A savoury is the final course of a traditional British formal meal, following the sweet
pudding
Pudding is a type of food. It can be either a dessert or a savoury (salty or spicy) dish served as part of the main meal.
In the United States, ''pudding'' means a sweet, milk-based dessert similar in consistency to egg-based custards, inst ...
or
dessert
Dessert is a course that concludes a meal. The course consists of sweet foods, such as confections, and possibly a beverage such as dessert wine and liqueur. In some parts of the world, such as much of Greece and West Africa, and most parts o ...
course. The savoury is designed to "clear the
palate
The palate () is the roof of the mouth in humans and other mammals. It separates the oral cavity from the nasal cavity.
A similar structure is found in crocodilians, but in most other tetrapods, the oral and nasal cavities are not truly separ ...
" before the
port
A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as H ...
is served. It generally consists of salty and plain elements.
Typical savouries are:
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Scotch woodcock
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Welsh rarebit
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Sardines
"Sardine" and "pilchard" are common names for various species of small, oily forage fish in the herring family Clupeidae. The term "sardine" was first used in English during the early 15th century, a folk etymology says it comes from the Ital ...
on
toast
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Angels on horseback
Angels on horseback is a hot hors d'œuvre or savoury made of oysters wrapped with bacon. The dish, when served atop breads, can also be a canapé.
The dish is typically prepared by rolling shucked oysters in bacon and baking them in an oven. M ...
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Devils on horseback
Devils on horseback are a hot appetizer or small savoury dish of dried fruit stuffed with such ingredients as cheese or nuts, wrapped in bacon, prosciutto or pancetta. The traditional form of the dish is made with a pitted prune and bacon, bu ...
Savouries are often served on toast, fried bread or some kind of biscuit or cracker. In Eliza Action's 1845 book ''Modern Cookery for Private Families'', there is just one recipe for savouries which appears to be a proto-
croque monsieur
A ''croque monsieur'' () is a hot sandwich made with ham and cheese. The name comes from the French words ''croque'' ("crunch") and ''monsieur'' ("mister").
History
The dish originated in French cafés and bars as a quick snack. In the ear ...
, with a small footnote. In the twentieth century, however, entire books on the subject appeared, such as ''Good Savouries'' by Ambrose Heath (1934).
British snack foods
Courses (food)
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