Amuse bouche and canapé are culinary terms in fine dining.

They are dishes that may be served in a fine dinning restaurant or at a dinner party.

These dishes often precede the main course and are quite similar to appetizers. However, these dishes are often served separately from the appetizer.

An amuse bouche is a small sized dish served in restaurants. It is a complimentary dish that introduces customers to the culinary skills of the chef just before the main course. Canapé is a small single bite dish that may be served as an appetizer but could also be the main dish in a cocktail party.

In this post, we discuss the differences between these two culinary terms.

What is an amuse bouche?

An amuse bouche is usually a small sized dish that is served in some fine dining restaurants before the main course is presented.

“Amuse bouche” is a French term from two words “amuser” which means to amuse or please, and “bouche” which means the mouth.

It is made up of dishes with rich flavors to show the customers a bit of the chef’s creativity before the main dish is served.

It is a complimentary dish that is given at some fine dining restaurant.

This means that it is a dish that isn’t ordered directly from the restaurant’s menu but presented free of charge to the guests just as they are seated, and it is usually separate from the appetizer.

Amuse bouche may include a variety of foods such as soups, or the chef may also decide to draw inspiration from a canapé like dish.

The amuse bouche usually consists of dishes that may be eaten with utensils, the dish might also be paired with a wine.

What are canapés?

Canapés may be served at dinner parties, cocktail parties or at a wedding reception.

It usually consists of small finger foods that could be eaten in a single bite.

Canapés are small sized dishes that are made up of different layers of food ingredients. These dishes are also full of flavor.

The base of canapés usually consist of a bread or pastry such as crackers, and it is topped with different ingredients such as butter, salmon, meat, vegetables, fruits, or caviar.

Canapés are usually eaten by hand and could be taken together with a drink which could include a wine or cocktail.

A canapé could be served as an appetizer when it is followed by another dish that is the main dish.

However, in some settings, canapés are served as the main dish of a cocktail or dinner party.

In such a setting where the canapés are the main dish, multiple canapés may be served to the guests.

Difference between canapés and amuse bouche

Here are few points to help you differentiate between amuse bouche and canapes.

An amuse bouche is typically served in restaurants, where it is offered by the chef as a complimentary meal to customers while canapés are served at dinner parties or cocktail parties to guests.

Also, canapés could be the main dish or an appetizer while amuse bouche is served before the main course, and it usually comes before both the appetizer and main dish.

Canapés are always made up of a bread or pastry base and topped with a variety of other ingredients such as meat, seafood, or vegetables.  Amuse bouche could be made in a variety of ways including as canapé styled dishes or soups.

Canapés are finger foods eaten while the guests at the party are standing up while an amuse bouche may include finger foods, or dishes that may be eaten with a utensil.