Appetizer, Hors D’Oeuvre and Snack Recipes

Cutting board with tapas
Image by Terence Lim

Appetizers and hors d’oeuvre are the enticing entrance to a full meal. They pique the appetite without satisfying it and encourage easy conversation among gathered guests. Appetizers can be plated or passed, but they are most often finger food, easy to eat while standing and never overly messy in the hands.

Appetizers are mini meals that go by different names around the world. Spaniards have tapas, delicious bar food with a deep history. The Italians throw together antipasti platters with elegant simplicity. Hunger pangs in the eastern Mediterranean are calmed with meze and a beverage. Cantonese diners pick out an entire meal from dim sum carts. And the spicy chaat of India are some of the most flavorful snacks in the world.

International Appetizer Recipes

Chopped Chicken Livers 
(Jewish liver paté spread)

Cancha 
(Ecuadorian, Peruvian toasted corn snack)

Souskaï de Mangues Vertes 
(French Caribbean mango appetizer)

Lo Mai Gai 
(Chinese rice steamed in lotus leaves)

Medu Vada 
(South Indian deep-fried lentil fritters)

Gamberetti all’Agro 
(Italian lemon-marinated shrimp)

Elotes Asados 
(Mexican roast corn on the cob)

Samosas 
(Indian, Pakistani, African deep-fried potato pastries)

Gefüllte Eier 
(German deviled, stuffed eggs appetizer)

Köttbullar med Gräddsås 
(Swedish meatballs with cream sauce)

Satay Ayam 
(Indonesian chicken skewers with peanut sauce)

Dolmathes 
(Greek grape leaves stuffed with rice and meat)

Falafel 
(Middle Eastern fried chickpea patties)

Olive Marinate 
(Italian marinated olive appetizer)

Law Bok Gow 
(Chinese steamed radish cake)

Tlacoyos 
(Mexican bean-stuffed masa patties)

Angels on Horseback 
(English bacon-wrapped oysters appetizer)

Jamaican Beef Patties 
(Jamaican spicy curried meat pies)

Pâtés Haïtiens 
(Haitian puff pastry beef patties)

Sigara Boregi 
(Turkish cheese-filled filo appetizers)

Lumpia Shanghai 
(Filipino meat-filled eggrolls)

Pork and Cabbage Dim Sum Filling 
(Chinese filling for buns, potstickers and dumplings)

Scotch Eggs 
(Scottish hard-boiled eggs wrapped in sausage)

Hummus bi Tahina 
(Middle Eastern chickpea and sesame dip)

Akkra 
(Senegalese black-eyed pea fritters)

Muchines de Yuca 
(Ecuadorian stuffed and fried cassava balls)

Okonomiyaki 
(Japanese savory “as-you-like-it” pancakes)

Coxinhas 
(Brazilian deep-fried chicken croquettes)

Baleadas 
(Honduran flour tortillas with beans and cheese)

Acharuli Khachapuri 
(Georgian boat-shaped cheesebread with egg and butter)

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds 
(American Halloween snack)

Tod Mun 
(Thai spicy fish cakes)

Pajeon 
(Korean scallion pancake)

Bruschetta alla Romana 
(Italian grilled bread with tomatoes)

Sausage Rolls 
(Australian, New Zealand sausage-stuffed puff pastry)

Bao 
(Chinese steamed, filled buns)

Siu Mai 
(Chinese steamed pork and shrimp dumplings)

Gravlax 
(Swedish cured salmon)

Pão de Queijo 
(Brazilian cheese buns)

Guacamole 
(Mexican avocado sauce and condiment)

Pilus 
(Indonesian sweet potato puffs)

Tostones 
(Caribbean fried plantains)

Kadinbudu Köfte 
(Turkish “lady thigh” meatballs)

Bichak 
(Afghan stuffed savory and sweet pastries)

Yangnyeom Dak 
(Korean sweet and spicy fried chicken)

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