Cooking Zone

Desserts

August 2nd, 2007

Dessert is the course of eatable that usually comes at the end of the main meals which often comprises of sweet food but sometimes of the strongly-flavored one like cheeses. The term ‘Dessert’ is believed to have been derived from the old French word ‘desservir’ which means to clear the dining table. Some of the most commonly used desserts include cakes, cookies, fruits and candies.

The term dessert is most widely used for such course in the United States, Canada, Australia and Ireland, while sweet, pudding or afters are the more specifically used terms in the United Kingdoms as well as several other commonwealth countries. Debrett states that pudding is the appropriate word; however, the term dessert should only be used if the course comprises of fruits and sweets as per the colloquial language.

The system of eating fruits and nuts after eating the main meals may be very old, the dessert is the standard part of the Western meal and is probably recent development anyway. Some cultures do not believe in the separate final sweet dish course but combine the sweets and savory dishes with their main meal, like in the Chinese or Indian dishes, or reserve elaborate dessert potions for special occasions.

Often the dessert is found as the separate meal or snack rather than including it in the main meals. There are certain restaurants that specialize in desserts. However, in the colloquial American language, the term dessert has some wider meaning and may refer to anything in sweet that would follow the main meals like milkshakes or other beverages.

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