---
title: "Canapé: what it means in cooking — Tiny Plates"
description: "A canapé is a small bite on a base of bread, cracker or pastry, served with drinks before dinner. Get ideas, timings and how much to make."
url: "https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/canape"
---

# Canapé

A canapé is a small bite on a base of bread, cracker or pastry, served with drinks before dinner. Get ideas, timings and how much to make.

Also called Canape, Canapés.

A canapé is a small, one-bite snack built on a base, such as toast, a cracker, a pastry case, or a slice of cucumber. It is topped with something savory and finished with a [garnish](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/garnish). Canapés are passed around at parties and receptions, usually with drinks, before a meal or instead of one.

## How to do it

1. Pick a base that stays crisp. Toasted bread rounds, [crostini](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/crostini), small pastry shells and thick cucumber slices all work.
2. Add a spread that acts as glue and a seal, such as butter, cream cheese, or [rillettes](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/rillettes). It keeps the base from going soggy.
3. Add the main topping: smoked fish, cured meat, roast beef, egg, or a vegetable mix.
4. Finish with a herb leaf, a few fish eggs, or a dot of sauce. A [piping](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/pipe) bag makes neat dots and swirls.
5. Assemble no more than an hour or two before serving and keep them cold.

Plan about 4 to 6 pieces per person for an hour before dinner, and 10 to 12 per person when canapés are the whole meal.

## Common mistakes

* Making them too big. A guest holding a drink should be able to eat one in a single bite.
* Wet toppings straight on bread. Without a fat layer between them, the base softens fast.
* Too many kinds. Four or five types, made well, are easier than twelve rushed ones.
* Leaving them out. Canapés with fish, meat, egg or dairy should not sit at room temperature for more than 2 hours.

## In recipes

"Canapé" and "hors d'oeuvre" are often used for the same thing. Strictly, a canapé always sits on a base, while an hors d'oeuvre can be anything small, such as a skewer. Danish [smørrebrød](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/smorrebrod) cut into small squares is a common Nordic canapé. An [amuse-bouche](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/amuse-bouche) is different: it is served at the table, one per person.

## Where it comes from

_Canapé_ is French for "sofa". The topping sits on the bread the way a person sits on a sofa.

## Related terms

* [Amuse-boucheAn amuse-bouche is a single bite the kitchen sends out before the meal, unasked and free. See what it usually is and how to make one at home.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/amuse-bouche)
* [CrostiniCrostini are small, thin slices of toasted bread brushed with oil and topped for a party snack. See how to bake them crisp and keep them crunchy.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/crostini)
* [PipeTo pipe is to squeeze frosting, cream, batter or dough through a bag and nozzle to make neat shapes. Here is how to fill the bag, hold it and press evenly.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/pipe)
* [GarnishA garnish is a small edible finish added to a dish just before serving, such as herbs, citrus zest or toasted seeds, to add flavor, texture and color.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/garnish)
* [RillettesRillettes is meat, often pork or duck, cooked slowly in its own fat until it shreds, then packed into jars as a spread. See how to make and store it.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/rillettes)
* [SmørrebrødSmørrebrød is the Danish open sandwich of buttered dark rye bread piled with herring, pork, egg or shrimp. See the classic toppings and how to build one.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/smorrebrod)

[More in dishes](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/category/dishes)[Every term from A to Z](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary)