather than simple refreshment.
Isabella Beeton describes afternoon teas of various kinds: the old-fashioned tea, the at-home tea, the family tea and the high tea and provides menus.[4]


Breakfast is the first meal of the day. The word is a compound of "break" and "fast," referring to the conclusion of fasting since the previous day's last meal. Breakfast meals vary widely in different cultures around the world but often include a carbohydrate such as cereal or rice, fruit and/or vegetable, protein, sometimes a dairy product, and a drink.
Nutritional experts have referred to breakfast as the most important meal of the day. This is based on studies of the large numbers of people in the West who skip breakfast, to adverse effect on their concentration, metabolism and weight

History
Breakfast has commonly been practiced worldwide and is a concept easily transferred between cultures, but there have been many regional interpretations over the years. In Medieval Europe, for instance, the basic format of meals differed from what is currently 'standard', in that only two meals were to be had – a heavy dinner at noon and a light supper, largely due to the influence of the Church.
However, exceptions existed, most notably for children and the infirm. They were allowed a small breakfast meal, and many labourers, farmers, and other physical workers also took the meal despite criticism and social pressure on them not to, and by the 15th century even the nobility had begun to ignore the rules and mores of polite society and took breakfast.[7]
The earliest appearance in print of the idea that "breakfast is the most important meal of the day" occurs in the novella Metamorphosis, published in 1915 by Franz Kafka, which includes the line, "for Gregor's father, breakfast was the most important meal of the day".

Continental breakfast
Continental breakfast is a meal based on lighter Mediterranean breakfast traditions. It is a light meal meant to satisfy one until lunch. A typical Continental breakfast consists of coffee and milk (often mixed as Cappuccino or latte) or hot chocolate with a variety of sweet cakes such as brioche and pastries such as croissant, often with a sweet jam, cream, or chocolate filling. It is often served with juice. The continental breakfast may also include sliced cold meats, such as salami or ham, yogurt or cereal, served with bread or bread roll. Some countries of Europe, such as the Netherlands and those in Scandinavia, add fruit and cheese to the bread menu and occasionally a boiled egg or a small serving of salami.
The Continental Breakfast concept is not limited to Europe and is often served throughout the world in hotel chains.
The term itself is of British origin. "The continent" in Britain refers to the countries of mainland Europe. A "continental breakfast" thus denotes the type of lighter meal served in mainland Europe, as opposed to the "full", or "traditional", cooked British breakfast.
Traditionally, people in the United Kingdom and Ireland have enjoyed a substantial hot meal for breakfast, featuring eggs, bacon, and sausages, accompanied by toast and tea or coffee. These items are sometimes eaten separately on morning rolls. Many other items (for example kedgeree, grilled or fried tomatoes, black pudding or white pudding, baked beans, fried sliced bread, various types of fried potatoes and mushrooms) may be included depending on taste and location. Today, this dish remains popular but is not usually served at breakfast time during the week. Many people instead reserve the full cooked breakfast for weekends, or go to a café or pub for it at the weekend. A full breakfast is also a meal available any time at many cafés and greasy spoons. It is also served at hotels where it can be quite substantial in size and variety. The author Somerset Maugham once quipped that "the only way to eat well in England is to have breakfast three times a day." This is sometimes quoted as the origin of the term, and indeed meal, all-day breakfast.[citation needed]
Another popular breakfast in England is the kipper, a type of salted, smoked herring that is then grilled or fried, though in England at least, usually steamed.
This traditional cooked breakfast has largely been replaced by simple, light foods mainly eaten cold: fruit, yogurt, packaged cereal with cold milk, and toast with a variety of spreads such as butter, jam, marmalade, lemon curd, Marmite, or peanut butter. Boiled eggs with soldiers are also a popular breakfast meal in the UK although like the full English breakfast they are mainly eaten at the weekend. Porridge is a traditional breakfast in Scotland as well as the rest of Britain in the winter months. In most British hotels this breakfast is included in the room rate.[citation needed]
Today, most Americans and Canadians eat a reduced breakfast most days, but may still enjoy a traditional hearty breakfast on weekends, holidays, and vacations. Having only coffee or skipping breakfast entirely is also common. Eating out for breakfast or brunch is common on weekends and holidays.
Eggs are strongly associated with breakfast.


