Agatha Christie
mentioned Hors d'oeuvre, Lobster a l'americane, Chicken Newberg, and Peche
Melba in her book, The Secret Adversary. With this information I began to like
Agatha even better. Yes, I have to admit. I like eating and tasting good
recipes from time to time, and when I heard about these dishes I stopped to
listen.
Some of these
meals are, more or less, known or, at least, we can infer what they mean
(Lobster a l´americane may have to do with lobsters prepared in some nice way,
or Chicken Newberg which may refer to some sort of chicken preparation). Hors
d´oeuvre is something different since it has a French origin and it doesn´t
give any clue to the Spanish speaking learner. Now what about Peche Melba? Does
it have to do with an ice cream like Copa Melba in Spanish?
Let us see. We
went to the internet and consulted different pages. These are the results.
Hors d´oeuvre are food items served before the main courses of a
meal, typically smaller than main dishes, and often meant to be eaten by hand.
If there is an
extended period between when guests arrive and when the meal is eaten (for
example during a cocktail hour), these might also serve the purpose of
sustaining guests during the wait, in the same way that apéritifs are served as
a drink before meals. Hors d´oeuvre are sometimes served with no meal
afterward. This is the case with many reception and cocktail party events.