2. History
◦ An 18th century merchant and chef named Boulanger forever changed modern food
service by selling dishes he called ‘restoratives’ – a word which is now considered
the prelude to the modern term, “restaurant.” Before this, food in France was
controlled by guilds, and guests had little choice, as the professional guild dictated
the menus, not the customers.
◦ Boulanger changed all of that as the French Revolution of 1793 ended the monarchy
also changed the fabric of French society. Many chefs were suddenly put out of work
and opened restaurants in and around Paris to support themselves. They began to
sometimes leave the choice of the menu to the patron.
◦ Auguste Escoffier (1847 to 1935), rejected the confusion and volume of the old
menu, and infused a sense of order and diversity by carefully selecting and matching
one or two dishes per course. It is this sequence that we today know as the
Classical French 17 Course Menu. They are…
3. 1 - Hors-d oeuvre / Appetizer
◦ Spicy in nature in order to stimulate
the appetite for the dishes that are to
follow In the course.
◦ Served from a rotating trolley or a tray.
◦ A small amount of each variety being
placed on the plate to make up a
portion.
◦ Examples: Saumon Fume, Shellfish
Cocktail, Salads, Caviar, Mellon
Frappe, etc
4. 2 - Potage / Soup
◦ Soup also act as an appetizer for the
further courses to come.
◦ Soups like clear soup(consommé) and
the other a thick soup (crème, veloute,
puree) are served during this course.
◦ Examples of Potage : clear soup
garnished with strips of root vegetable,
clear soup garnished with strips of
savoury pancakes ,thick lobster-
flavored soup, clear onion soup
5. 3 - Oeuf / Egg
◦ Oeufs are the dishes made from egg.
◦ There are many styles of cooking and
preparation of eggs such as boiled, en
cocotte, poached or scrambled.
◦ This course is not included in the dinner
menu.
◦ Examples: Omelette aux tomates ,
Omelette espagnole , Omlette aux
champignons, Oeuf poche florentine, etc.
6. 4 - Farinaceous / Farineaux / Pasta or
Rice
◦ This is Italy's contribution to the courses of
the menu.
◦ Pasta dishes are spaghetti, lasagne and
gnocchi.
◦ The ingredients, size, shape and color
determine the type of pasta.
◦ Examples of farinaceous dishes are:
◦ Spaghetti ,Ravioli ,Cannelloni ,Gnocchi
romaine, Spaghetti bolognaise
7. 5 - Poisson / Fish
◦ Poisson are the dishes made from fish.
◦ Fish, being soft-fibred,prepares the palate
for the heavier meats that follow.
◦ Ideal fish for dinner menu compilation are:
Sole, Salmon, Halibut, Escallops, etc
◦ Examples of fish dishes are:
◦ Sole meuniere : - Sole shallow fried in
butter.
◦ Sole colbert : - Sole, flour, egg and bread
crumbed and deep fried. (fillets).
8. 6 - Entrée / Entree
◦ The First in the meat course Entrées are
generally small, well garnished dishes
which come from the kitchen ready for
service.
◦ They are always accompanied by very rich
gravy or sauce.
◦ Examples of this type of dish are :
◦ Poulet saute chasseur , Supreme de
volaille sur cloche, Steak Daine.
9. 7 - Sorbet / Sorbet
◦ Because of the length of the French
classical menu, this course is considered
to be the rest between courses .
◦ It counteracts the previous dishes, and
rejuvenates the appetite for those that are
to follow
◦ It is water and crushed ice slush flavoured
as a rule with champagne and served in a
glass.
◦ Examples of sorbet : Lemon Sorbet,
Champagne Sorbet, Calvados Sorbet,
Peach Sorbet, Raspberry Sorbet
10. 8 - Releve / Joints
◦ This is the main meat course on the menu.
◦ Releves are normally larger than entrees and take
the form of butcher’s joints which have to be
carved.
◦ These joints are normally roasted.
◦ A sauce or a roast gravy with potatoes and green
vegetables are always served with this course.
◦ Content: Lamb Chicken ,Beef, Duckling ,Veal, Ham
,Tongue ,Pork
◦ Some Examples of Releve:
◦ Contrefilet de boeuf roti a l anglaise : - boned and
roasted sirloin of beef.
