amuse-bouche

Meaning

1. 1nouncountable

   A single bite-sized morsel of food that a restaurant sends out free, before the starter, to give diners a first taste of the chef's style.

   Grammar: Count it by the piece: one amuse-bouche, two amuse-bouches.

   Patterns

   • an amuse-bouche of something
   • an amuse-bouche with something

   The waiter brought us a tiny amuse-bouche of beetroot foam before we had even opened the menu.

   I loved the amuse-bouche, a single spoonful of chilled pea soup, more than the main course.

   Every table at the restaurant receives a complimentary amuse-bouche from the kitchen.

Word forms

Common combinations

a complimentary amuse-bouche

A complimentary amuse-bouche arrived with the bread.

serve an amuse-bouche

The restaurant serves an amuse-bouche to every guest.

an amuse-bouche of something

We began with an amuse-bouche of smoked salmon on a cracker.

a tasting menu with an amuse-bouche

The tasting menu opens with an amuse-bouche and ends with petits fours.

a delicate amuse-bouche

A delicate amuse-bouche prepared us for the courses ahead.

Synonyms and how they differ

appetizer

An appetizer is any small dish eaten before a meal that you usually order, whereas an amuse-bouche is a free gift chosen by the chef.

starter

A starter is a full first course that appears on the menu, while an amuse-bouche is far smaller and comes before it.

hors d'oeuvre

An hors d'oeuvre is a small savory item often passed around at parties, while an amuse-bouche is served at a seated restaurant meal.

Word family

amuse verb

to entertain or make someone smile, the first half of the French phrase

appetizer noun

a small dish that opens a meal

palate cleanser noun

a light taste served between courses

Commonly confused: amuse-bouche or appetizer?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “amuse-bouche”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words