Waffles with fruit and sausage patties are a contemporary hearty breakfast, and would likely be enjoyed on a weekend or special occasion.
A typical contemporary combination of food for a hearty breakfast consists of eggs (fried or scrambled), one type of meat, and one or two starchy dishes; commonly hash browns and toast. A more basic breakfast combination would be a starchy food (such as toast, pastry, breakfast cereal, oatmeal, pancakes, or waffles) either alone or served with fruit and yogurt. This second option, similar to the Continental breakfasts served in Europe, is especially common in institutional situations where serving hot food is difficult, expensive, or impractical.
Restaurants that serve breakfast typically base their menus around egg dishes and pork meats such as sausage, ham and bacon. Pancakes and waffles are also popular. An assemblage commonly known as a country breakfast in restaurants consists of eggs or omelette, sausage or bacon, hash browns, sausage gravy, coffee, biscuits or toast with jam or jelly, and fruit juice.
A typical breakfast for those that eat ordinary breakfast as a home meal is instant oatmeal or a cold breakfast cereal with milk. Leftovers from the previous day's meals may also be eaten, such as cold pizza and hot pockets.
A worker's breakfast often consists only of coffee and prepared food purchased on the way to work or brought from home, eaten during the morning commute or at the workplace just before clocking in. Food items that fit this eat-on-the-go strategy include various sweet breakfast breads and pastries, bagels (often with cream cheese), sweetened flavored yogurt cups, smoothies and milkshakes, fresh fruit, granola or "energy" bars, toaster pastries, and fast food. Many fast food restaurants sell breakfast versions of their typical offerings that include eggs and are usually sweeter and less spicy. Examples of such breakfasts-to-go are: egg-filled sandwiches on croissants, biscuits or muffins, and breakfast burritos filled with eggs, cheese and sometimes sausage.
Healthier breakfasts are gaining in popularity in some parts of the country such as California, featuring yogurt, whole-grain cereal, fresh fruit or egg-white omelets.
Coffee is the most common breakfast beverage. In the United States, 65% of coffee drunk during the day is with breakfast.[6] Also common are tea, milk, hot chocolate, orange juice, and other fruit juices (grapefruit, tomato, etc). Occasionally, caffeinated carbonated beverages may be substituted for the more traditional coffee or tea. Espresso drinks such as cappuccino and latte have become increasingly popular since the 1990s. In Washington State and British Columbia, the cappuccino and latte are the default way of buying coffee for breakfast.
The modern options typical of the U.S.A. and Canada are representative of Western-style breakfasts that have become common worldwide, especially in industrialized nations.
Breakfast is thought as the foods typically eaten during morning hours, that are distinct from other foods even if eaten outside of the morning. In this sense, some serve breakfast for dinner. There are several fast food and casual dining chains in North America, such as IHOP and Denny's, that specialize in hearty breakfast-style foods, such as pancakes and country breakfasts, and offer them all day. Like greasy spoons in the UK, American coffeeshops and diners typically serve breakfast foods all day.

Elevenses
In the United Kingdom, Ireland and some Commonwealth realms, elevenses is a snack that is similar to afternoon tea, but eaten in the morning.[1] It is generally less savoury than brunch, and might consist of some cake or biscuits with a cup of tea. The name refers to the time of day that it is taken: around 11 am. The word "elevensies" is seen as a little old fashioned.[citation needed]
In Australia and New Zealand, it is called morning tea or smoko (often little lunch, recess or playlunch in primary school). Choice of foods consumed at morning tea vary from cakes, pastries or lamingtons, or biscuits, to just coffee. In the Royal Australian Navy it is commonly referred to as "Morno's".
In many Spanish-speaking cultures the term las onces (the elevens in Spanish) is used to describe a similar meal. Among Chileans, the tradition was known as under the same name, although in modern times, it has shifted in most respects to later in the afternoon, more closely reflecting the pattern of British "tea time".[

Meal
A meal is an instance of eating, specifically one that takes place at a specific time and includes specific, prepared food.
Meals occur primarily at homes, restaurants, and cafeterias, but may occur anywhere. Regular meals occur on a daily basis, typically several times a day. Special meals are usually held in conjunction with such occasions as birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, and holidays.
A meal is different from a snack in that meals are larger, more varied, and more filling, while snacks are more likely to be small, high-calorie affairs; however, any food eaten in small amounts at an unscheduled time can be classified as a snack.
A picnic is an outdoor meal where one brings one's food, such as a sandwich or a prepared meal (sometimes in a picnic basket). It often takes place in a natural or recreative area, such as a park, forest, beach, or grassy lawn. On long drives a picnic may take place at a road-side stop such as a rest area.
A banquet is a large, often formal, and elaborate meal with many guests and dishes.With lots of food


[edit] Common meals
These are the most common set mealtimes in the Western-world.
• Breakfast is usually eaten within an hour or two after a person wakes up in the morning.[1]
• Lunch is eaten around mid-day, usually between 11 am–2 pm.[2]
• Supper in the US and UK is a meal eaten in the evening.[3]
• Dinner is the main meal of the day, regardless of whether it's at lunchtime or in the evening. Dinner also refers to the evening meal as a formal meal or just the evening meal in the south of England.[4]
• Dessert is typically eaten after dinner as a treat. It may be considered a course within a meal or a meal itself. Cakes, pastries, fresh fruit, and ice cream are examples of common dessert food.
[edit] Other meals
• Second Breakfast is a traditional midmorning meal served in parts of central Europe.
• Elevenses, also called "Morning Tea," is a drink and light snack taken late morning after breakfast and before lunch.
• Brunch is a late-morning meal, usually larger than a breakfast and usually replacing both breakfast and lunch; it is most common on Sundays.
• Afternoon Tea is a midafternoon meal, typically taken at 4pm, consisting of light fare such as small sandwiches, individual cakes and scones with tea.[5]
• High Tea is a British meal usually eaten in the early evening.

LUNCH


It is the midday meal in many English speaking countries. The world was introduced into France in the first half of the 19th century and is used for a cold buffet served at a reception where a large number of guests have to be catered for. In addition to canapés, a lunch of this type consists of cheeses, fruits; petit fours, chilled puddings and a few larger dishes such as fish an aspic and old hams.


Cultural variations within Europe have divided them into siesta loving and snacks eating people. The British claim that after a heavy meal, efficiency is reduced. Therefore, they avoid any such item which is greasy and soft and saucy. They enjoy dry, easy to eat items like sandwiches and savories with coffee and tea to make them easy to gulp. British nonetheless eat a heavy breakfast



On the other hand Europeans enjoy an excellent lunch with several courses. They however skip heavy breakfasts, call themselves continental. French, Italian, Greek, Spanish, Portuguese are the ones who enjoy heavy lunch followed by a siesta The ideal time for lunch is between 12 noon to 3 p.m. The menu is similar to dinner but not identical. For e.g. appetizer is preferred to soup, more cold items, a beer or a soft drink to wet the gullet, fish to heavy roast or raised items, less accompaniment, a cold sweet to a hot sweet, prefer tea to coffee.