◦ Carre d agneau roti : - roast best end of lamb
◦ Cuissot de porc roti puree de pommes : - roast legg
of pork with apple sauce.
11. 9 - Roti / Roast
◦ At this stage the balance of the courses is
gradually returning from heavy to light.
◦ Roast always contain roast of game or
poultry: - chicken, turkey, duck, pheasant,
quail.
◦ Each dish is accompanied by its own
particular sauce and gravy, with a green
salad served separately on a cresent
shaped dish.
◦ Example of Roti:
◦ Roast chicken
◦ Braised duck
◦ Roast quail
12. 10 - Legumes / Vegetables
◦ We now have a vegetable dish served only
with its accompanying sauce.
◦ These are vegetable dishes that can be
served separately as an individual course
or may be included along - with the entrée,
relevé or roast courses.
◦ Examples of Legumes:
◦ Pommes au four: - baked jacket potato
◦ Champignons grilles : - grilled mushrooms
◦ Choufleur mornay: - cauliflower with a
cheese sauce.
◦ Haricots verts au beurre: - French beans
tossed in butter
13. 11 - Salades / Salad
◦ Various types of salads which are served
during this course.
◦ Examples of salades are:
◦ Salade francaise : - lettuce, tomato, egg, &
vinaigrette dressings.
◦ Salade vert: - Lettuce, watercress,
cucumber and green pepper.
14. 12 - Buffet Froid / Cold Buffet
◦ In this course Chilled meat(small) pieces
are served.
◦ Examples of cold buffet items are:
◦ Poulet roti : - Roast chicken
◦ Ham in Parsley Aspic (Jambon Persillé)
◦ Caneton Roti: - Roast Duck
◦ Mayonnaise d hommard: - lobster
mayonnaise
15. 13 - Entremets / Sweets
◦ Entremets on a menu refers to desserts.
◦ This could include hot or cold sweets, gateaux,
soufflés or ice-cream.
◦ Examples of Entrements:
◦ Crepe suzette : - pancakes in a rich fresh orange
juice and flamed with brandy.
◦ Ananas Flambes au kirsch: - Pineapple flamed
with cherry flavoured liquor.
◦ Peche Melba: - Vanilla Ice cream topped with a
peach coated with a raspberry jam sauce and
decorated with cream.
◦ Bombes : - various Ice cream sweets.
16. 14 - Savoureux / Savory
◦ A dish of pungent taste, such as anchovies on
toast or pickled fruit.
◦ They are seved hot on toast or as savoury
soufflé.
◦ Welsh rarebit: - Cheese sauce Flavoured with
ale on toast gratinated.
◦ Canape Daine :- Chicken livers rolled in
bacon and grilled, placed on a warm toast.
◦ Champignons sur croute: - mushrooms on
toast.
17. 15 - Fromage / Cheese
◦ Fromage is an alternative to the outdated
savoury course, and may be served before
or after the sweet course.
◦ It is usually served with butter, crackers
and occasionally .
◦ All type of cheese may be offered together
with appropriate accompaniments, the
ideal cheese board will combine hard,
semi-hard, soft or cream, blue and fresh
cheese.
CHEESE TYPE COUNTRY
Cheddar Hard England
Edam Hard Holland
Brie Soft France
Demi-Sel Soft France
Ricotta Fresh Italy
18. 16 - Dessert / Cut Fruits & Nuts
◦ Dessert is a course that typically comes at
the end of a meal.
◦ All forms of fresh fruit and nuts may be
served in this course.
◦ Common desserts include cakes,
cookies, fruits, pastries and candies.
◦ All forms of Fresh Fruits Platter.
◦ All forms of Dry Fruits nuts may be served
accompanied by castor sugar and salt.
19. 17 - Boissons / Beverage
◦ All types of hot or cold beverage, Tea,
Coffee etc. are served.
◦ While compiling menus Beverages are not
counted as a course.
◦ Examples are:
◦ Coffee: Cafeteria, Iced, Filter, Specialty,
Decaffeinated.
◦ Tea: Indian, Ceylon, Earl Grey, Darjeeling,
Orange Pekoe.
