Tempting Beginnings

Europe

Scandinavia

Gravlax is a delicious appetizer that consists of raw, salt-cured salmon seasoned with dill. This dish originated when fishermen would bury the salt, sugar, and dill-rubbed salmon above the high tide line to ferment. Today it is all done under refrigeration. Gravlax can be served in many ways among them pieces on crackers with cream cheese or on pieces of bread with different kinds of spreads, and the flavor can be enhanced but adding some freshly ground pepper.

Denmark

Smørrebrød are open-faced sandwiches made with buttered rye bread and topped with various ingredients like cold cuts of meat, cheese, spreads, meatballs, and caviar accompanied by salads, vegetables, and herbs.

England

Sausage rolls are traditional British snacks prepared with sausage wrapped in puff pastry and baked. Before baking the pastry is brushed with eggs or milk. These can be served hot or cold as appetizers or snacks accompanied by tasty dips.

France

Crudites are traditional French appetizers that are made with raw vegetables served whole, cut up, or sliced. The vegetables typically used are carrots, celery, bell peppers, cucumbers, asparagus spears, broccoli, and cauliflower. They are served with dips like vinaigrette, tapenade, hummus, or mayonnaise.

Escargot or cooked snails is a well-known French appetizer. To prepare the snails are removed from the shells and cooked with garlic butter, wine, or chicken stock until tender in texture. When don the escargots are served on toasted pieces of baguette but in restaurants place back into their shells and served on an escargot plate with special tongs to hold the shells and two-pronged forks to remove them and then dipped into garlic butter and eaten.

Terrine is a dish that is made with coarsely chopped meat and fat forming a sort of meatloaf. It is prepared in an earthenware vessel. The meat is usually a combination of goose or duck liver, pork, deer, or boar and marinated in a mix of herbs and wine, and once cooked left to cool, while a jelly forms in the dish. It is then removed from the mold and cut into slices.

Steak tartare is an appetizer prepared with finely chopped raw beef or horse meat seasoned with salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and Tabasco or mustard. The meat is combined with raw egg yolks, capers, onions, parsley, and at times, chopped gherkins. It is served accompanied by toasted bread, rye bread, or french fries.

Poland

Ryba po grecku is a traditional fish dish that is a combination of fish fillets (cod, haddock, tilapia, perch, pike, etc.), carrots, celery, leeks, parsley, onions, oil, tomato paste, lemon juice or vinegar, bay leaves, paprika, salt, and pepper. The fish is seasoned with salt and pepper and fried in oil on both sides, then set aside. Carrots and celery are grated and mixed with other chopped vegetables and sauteed until tender. The rest of the ingredients are stirred in at the end of cooking to combine the flavors.

Sledzie is a Polish specialty prepared with pickled herring and vinegar, oil, sour cream, and onions. It is traditionally served on Christmas Eve, as a cold appetizer or side dish.

Pasztet is made with cooked liver, beef, pork, or venison, along with spices, herbs, and bits of vegetables like carrots and mushrooms. The ingredients are mixed together and molded in a terrine. After it is refrigerated and then taken out of the mold and sliced. It is also served on holidays like Christmas and Easter.

Turkey

Kabak Mucveri are fritters that are prepared with grated zucchini, flour, and eggs, and include white Turkish cheese, onions, and herbs like parsley, dill, or mint. The fritters are fried golden brown and served with plain yogurt or yogurt-based sauces.

Cig kofte is the Turkish version of steak tartare. It is prepared with ground raw beef or lamb and mixed with bulgur, tomato paste, onions, garlic, pepper, and Turkish spices. It is eaten cold.

Kisir is a classic Turkish salad made with thin bulgur wheat, tomatoes, mint, garlic, parsley, and either lemon juice or sour pomegranate molasses. To make it spicier red pepper flakes are added. The salad is served for buffets and meze but can also be a side dish for barbecued meats.

