Mirepoix (cuisine)
Similar flavour bases include the Italian "soffritto", the Spanish "sofrito", "refogado/sufrito" (braised onions, garlic and tomato) from Portuguese-speaking nations, the German "suppengrün" (leeks, carrots and celeriac), the Polish "włoszczyzna" (leeks, carrots, celery root and parsley root), the US Cajun / Creole holy trinity (onions, celery and bell peppers), and possibly the French "duxelles" (mushrooms and often onion or shallot and herbs, reduced to a paste).
Hors d'oeuvre
The term "appetizer" is a synonym for "hors d'oeuvre". It was first used in the United States and England simultaneously in 1860. Americans also use the term to define the first of three courses in a meal, which were optional and generally set on the table before guests were seated. Drinks before dinner became a custom towards the end of the 19th century. As this new fashion caught on, the British took inspiration from the French to begin serving hors d'oeuvres before dinner. A cocktail party is considered a small gathering with mixed drinks and light snacks. Hors d'oeuvres may be served as the only food offering at cocktail parties and receptions, where no dinner is served afterward. After the end of prohibition in the United States, the cocktail party gained acceptance. Prior to the First World War, American dinner guests would be expected to enter the dining room immediately where drinks would be served at the table with appetizers. This changed by the 1920s, when hors d'oeuvres were served prior to a non-alcoholic cocktail; however, after the repeal of Prohibition in the United States, cocktail parties became popular with many different hors d'oeuvres meant as something to help counter the stronger drinks. It is the cocktail party that helped transfer the hors d'oeuvres from the formal dining table to the mobility of the serving tray. These appetizers passed around the cocktail party may also be referred to as canapés.