Afternoon Tea


A cup of tea


Afternoon Tea is a light meal typically eaten between 3 pm and 5 pm. The custom of drinking tea originated in England when Catherine of Braganza married Charles II in 1661 and brought the practice of drinking tea in the afternoon with her from Portugal.[citation needed] Various places that belonged to the former British Empire also have such a meal. However, changes in social customs and working hours mean that most Britons will rarely take afternoon tea, if at all.
Traditionally, loose tea is brewed in a teapot and served in teacups with milk and sugar. This is accompanied by sandwiches (customarily cucumber, egg and cress, fish paste, ham, and smoked salmon), scones (with clotted cream and jam, see Cream tea) and usually cakes and pastries (such as Battenberg, fruit cake or Victoria sponge). The food is often served on a tiered stand: there may be no sandwiches, but bread or scones with butter or margarine and optional jam or other spread.[1][2][3]
A formal, proper afternoon tea nowadays is usually taken as a treat in a hotel, café or tea shop. In everyday life, many British take a much simpler refreshment consisting of tea and biscuits at teatime.
Anna Maria Russell, Duchess of Bedford, is credited as the first person to have transformed afternoon tea in England into a late afternoon meal rather than a simple refreshment.
Isabella Beeton describes afternoon teas of various kinds: the old-fashioned tea, the at-home tea, the family tea and the high tea and provides menus.[4]
[edit] High Tea
High Tea (also known as meat tea[5]) is an early evening meal, typically eaten between 5pm and 6pm. It would substitute for both afternoon tea and the evening meal. It is now largely replaced by a later evening meal.
High Tea would usually consist of cold meats, eggs or fish, cakes and sandwiches. In a family, it tends to be less formal and is an informal snack (featuring sandwiches, biscuits, pastry, fruit and the like) or else it is the main evening meal.
On farms or other working class environments, high tea would be the traditional, substantial meal eaten by the workers immediately after nightfall, and would combine afternoon tea with the main evening meal. See also The UK Tea Council Definition.
In recent years, high tea has become a term for elaborate afternoon tea, though this is American usage and mainly unrecognised in Britain. This usage is disfavored by etiquette advisors, such as Miss Manners (see United States below).
United States
For most of the United States, the morning or afternoon break is not often referred to as tea as the beverage has not traditionally been a widespread choice with Americans. The term coffee break is used instead to denote a morning social gathering for a snack and short downtime where hot and cold beverages and cakes, breads and pastries are consumed.
The term "high tea" is also used in the United States to refer to afternoon tea or the "tea party," a very formal, ritualised gathering in which tea, thin sandwiches and little cakes are served on the best china. This usage is an analogical construction, the term "high" being associated with social "formality" (rather than a "high," or main, table). Etiquette experts hold the opinion that such usage is unorthodox outside commercial contexts.
This form of tea is increasingly served in high-end American hotels, often during the Christmas holidays and other tourist seasons, and a rising number of big-city teahouses, where it is usually correctly described as "Afternoon Tea." The Tea Party is still occasionally given in the U.S., either for a special occasion or in honour of a visiting celebrity or guest.
Brunch or bruncheon is a combination of breakfast and lunch [1] The term is a portmanteau of breakfast and lunch(eon). Brunch is often served after a morning event or prior to an afternoon one, such as a wedding or sporting event. As such, it is a heavy meal meant to take the place of both. While common in the United States and Canada, according to Punch magazine, the term was introduced in Britain around 1896 by Hunter's Weekly, then becoming student slang.[2] Other sources claim that the term was invented by New York Morning Sun reporter Frank Ward O'Malley based on the typical mid-day eating habits of a newspaper reporter.[3][4]
Some colleges and hostels serve brunch, especially on Sundays and holidays. Such brunches are often serve-yourself buffets, but menu-ordered meals may be available instead of, or with, the buffet. The meal usually involves standard breakfast foods such as eggs, sausages, bacon, ham, fruits, pastries, pancakes, and the like. However, it can include almost any other type of food served throughout the day. Buffets may have quiche, large roasts of meat or poultry, cold seafood like shrimp and smoked fish, salads, soups, vegetable dishes, many types of breadstuffs, and desserts of all sorts.
The dim sum brunch is a popular meal in Chinese restaurants worldwide.[5] It consists of a wide variety of stuffed bao (buns), dumplings, and other savory or sweet food items which have been steamed, deep-fried, or baked. Customers select small portions from passing carts, as the kitchen continuously produces and sends out more freshly-prepared dishes. Dim sum is usually eaten as a mid-morning, midday, or mid-afternoon teatime.
Dinner
Not to be confused with Supper.
Not to be confused with Dinner-time.
Dinner is the name of the main meal of the day. Depending upon region and/or social class, it may be the second or third meal of the day.[1] Originally, it referred to the first meal of the day, eaten about noon, and is still occasionally used in this fashion if it refers to a large or main meal.
Dinner courses
In many Western countries, simple dinner may consist of meat or other proteins served with vegetables and/or a grain or cereal product, like bread, potatoes, rice or pasta.[citation needed]
More elaborate dinners have several courses, for example starting with an appetizer or soup, and ending with dessert.[citation needed]
[edit] Dinner, lunch, supper and tea
