Small plates is a manner of dining that became popular in US food service after 2000. ''Small plates'' may either refer to small dishes resembling appetizers which are ordered à la carte and often shared, such as tapas, or to the small Course (dining), courses served as part of a more formal meal.

Types

Some types of small plates which have influenced the modern US concept are: * Tapas, a wide variety of appetizers in Spanish cuisine * Mezze, a wide variety of appetizers in Turkish cuisine, and sometimes in Greek cuisine * Antipasti and Cicchetti (food), cicchetti in Italian cuisine * Banchan, in Korean cuisine * Sozai ( ja, :ja:惣菜, 惣菜), the small and usually shared dishes served at an izakaya, a Japanese cuisine, Japanese pub * The pu pu platter of Cuisine of Hawaii, Hawaiian cuisine * Zakuski in Russian cuisine * Side dish ( zh, :zh:小菜, 小菜, which literally translates to "small dish") in Chinese cuisine

References

* Appetizers Serving and dining {{food-stub