Saturday Beefcake: Antipasto

Edited from WiseGeek.com: Antipasto [Antepasto] means before the meal and is the traditional first course of a formal Italian meal. Some have compared antipasto to hors d’oeuvres, but there are several distinctions. Hors d’oeuvres are served while guests are still standing, and tend to be served off trays in the most formal settings, or placed on a table. They are enjoyed with drinks prior to the meal.





On the other hand, antipasto is served at the table and signifies the beginning of the Italian meal. Most table settings will feature a central antipasto plate, and small plates for each diner to enjoy this warm-up to the other courses.




The most traditional offerings are cured meats, marinated vegetables, olives, marinated and/or roasted bell peppers and various cheeses, perhaps provolone, or fresh mozzarella. Other additions may be anchovies, or bruschetta, toasted bread, upon which one may stack the meats or cheeses. The antipasto is usually topped off with some olive oil.




Meats for antipasto may include mortadella, but more traditionally, types of salami, prosciutto and coppa are usually offered. It really does not much matter which meats one chooses, as antipasto dishes are quite individual and can be suited to one’s taste.

Sometimes, an Italian meal will begin with a variant like Caprese salad. This dish is made up of fresh tomatoes, fresh bufala mozzarella and leaves of basil topped with olive oil.





Though antipasto varies in form, and numerous adaptations and recipes exist, its main purpose is to extend the meal. Traditional European dining is nothing like the fast-paced meals we most often consume today. Instead, the food is enjoyed slowly, and is only one part of the dining experience. The other part, is of, course, good conversation. A typical meal, consisting of antipasto, salad, soup, pasta and a meat dish, perhaps followed by a light dessert, is supposed to take time, as it is meant to build and maintain relationships with friends and family.




One should take the appearance of antipasto to mean that lingering over the meal and being conversant, rather than eating one’s food rapidly, is probably the accepted social norm. The antipasto can “take the edge off” for those hungry diners, but one should accept only a little bit, unless there are ample supplies on the table. Eating too much may make one disinclined to eat the rest of a meal, or be considered as greedy by other diners.