In general, people in rural parts of America, Canada, and other Anglophone countries eat breakfast, dinner and supper. Germans traditionally stick to the same pattern. In these cases, dinner typically happens between midday and early afternoon. But whether town or country, wherever the dominant industry of an area involves hard labor (e.g., farming, mining, timber trade), the midday meal is an important feature because it divides the day's labor in half and provides necessary replenishment of nutrients. The evening meal is smaller than the midday meal and is commonly called 'supper'. In Scotland and northern England, supper is almost invariably called 'tea' (specifically, "high tea" - which does not indicate high formality but indicates that some kind of meat, fish, etc., is being served).
People who live in cities and towns, and especially those who work in "white collar" positions, typically eat dinner in the evening. Their midday meal is called lunch (or luncheon) and is often a small and quick meal, although a business lunch can be large, heavy and protracted.
In the north of England the word dinner usually refers to the midday meal (though it may also be used interchangeably with "lunch"), and throughout the UK the term "dinner-ladies" traditionally refers to women who cook the mid-day meal, or supervise children at this time, in schools. The evening or after-work meal is referred to as tea. However, the upper and upper-middle classes nationwide invariably eat lunch at midday and dinner (or supper, if it is a small meal) in the evening (see U and non-U English).
On holidays, such as American and Canadian Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, New Year's Day, and occasionally on weekends, people who normally eat dinner in the evening will eat their special holiday dinner in the early afternoon.
Lunch
Luncheon, commonly abbreviated to lunch, is a midday meal.[1]
In English-speaking countries during the eighteenth century what was originally called "dinner"— a word still sometimes used to mean a noontime meal in the UK, and in parts of Canada and the United States — was moved by stages later in the day and came in the course of the nineteenth century to be eaten at night, replacing the light meal called supper, which was delayed by the upper class to midnight.
The mid-day meal on Sunday and the festival meals on Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving (in the U.S. and Canada) are still often eaten at the old hours, usually either at noon or between two and four in the afternoon, and called dinner. Traditional farming communities also may still commonly have the largest meal of the day at mid-day and refer to this meal as "dinner."[citation needed]
The abbreviation lunch, in use from 1823,[1] is taken from the more formal "Lunchentach,"[2] which the OED reports from 1580, as a word for a meal that was inserted between more substantial meals.
In medieval Germany, there are references to nuncheontach, a non lunchentach according to OED, a noon draught— of ale, with bread— an extra meal between midday dinner and supper, especially during the long hours of hard labour during haying or early harvesting. In Munich, by the 1730s and 40s, the upper class were rising later and dining at three or four in the afternoon, and by 1770 their dinner hour in Pomberano was four or five.[3] A formal evening meal, artificially lit by candles, sometimes with entertainment, was a "supper party" as late as Regency times.
In the 19th century, male artisans went home for a brief dinner, where their wives fed them, but as the workplace was removed farther from the home, working men took to providing themselves with something portable to eat at a break in the schedule during the middle of the day. In parts of India a light, portable lunch is known as tiffin.
Ladies whose husbands would eat at the club would be free to leave the house and have lunch with one another, though not in restaurants until the twentieth century. In the 1945 edition of Etiquette, Emily Post still referred to luncheon as "generally given by and for women, but it is not unusual, especially in summer places or in town on Saturday or Sunday, to include an equal number of men"— hence the mildly disparaging phrase, "the ladies who lunch." Lunch was a ladies' light meal; when the Prince of Wales stopped to eat a dainty luncheon with lady friends, he was laughed at for this effeminacy.[3] Afternoon tea supplemented this luncheon at four o'clock, from the 1840s.[3] Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management had much less to explain about luncheon than about dinners or ball suppers:
The remains of cold joints, nicely garnished, a few sweets, or a little hashed meat, poultry or game, are the usual articles placed on the table for luncheon, with bread and cheese, biscuits, butter, etc. If a substantial meal is desired, rump-steaks or mutton chops may be served, as also veal cutlets, kidneys, or any dish of that kind. In families where there is a nursery, the mistress of the house often partakes of the meal with the children, and makes it her luncheon. In the summer, a few dishes of fresh fruit should be added to the luncheon, or, instead of this, a compote of fruit or fruit tart, or pudding. —Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management
Lunch food varies. In some places, one eats similar things both at lunch and at supper - a hot meal, sometimes with more than one course. In other places, lunch is the main meal of the day, supper being a smaller cold meal.
Many people eat lunch while at work or school. Employers and schools usually provide a lunch break in the middle of the day, lasting as much as an hour. Some workplaces and schools provide cafeterias, often called canteens, where one can get a hot meal (in British schools female staff who serve lunch are often known as "dinner ladies"). In some work locations one can easily go out to eat at a nearby restaurant. Where these conveniences are not available it may be impractical to make lunch the main meal of the day. In these cases relatively simple foods might be packed in a container, such as a bag or a lunchbox, and taken to work or school. Many worksites are visited regularly by catering trucks, which provide lunch.


