Americans are perplexed by a “strange” menu difference they’ve noticed when dining in Australia.
The word “entree” to describe starters is leaving thousands of American visitors baffled as they use the term to refer to a main meal at home.
And it’s not just Australians who call the starter the main course, but most countries do the same, including the French.
Culinary philosophy says that the French use of “entrée” was a name derived from the position of a dish in the meal: the first.
The American understanding of “entrée” refers to a more historical use of the word, that is, the main course of the meal.
One confused American addressed the common misunderstanding on Reddit, asking: “Why do so many Australians call it (the appetizer) a main course?”
“A main course in modern French table service and in much of the English-speaking world is a dish served before the main course of a meal,” answered one Australian.
“It seems like only America uses entree to refer to the main course, while everyone else uses it to refer to the first course before the main course,” said another.
An entrée in the United States is the second course or main meal.
tiktok star Smac Mccreanor cleared up the confusion for her 2.8 million followers.
“In Australia, main course means appetizer, in the US, main course in Australia means main course in the US,” he said.
“It took me years to get over it,” one user lamented.
“I appreciate your patience in explaining this to Americans,” another responded.
“My boyfriend is from Australia and we’ve had this conversation many times,” said a third.
Some tried to quell the disagreement by saying we should all call it “food.”
In defending his countrymen, an American was more than willing to stir the pot.
“Americans call the main meal an appetizer simply to ‘stick to the French,'” he said.