Greece

Bakaliaros are delicious golden, crispy cod fritters. The dish is prepared with batter-fried pieces of cod. They're served as a meze dish accompanied by a thick, garlicky sauce.

Crete

Dakos is a traditional Cretan dish that is prepared with a dry barley rusk called paximadi and topped with crumbled mizithra cheese, chopped tomatoes, whole olives, capers, fresh oregano, and a splash of olive oil. The rusk is gently rubbed with garlic and seasoned with sea salt.

Tiropita is a popular Greek snack that is prepared with sheets of phyllo dough filled with cheese (usually feta), and eggs. The dough is wrapped around the filling in triangular pieces and brushed with butter before baking. It is served as an appetizer accompanied by dips.

Mydia is a popular Greek and Croatian appetizer made with fresh mussels steamed in red wine with fresh herbs, garlic, and garden vegetables. The dish is usually doused in a Mediterranean red sauce.

Spanakopita is a spinach pie made with flaky phyllo pastry and filled with cooked spinach, lemon juice, feta cheese, and at times, dill. Once baked, the pieces are served as an appetizer or light main course.

Italy

Arancini are big, golden brown rice balls that can have different fillings like meat sauce with peas, dried prosciutto, cheeses like pecorino and mozzarella, tomatoes, and dried capers. Once formed, the balls are rolled in breadcrumbs and fried in hot oil, giving them a crispy exterior.

Deviled eggs are made with hard-boiled eggs that have been shelled and halved. Their yolks are removed and mixed with mayonnaise, mustard, pickle relish, and seasonings making a smooth paste. This mixture is filled into the egg halves. Paprika can be sprinkled on top. These delicious eggs were created in ancient Rome.

Pizzetta is a small version of a regular pizza and can come in various shapes. It is made with a dough base or puff pastry and topped with sauces, cheese, and other ingredients. Once baked it is served as an appetizer or quick snack.

Crostini are a group of Italian appetizers prepared with small pieces of toasted or grilled bread and topped with different ingredients like olive oil, fresh herbs, garlic, cheese, olives, spinach, and tomatoes. They make a great appetizer or accompaniment to soups.

Spain

Rabas or fried squid are the favorite seafood tapa of the Cantabrian coast. They're prepared with sliced squid strips or rings lightly battered or breaded and fried to a golden brown. The dish is served lightly seasoned with salt and drizzled with lemon juice.

Pisto is a traditional dish from La Mancha and consists of a variety of cooked and fried vegetables like tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, and courgettes. It can be served as a cold appetizer or warm as a side dish.

Croquetas de bacalao are fritters prepared with cod. They are made with a bechamel base which can be replaced with mashed potatoes. The bechamel or mashed potatoes are well-seasoned and mixed with the cooked and flaked cod and then shaped into desired forms, rolled in breadcrumbs, and fried to a golden brown.

Malta

Pastizz is the national snack of Malta. It is prepared with flaky pastry and filled with peas, ricotta, anchovies, corned beef, or apples. The thin dough is stretched and rolled with layers of fat in between, then filled and shaped into diamonds or semicircles and baked until golden brown.

Asia

China

Sweet and sour spare ribs is a popular Chinese dish. The spare ribs are marinated, and deep-fried, then dipped in Chinese sweet and sour sauce. Traditionally they're served as an appetizer.

Fish balls are a popular appetizer. They're prepared with finely pulverized fish meat, called surimi, and shaped into balls.

Char siu is prepared with roasted, barbecued pork that has been marinated with ingredients like soy sauce, hoisin sauce, rice wine, and star anise. The pork is sliced as an appetizer or shredded as a main meal.

Japan

Goyza are crescent-shaped dumplings. They're made with a thin wrapper made of wheat flour, eggs, and water and then filled with minced pork or chicken, cabbage, and chives, flavored with garlic, ginger, and green onions.