Brown bag lunch of a chicken salad sandwich, a pear, carrot sticks, and milk.
The quintessential bag lunch (also, brown bag from the brown paper sack used to carry it) in North America of the past has consisted of a sandwich and often a whole fruit and either cookies or a candy bar. But now, the near-universal spread of the microwave oven to the workplace since the 1980s has changed the nature of workers' lunches considerably. Leftovers from home-cooked meals, frozen foods, and a huge variety of prepared foods needing only reheating are now more common than the sandwich lunch.
A similar tradition exists in Britain, where schoolchildren and workers bring in a prepared lunch in a lunchbox. This will usually contain, at the least, a sandwich, a bag of crisps and a drink, possibly with a chocolate bar and some fruit. However, this is now changing in the workplace due to the ubiquity of small cafés in cities as well as the microwave. It remains common in schools and among builders where such facilities do not exist on-site.
In Australian primary and high schools, most children bring a lunch box that contains a morning snack for recess (usually fruit or a muesli bar) and a sandwich for lunch.
Lunches also serve as a popular reward in settling wagers. This is typical in an office setting where buying a coworker lunch to settle a wager is the normal method of payment. Generally there will be a cap on the amount the buyer should spend on the lunch.
On weekends in the United States it is popular to combine a late breakfast with lunch, called a "brunch". Brunches often feature more elaborate fare than ordinary breakfasts, and may include desserts and alcoholic beverages, such as mimosas, which are not ordinarily served with breakfast.
In French the midday meal is called déjeuner, taken between noon and 2 p.m. It is the main meal in the South of France. The evening meal is the main meal of the day in Northern France but lighter in Southern France, taken around 6 - 7 p.m. (North) or 8 (South), is called dîner or souper (which is also used for a night-time meal, usually after 11 p.m.).
Supper is the name for the evening meal in some dialects of English - ordinarily the last meal of the day. Originally, in the middle ages, it referred to the lighter meal following dinner, which until the eighteenth century was invariably eaten as the midday meal.
The term is derived from the French souper, which is still used for this meal in Canadian French, Swiss French and sometimes in Belgian French. It is related to soup. It is also related to the German word for soup, Suppe. (The OED, however, suggests that the root, sup, retains obscure origins. OED Online, Accessed 31 October 2007.)
In England, whereas "dinner", when used for the evening meal, is fairly formal, "supper" is used to describe a less formal, simpler family meal, but also the fairly formal variety in others. In working-class British homes, as in Australia and Ireland, "tea" can be used for the evening meal. In parts of the United Kingdom, supper is a term for a snack eaten after the evening meal and before bed, usually consisting of a warm, milky drink and British biscuits or cereal.
In Australian English, supper may refer to a late light dessert or snack (such as toast and cereal) had some time after dinner, or a warm drink such as Milo accompanied by biscuits. In New Zealand it is similar – generally cake and tea/coffee served later in the evening, particularly when people have visitors.
In most parts of Canada, "supper" and "dinner" are considered synonyms. In some areas either term may be rarely used. It is typically served between 6pm and 8pm. The only real requirement is it must be eaten after lunch, and must use a plate.
In rural areas of the United States Upper Midwest dinner is a larger noon-time meal, and supper is a lighter evening meal and similar to eating customs in northern Europe where most of the inhabitants originate from. Supper is the last of three to five daily meals: breakfast, (morning lunch), dinner, (afternoon lunch or "coffee") and supper. The main meal is between 11.30am and 1pm. Supper is usually lighter and often consists of bread with cold meat, cheese, soup, salads, fried potatoes, egg dishes and / or dairy products. The decline of typical Midwestern farm culture and urbanization of American language and habits has led to a change in Midwestern eating habits in the past thirty years. Supper is still usually considered lighter fare and a more casual setting, and may be served before a usual dinner time so that evening activities may be unaffected.
In Saskatchewan, and much of Nova Scotia, in Canada, "supper" means the main meal of the day, usually served in the late afternoon, while "dinner" is served around noon. "Dinner" may be used in some areas, such as Newfoundland and Labrador, only for special meals, such as "Thanksgiving Dinner" or "Christmas Dinner", while the noon meal is "lunch" and the evening meal "supper". For harvest meals put on by churches and other community organizations, the term used is "Fowl Supper" (features turkey) or "Fall Supper", never "dinner".
In Ireland, a "chicken supper" is a meal of chips, gravy, onions, peas and chicken breast.
Similarly in Scotland and perhaps elsewhere in the United Kingdom, such as in Ulster Scots, a fish supper is a portion of fish and chips. The word is used also as a modifier in this way for a range of other similar meals, such as a "sausage supper", "pastie supper", "haggis supper" and indicates the addition of chips.
In Germany supper is called Abendessen (evening meal) or Abendbrot (evening bread). The main meal ("Mittagessen" or dinner) is usually at noontime. Supper is generally eaten between 5.30pm and 8.30pm. In Poland supper is called kolacja, the meal is usually taken from 6pm to 9pm. The main meal (obiad) is usually at afternoon. In Germany as in Poland a variety of breads and rolls are served at supper. Cold meats, sausages, various sorts of ham, cheese, pickles, tomatoes, and other sliced vegetables are served with the bread. Usually one drinks water, fruit juices, beer or an everyday wine with this meal. In Poland Christmas Eve's supper is taken at evening on 24th of December, and traditionally contains 12 dishes.
In Portugal, Spain, Latin America, Asia and the Arab World, supper may be taken as late as right before sleep.
In the Philippines, supper or in Tagalog, hapunan, is taken from as early as 6 pm to 9 pm.
In Singapore, "dinner" refers to the first evening meal, while "supper" refers to the meal taken later in the evening after dinner, usually from 9pm to 12 midnight.
Breakfast is the first meal of the day. The word is a compound of "break" and "fast," referring to the conclusion of fasting since the previous day's last meal. Breakfast meals vary widely in different cultures around the world but often include a carbohydrate such as cereal or rice, fruit and/or vegetable, protein, sometimes dairy, and beverage.
Nutritional experts have referred to breakfast as the most important meal of the day. This is based on studies of the large numbers of people in the West who skip breakfast, to adverse effect on their concentration, metabolism and weight.[1][2]

