Like the opening credits for a film, the appearance of the antipasti announces to the crowd that something special is about to begin. Usually, just the sight of beautifully prepared antipasti is enough to change the entire mood of a gathering, luring each guest to the table and into the slower tempo and warmth of a shared meal among friends or family.
In English, we call it the appetizer course. For the French, it is the hors d'oeuvre. In Italy, it's called the "antipasto." It can be hot or cold, cooked or raw. Antipasti (plural form of antipasto) can be served on individual plates, each one artfully designed. It can also be served in bite-size pieces on a plate that is passed around the table, or presented as an elegant centerpiece from which everyone is served. For the cook, it can be a chance to embellish, dazzle and hopefully have some fun, since usually relatively little cooking is involved.
What antipasti means in Italy
In the U.S., there are many misconceptions about antipasti, beginning with the meaning of the word itself. Americans often believe "antipasto" means "a dish served before a pasta course." Though, in fact, this may sometimes be the case, it isn't the real meaning of the term. Literally, the word is derived from the Latin root "anti" meaning "before" and "pastus," which means "meal." Thus, the antipasto course simply refers to the dish that precedes all the others to come.
Also, contrary to popular belief in the U.S., it is not common practice in Italy to have antipasti at home. In Italy, the beautifully prepared, nicely arranged plates of sliced, cured meats, vegetables, fish, and patés that Americans usually associate with antipasti are reserved for special occasions. Worthy occasions include family reunions, celebrations after religious ceremonies, special gatherings of friends, and romantic dinners.
Antipasti and fine dining
In Italy, most restaurants offer a range of antipasti. Some are displayed on buffet tables or in refrigerated bars, from which guests can help themselves — or else make their request known to the waiter, who then prepares the plates and brings them to the table.
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In the finer restaurants, great importance is given to the antipasto course, and clientele — local and foreign alike — enjoy the opportunity to taste truly creative, unusual specialties, gorgeously presented.
- Today, restaurants all over the world present a whole variety of different antipasti dishes. For example, Carpaccio antipasto, one popular dish from Venice, can be comprised of thinly sliced uncooked meat, fish or porcini mushrooms. This is a variation on the original dish, which featured extremely thin slices of raw beef topped with shavings of Parmigiano cheese.
- Given how appealing antipasti dishes can be in such restaurants, it is not uncommon to skip the primo piatto (first course) entirely, and opt for an antipasti spread instead.
Antipasti: Introduction to relaxed, delicious dining
As in a movie theatre, when the credits start to roll, you are pulled out from the knots and tangles of your life and into the magic of the cinema. Similarly, the presentation of the antipasti coaxes each guest to suspend the cares and worries of their day, and immerse themselves in the gifts about to be set before them.
The presentation of this first course of the meal — the colors, the artful composition, the care taken in its preparation — viscerally tells each guest that this is the time for relaxation and indulgence to begin.