The Canape: A Classic Cocktail Party Nibble

The other day I thifted the amazing canapé cookbook pictured above (circa 1934) for just a few dollars. At first the book’s design drew me, with its deco cover and amusing black drawings. But then I started reading the fascinating recipes with names like Devil’s Knapsack, Diamond Cut Diamond and Rainbow’s End. Intrigued, I set out discover more about the canapé, a retro cocktail mainstay.

A canapé is a form of hors d’oeuvre that is passed on trays at a cocktail party. Typically, a canapé is a small, decoratively shaped slice of bread, toast or cracker that is spread with a flavored butter, cheese or mayonnaise and layered with additional ingredients like ham, hard boiled egg, sliced olives and caviar. Anchovies seem to play a big role in the canapé world, as well as horseradish and peanut butter. (There is a recipe in the book for dates soaked in booze, then stuffed with a peanut butter and horseradish combo and topped with an anchovy. It’s called the Blind Date.)

The purpose of the canapé is to encourage drinking, so they are often salty or spicy, and should be manageable with one hand so the other is free to clutch a cocktail. The rule of thumb is that they should be eaten in no more than two bites.

The bread is usually cut into shapes using those little cookie cutter-like things you often see at garage sales and thrift stores. Diamonds, triangles, hearts, and circles are the usual shapes, in plain or fluted edges. The bread and filling can also be rolled in a spiral and jabbed with a toothpick.

Canapé means ‘couch’ in French and it is said they got that name because the ingredients are couched on the bread. This makes sense because canapés were first served in France in the 18th century. Another theory is that the ingredients are draped or ‘canopied’ over the bread.

Related: Party Accessory: Finger Food Plates from FRED /a>

(Images: Dana Velden)