Breakfast (petite dejeuner)

It is the first meal of the day, which literally breaks the fast of the night. Two quite different traditions can be traced – the first hot drink (pick me up) of the day, and the first meal of the day, which is much more substantial.
At the time of revolution it became customary to eat dinner at the end of the afternoon when the business of the day was completed. The main meal was taken at mid day. Hence a ‘breakfast’ was required to bridge the gap between the two meals.
Breakfast is traditionally a British rather than a continental meal, originating from the days of private house and family service. At this time it was a very substantial meal consisting of some six or seven courses with items such as chops, liver, game or steaks.
During the past decade however the British have been eating far less breakfast foods such as an egg and bacon and have turned to lighter alternative.
In France this is the petit dejeuner, milky coffee with bread in some form, now commonly known as “continental breakfast” an often bought in a cafe, on the way to work. Other simple foods that are popular for breakfast include fresh fruit and yogurt.

1. Fruit juices
- Orange (fresh/ canned)
- Pineapple (fresh/ canned)
- Grapefruit (fresh/ canned)
- Tangerine (fresh/ canned)
- Tomato (canned)
- Mango (canned)
- Apricot (canned)
- Apple (canned)
- Passion fruit (canned)
- Sweet lime (fresh)
- Watermelon (fresh)

2. Fresh Fruits
- Melon
- Strawberries
- Grapefruit (Half or segments)
- Pineapple
- Apricots
- Peaches
- Mango
- Lychees
- Figs
- Prunes

3. Stewed fruits/ Fruit compote
(a preparation of fresh or dried fruit cooked either whole or in pieces in a sugar syrup, unlike jam not kept for a long time)
- Prunes - pineapple - peach
- Pears - cherry
- Apples - apricot
- Figs - rhubarb
3. Cereals
- All proprietary brands of breakfast cereals
- Oatmeal porridge
- Rolled oat porridge
- Broken wheat porridge
Eg: cornflakes, weetabix, Special K, Alpen, muesli, bran flakes, Rice Krispeis etc

*Porridge is eaten with hot milk or cream or golden syrup (refined maple syrup)
*porridge is a dish of rolled oats or oatmeal cooked in boiling water or milk , which can be eaten , with or without sugar with hot or cold milk or cream.
*Golden syrup/ maple syrup: maple is one of about 200 species of tree or shrub which grow in temperate climates. The North American sugar maple has orange sap, which is collected from the trunk in the spring and yields a clear golden syrup. Rich in sugar, with an aromatic flavor, it is very popular in US and Canada. It is spread on roasts and ham, served with pancakes and puddings, used to glaze carrot and caramelize sweet potatoes.

4. Fish

a) Finnan Haddock
The fish is gutted and split down the back bone. It is soaked in brine but not dyed. Then it is put in tenter hook till the protein gloss develops on the surface of the fish. It is then smoked.

b) Grilled herrings
Clean and trim herrings then brush them with oil or melted butter, season and cook under a moderate grill , serve with maitre d’ hotel butter or mustard sauce.

c) Bloaters
First developed at Yarmouth (England) in 1835. Bloaters are prepared from good quality herrings. They are prepared whole owning to their special flavour due to the activity of the gut enzymes. The fish is dry salted for 12 hrs. It is then washed to remove the excess amount of salt deposits. It is threaded on metal spears and stacked in kiln to smoke.

d) Kippers
They are also prepared from good quality fresh herrings. The fish is squatted and split with the help of machine. The fish is soaked in brine and dyed before being smoked. The fish is then treaded on tenter hooks for 1 ½ hrs before being smoked.

e) Fried smelt (salmon family)
The fish is gutted, washed; dried and stored in the refrigerator (they freeze very well) they can also be marinated and grilled, cooked in white wine, coated with flour and fried. Served with lemon quarters, garnished with parsley.

e) Fried plaice
Plaice is a 25-65cm long fish with both eyes on the upper side found in the Atlantic, greyish brown in colour. The flesh has a delicate taste and texture and is suitable for frying, grilling or poaching. Its taste is similar to sole.



f) Kedgeree
A British breakfast preparation comprises mixture of rice, cooked flaked fish and hard boiled eggs. The fish is usually smoked haddock, but it may be salmon or even turbot. Peas may be added to the ingredients can be bound with curry flavoured béchamel sauce seasoned with cayenne pepper and nutmeg.
An English dish that came originally from India. The word comes from the Hindi word khicari, from Sanskrit khicca, the origin which is obscure. The original Indian dish, known as kadgeri, consists of rice garnished with onions, lentils and eggs. Fish was added by the British.

g) Arbroath smokes
These are haddock or whiting weighing around ½ pound (225gms) which are headed and gutted but not split. It is soaked in brine, tied in pairs, and canned. They are not smoked.

h) Golden cutlets
These are made from haddock or whiting which are headed, gutted but not split. They are split from the head end to the backbone leaving two joint fillets. They are soaked in brine and dyed to bright yellow colour before being smoked.

