CANAPES– PART OF COLD BUFFET

Canapes are small portions of bite size foods served as a pre dinner nibble (appetisers), may be a part of cold buffet.

They have a base of some kind i.e. a bread or biscuit topped with creamed or sliced foods & a decoration. The base must be thin & is usually made of white or brown bread which has been toasted or shallow fried. The base can be cut into many shapes either square, rectangle, triangle, diamond, star, round, oval or in fingers. This is spread with a paste which is then garnished. Canapes must be cut small to allow only one or two bites. They should be prepared on the day & served on attractive platters with a suitable centrepiece.

There are varieties of breads used for making canapes such as white, brown, whole wheat or rye bread, brioche, puff pastry, short pastry etc. Canapes are part of cold buffet where cooking technique is vital to great presentation, because no matter how artfully they are displayed, the way the food tastes is the most important. Unlike hot foods with their abundant aromas to entice the guest, the aroma of cold food is less apparent, making it necessary for guest to “see” the flavours.

The Hotel Management Institute in Delhi which offers culinary courses also teach the students about the preparation of canapes. Among the various Hotel Management Institute in Delhi, the Hotel School is one of the prime institutions which runs different program in food production and imparts the knowledge of canapes.

The Hotel School in Delhi imparts training in the form of classroom teaching along with regular practical classes and workshops. Here the students are able to learn different types of canapes for cold buffet. They get exposure on how cold foods are designed to place in a properly devised buffet. The Hotel School also imparts training on the layout of cold buffet in practical classes. Here the students are given training in such a manner that they should be able to exploit the full sensory potential of every dish to create a presentation that is practical, functional & appealing. The practical classes in The Hotel School creates special emphasis on food presentation integrate all aspects of the cold buffet including the theme, the menu, the style of service & guest’s expectation.