Indonesia

Perkedel are Indonesian delicacies that consist of either mashed potatoes, ground meat, ground corn, or minced fish. They are formed into savory patties. Before frying, the main ingredient is combined with finely chopped scallions, and pepper, then dipped into beaten eggs. It is served as an appetizer or side dish with soups.

Baba ghanoush is a Middle Eastern dish most associated with Lebanon. It is prepared with roasted and pureed eggplants, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and tahini. For flavor, mint, onions, and different spices can be added. It is used as a spread for open-faced sandwiches and topped with parsley, tomatoes, and sliced cucumbers.

Vietnam

Cha gio refers to fried spring rolls. The rolls are made with pork and shrimp wrapped in delicate rice paper. The rolls can also include vegetables like carrots, cabbage, or mushrooms. The rolls are fried until golden and served as an appetizer.

South Korea

Jeon, are also known as Korean pancakes. These pancakes include thinly sliced meat, poultry, seafood, and vegetables. They are mixed with eggs and fried.

Kimichi are delicious fermented pickled vegetables. They are prepared, sliced, and tied in bundles, then marinated in brine with hot chili peppers, salty fish paste, leeks, ginger, sugar, and garlic.

Africa

Tunisia

Tunisia brik is a delicious dish made with flaky dough that is filled with various ingredients like tuna and North African spices like cilantro, chilis, pepper, or coriander seeds. The pockets are stuffed and deep-fried or baked in the oven. A raw egg is placed on the tuna filling, and the pastry is folded over, so the egg partially cooks.

The US

The dining room manager, Oscar Tschirky, created Waldorf salad in 1806 at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. The salad was made with apples, celery, and mayonnaise. At some point, finely chopped walnuts were added. Today it is served as a cold appetizer on a bed of lettuce.

An American creation, chicken fingers are prepared with strips of white poultry meat that are then dipped in eggs, coated in breadcrumbs, and deep-fried in hot oil. They are served as an appetizer or a snack with dips like ketchup, mayonnaise, honey mustard, or barbecue sauce on the side.

Pigs in Blankets are sausages wrapped in dough and baked until golden brown. They are often served as finger food at parties and accompanied by dips.

Mozzarella sticks are a cheese favorite prepared with pieces of mozzarella that is battered, breaded, and deep-fried. Traditionally they're served with marinara sauce but can also be served with any other sauce like plum sauce, honey mustard sauce, raspberry sauce, Ranch dressing, or barbecue sauce.

Shrimp or prawn cocktail is a favorite seafood appetizer. The shrimp are cooked and then lined around a tulip glass that has some lettuce in it and cocktail sauce.

Avocado toast is an appetizer made with pieces of toasted bread that are topped with mashed avocados, salt, pepper, and citrus juice. Other ingredients can be added, like salmon, tomatoes, onions, eggs, garlic, cheese, olive oil, or red pepper flakes.

Fried onion rings are popular and usually served with burgers but can be served by themselves accompanied by ketchup, mayonnaise, or other dipping sauces. Onions are sliced and divided into rings which are dipped in batter and then deep-fried to a golden brown.

Mexico

Chile relleno is a dish that consists of chili peppers stuffed with cheese, nuts, cinnamon, and diced meat. These are dipped in eggs and flour and deep-fried.

Chalupa is a thin, crunchy tortilla that is topped with various ingredients like pulled pork, ground beef, shredded chicken, cheese, potatoes, and red or green chili sauce.

South America

Peru

Ceviche mixto is a classic Peruvian appetizer that includes shrimp, squid, octopus, clams, or scallops. The seafood is marinated in lemon juice, lime juice, celery juice, salt, onions, cilantro, and hot chili peppers.

Tirado is a traditional dish that is made with thinly sliced, well-chilled raw fish, chopped vegetables, and coriander drizzled with lemon and lime juices, so it cooks in citrus juices. Served as an appetizer, some cooks like to add their own ingredients like sliced onions, pickled jalapenos, or boiled corn,