4. Eggs
- Fried (sunny side up, Turn – over)
- Poached
- Scrambled
- Boiled
- Plain/ savoury omelette

*with ham/bacon/sausage/grilled mushrooms
* Standard accompaniments are grilled tomato & hash brown potatoes

5. Meat
- Fried or grilled bacon
- Fried or grilled pork sausage
- Sweet bread (the culinary term for thymus gland in the throat and pancreas near the stomach in calves, lambs and pigs although the latter are not much used)
- Grilled chitterlings (intestines of pigs)
- Fried bath chaps (pig’s cheeks with ham)
- Grilled animelles (Testicles of lamb ram or bull)
- Grilled breakfast steaks
- York ham
- Calf’s tongue
- Breakfast sausage
- Gammon

6. Breads/ breakfast rolls
- Toast
- Rolls
- Croissants
- Brioches
- Muffins
- Danish pastry (no preserves)
- Doughnut (no preserves)
- Crisp Bread
- Plain sliced white & brown bread
- American muffins
- English muffins
- Spiced scones
- Tea cakes

7. Preserves
- Marmalade
- Honey
- Plum
- Cherry
- Jam

8. Beverages
- Tea
- Coffee
- Hot chocolate
- Tisanes
- Proprietary Beverages
- Milk


Other types of breakfasts

Café simple
Only coffee is served for breakfast, with nothing else to eat.

Thé simple
Only Tea is served for breakfast, with nothing else to eat.

Café complet
The term ‘café complet’ is widely used in continental Europe and means a continental breakfast with coffee as the beverage.

Thé complet
The term ‘Thé complet’ means a continental breakfast with tea as the beverage.







Brunch

A meal originating in America, being a combination of breakfast and lunch. This type of meal is commonly eaten on Sundays, when people gather around the table in a relaxed atmosphere between 10am to 2 pm. The menu combines traditional British breakfast items with those of a cold meal: cereals, bacon, and fried or scrambles eggs, salads of fruits and green vegetables, pancakes with jam or maple syrup, fruit juice, tea or coffee. Pies and cold meats may also be served. There is often a fruit loaf (called the coffee cake), corn bread or French toast (slices of bread dipped in beaten egg, then fried and sprinkled with sugar) served in this meal.

LUNCH

It is the midday meal in many English speaking countries. The world was introduced into France in the first half of the 19th century and is used for a cold buffet served at a reception where a large number of guests have to be catered for. In addition to canapés, a lunch of this type consists of cheeses, fruits; petit fours, chilled puddings and a few larger dishes such as fish an aspic and old hams.

Cultural variations within Europe have divided them into siesta loving and snacks eating people. The British claim that after a heavy meal, efficiency is reduced. Therefore, they avoid any such item which is greasy and soft and saucy. They enjoy dry, easy to eat items like sandwiches and savories with coffee and tea to make them easy to gulp. British nonetheless eat a heavy breakfast

On the other hand Europeans enjoy an excellent lunch with several courses. They however skip heavy breakfasts, call themselves continental. French, Italian, Greek, Spanish, Portuguese are the ones who enjoy heavy lunch followed by a siesta The ideal time for lunch is between 12 noon to 3 p.m. The menu is similar to dinner but not identical. For e.g. appetizer is preferred to soup, more cold items, a beer or a soft drink to wet the gullet, fish to heavy roast or raised items, less accompaniment, a cold sweet to a hot sweet, prefer tea to coffee.


Afternoon Teas
The old English tradition of taking afternoon tea at 4 o’clock is slowly dying out and in its place the trend is towards ‘tea and pastries’ only, the venue changing from the hotel lounge to the coffee bars and tea gardens. This trend is due to two main factors, the first being the problem of the staffing of the afternoon period between lunch and dinner, and the second being a simple case of economics in that in order to make the service of afternoon tea pay the hotelier would have to charge a price unacceptable to the public.
However afternoon tea is still served in many establishments and in a variety of forms which may be classified into three main types:
a) full afternoon tea as served in a first class hotel;
b) high tea as served in a popular price restaurant or café;
c) the reception or buffet tea.
Full Afternoon Tea
This is usually served in the hotel lounge by the lounge waiters or by a small brigade drawn from the restaurant on a rota basis. The lounge tables will be used and are covered with an afternoon tea cloth which may be white or coloured. A buffet table may be set up in one corner of the lounge, preferably with immediate access to the stillroom and service area. It would be set up as a sideboard with all the necessary equipment for serving and relaying the afternoon teas.
The menu will usually consist of some or all of the following items which are served in the order in which they are listed.



Menu
1. Hot beverage: variety of tea, tisanes and coffees
2. Assorted afternoon tea sandwiches – Smoked salmon, cucumber, tomato, sardine, egg, Gentleman’s relish
3. Hot buttered toast, Tea cakes, crumpets, scones( with butter or whipped/clotted cream), muffins etc
4. Brown and white bread and butter, fruit bread and butter, raspberry or strawberry jams
5. Gâteaux, pastries, iced cakes, sweet dishes etc
With reference to the menu above:
1. Toast, tea cakes, and crumpets are obtained from the stillroom as ordered and are served in a soup plate or welled dish with a silver cover on an under plate. An alternative to this would be the use of a muffin dish which is a covered silver dish with an inner lining and with hot water in the lower part of the container. It is essential that all these items are served hot. When serving hot buttered toast for afternoon tea, the crusts from three sides are removed, and the toast is then cut into ‘fingers’ with part of the crust attached to each ‘finger’.
2. The sandwiches are sent from the larder already dressed on silver flats and these are set out on the buffet prior to service.
3. The scones and assorted buttered breads are obtained from the stillroom and are dressed on doilies on silver flats and are also set out on the buffet. Preserves are also obtained from the stillroom, either in individual pots or in preserve dishes, both of which are served on a doily on an underplate and with a preserve spoon.
4. Gâteaux and pastries are collected already dressed up on doilies on silver flats or salvers from the chief pâtissier. An alternative to this would be the use of a pastry trolley.


