À la carte
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À la carte /ɑːləˈkɑːrt/[1] is an English language loan phrase meaning "according to the menu."[2][3] It was adopted from French in the early 19th Century and refers to "food that can be ordered as separate items, rather than part of a set meal."[4]
The phrase is used in reference to a menu of items priced and ordered separately, i.e., the usual operation of restaurants. This is in contrast to a table d'hôte, where a menu has limited or no choice of items and is served at a fixed price.[5] It may also be used to order an item from the menu on its own, e.g., a steak without the potatoes and vegetables is steak à la carte.
History[edit]
The earliest examples of à la carte in writing are from 1816 for the adjectival use ('à la carte meal', for example) and from 1821 for the adverbial use ('meals were served à la carte').[2] These pre-date the use of the word menu which came into English in the 1830s.[6][7][2]
Other uses[edit]
More broadly, the term is not exclusive to food. Today, it can be used in reference to things such as television. To watch television à la carte refers to paying for a provider where the viewer can choose from an option of programs to watch (i.e. Netflix or HBO), instead of watching from set programs.[8]
See also[edit]
- Omakase
- Table d'hôte, the opposite of à la carte
- Buffet
- List of French words and phrases used by English speakers
- Pro rata, a method of billing or other calculation based on proportional usage
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References[edit]
- ^ "A la carte". Oxford English Dictionary (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. September 2005. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ a b c Oxford English Dictionary
- ^ "à la carte – definition of à la carte in English from the Oxford dictionary". oxforddictionaries.com. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
- ^ "à la carte – definition of à la carte in 0English from the Oxford dictionary". oxforddictionaries.com. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
- ^ "Online Etymology Dictionary". etymonline.com. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
- ^ Richard Bailey, Eating Words, Michigan Today, 13 May 2008. Archived 25 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ Menu, The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th edition, Houghton Mifflin
- ^ "A-la-Carte Cable TV Is Basically Here (It's Just Not on Cable) – The Simple Dollar". The Simple Dollar. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
Further reading[edit]
- Baraban, R.S.; Durocher, J.F. (2010). Successful Restaurant Design. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 17–18. ISBN 978-0-470-25075-4.
- Committee on Nutrition Standards for Foods in Schools, Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine (2007). Nutrition Standards for Foods in Schools. National Academies Press. page 83.
- Mosimann, Anton (1983). Cuisine à la carte. Macmillan Publishers Limited. 304 pages.
External links[edit]
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Look up à la carte in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
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