Service à la française

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Service à la française is the practice of serving all the dishes of a meal at the same moment.

This style prevailed in the courts of French royalty, for it made the greatest impression for all the delicacies of the kitchen to emerge simultaneously. However, unless the kitchen and staff are enormous in relation to the number of persons being served, it is impossible for all dishes to be perfectly hot and ready to consume. Furthermore, it is impossible for the diners to consume each dish when it is at its peak. Thus all modern restaurants provide the dishes sequentially, so that they may be enjoyed individually: a style called Service à la russe.

A modified form of service à la française in which several large dishes are brought out for each diner to help themselves from is known as "family-style" in less formal restaurants. In the mediterranean, it is common to eat "tapas" or "meze" -style, where several small dishes are presented for the diners to share.