Cover for afternoon tea
1. Side plate.
2. Paper serviette.
3. Side or tea knife.
4. Pastry fork.
5. Tea cup and saucer with a tea spoon.
6. Slop basin and a tea strainer.
7. Sugar basin and tongs.
8. Tea pot and hot water jug stands or underplates.
9. Jug of cold milk.
10. Preserve dish on a doily on an underplate with a preserve spoon.
11. Ashtray.
Items 9 and 10 may be brought to the table only when the guests are seated and are not part of the basic mise-en-place.
Service of afternoon tea
As soon as the order has been taken, the top copy of the check is sent to the stillroom for the beverage and any toasted items that may be required. While these are being prepared, items 9 and 10 of the cove listed above are set on the table.
The beverage will be served first making sure that the teapot, hot water jug and milk jug are placed to the right of the hostess of the party and with the handles correctly positioned for easy pouring. The toasted items are served next and are followed in turn by the other savoury items and then the assorted buttered breads with the appropriate preserve.
The side plate will then be changed before serving the pastries. There are three alternative methods for the actual service of the food, this depending on the type of establishment and style of service being employed, and also the number of staff available. These are as follows:
a) Silver service direct from the various silver flats
b) As for a) but with all the flats on a trolley which is wheeled from table to table.
c) The waiter plates up the food at the buffet with the appropriate portions and the plates are all set on the table. This method has obvious disadvantages in that it is time wasting and uneconomical.



DINNER

The main meal of the day. This is normally eaten in the evening or in the middle of the day (instead of luncheon). In France before the Revolution, dinner was eaten in the morning or at midday. It is generally thought that the French word diner is derived from the Latin disjunare (to break the fast), as is déjeuner, the French word for lunch. This is because the word was originally used for the morning meal that was eaten after Mass, first at 7 a.m. and later at 9 or 10 a.m. It consisted of bacon, eggs and fish and was one of the two main meals of the day, the other being supper (the tenth hour or 10 o’ clock) or from the words of the blessing dignare dominum, or even from the Greek word deipnon (the meal eaten after sunset)

The hour for eating dinner became progressively later when the daily rite of Mass was observed less strictly and, in time, the habit of light meal on rising developed. This meal, the déjeuner, later became the petit déjeuner (breakfast) Dinner was at midday in the reigns of Louis XIII and Louis XIV and Furetiére describes the meal thus. Midday is the normal time for dinner. When one wants to go and see people, it is advisable to do so between 11 o’ clock and midday, certainly not later, for then one would be preventing them from taking their meal.

In the 18th century, dinner was moved on to 2 p.m. but supper often remained the principle meal of the day. Finally, at the time of Revolution dinner was eaten at the end of the afternoon, lunch was taken at midday and supper was served (in the towns) where there was a soirée. In the country, there was less change and supper continued to be the main meal for a considerable period of time

Today dinner usually takes place at 7p.m., earlier in Scandinavian countries and later in Mediterranean countries. It may be a formal occasion for receiving guests. Alexander Dumas defined dinner as the principle act of the day that can be only carried out in a worthy manner by people of wit and humor, for it is not just sufficient to eat at dinner. One has to talk with a calm and discreet gaiety. The conversation must sparkle like the rubies in the entremets wines; it must be delightfully suave with the sweetmeats of the dessert and become very profound with the coffee. According to Chef Denis composition of a formal dinner must be varied and abundant and hot dishes must alternate with cold ones. For a big occasion he recommends consommé followed by a cold entrée a large hot entrée, a sorbet, a hot roast, a cold roast, vegetables, sweet dessert patisserie and fruit. This prescription is now simplified to consommé, fish served in a sauce, roast meat and garnish and patisserie. Some gastronomes advice against serving cheese at dinner.

In the family household the main meal of the day varies according to the working patterns of the adults and whether they have children. Whether the evening meal consists of dinner or supper is very much a matter of lifestyle. Where both adults work dinner is likely to be an evening meal and lunch a light snack. Children at home may well be served a main meal in the middle of the day and the whole family may have a dinner at this time on a Sunday. Although few people live close enough to their place of work and have someone at home to prepare dinner during the day, in retired households the main meal maybe eaten instead of lunch. It is also worth remembering that major social changes of the 20th century greatly influenced eating patterns. Meals are no longer subject to rigid definitions, eating patterns vary between weekdays and weekends and individual or family choices dominate

Supper

A light meal taken in the evening. Originally the only evening meal (now called dinner), supper usually consisted of soup (hence the name) was eaten relatively early. The fashion for supper as an intimate late dinner became established in French high society in the 18th century. Saint-Simon recalls the famous suppers of the Regent hotel: for small suppers, dishes were prepared in kitchens specially set up on the same floor, using utensils made of silver. The roués often gave the cooks a hand, rich and extravagant dishes were prepared, included marinated wild boar kidneys, oysters with cream, followed by cakes, tarts, salads and entremets (pig’s trotters Sainte-Menehould, peas with poached eggs , apples a la chinoise)

Until the midnight of the 19th century, supper was the essential conclusion of any successful high-society evening. At a ball, the orchestra gave the signal for supper by means of a fanfare. Gradually however the supper was abandoned (one reason was the expense). It was sometimes replaced by buffets or refreshments brought on trays an sometimes, very late in the evening, by a punch or pastries. At dawn the guests were revived with tea, broth, chocolate, coffee, sandwiches and wines. However private households continued to hold quiet supper: ‘When only a chosen few are left in the drawing room, the master of the house gathers them together quietly around a table concealed in some cozy nook, and there they see in the day, chatting about events of the past night. Wit and appetite normally find their best openings in these private suppers, which have a certain smack of the forbidden fruit.’ The supper vogue also became established with restaurateurs of the time, especially those who had private rooms.