bonne bouche

9.9

A small very tasty piece of food served before the main meal

noun
/bɒn buːʃ/

: bocadito

The chef presented a bonne bouche before the main meal to excite the guests' palates.

Examples

The chef prepared a delightful bonne bouche for the guests.
Have you tried the bonnes bouches at the new restaurant?
Each bonne bouche at the event was more delectable than the last.
The critic praised the restaurant's inventive bonne bouche that greeted every diner.
The chef presented a bonne bouche before the main meal to excite the guests' palates.
Each bonne bouche at the event was more delectable than the last.
The critic praised the restaurant's inventive bonne bouche that greeted every diner.

Synonyms

hors d'oeuvre

vsbonne bouche

48 8.4

A small dish you have before a main meal to make you hungry

is a small tasty morsel used as a delicacy rather than only a starter

bouchée

vsbonne bouche

9.9

A small puff pastry shell filled with a savory mixture and served as an appetizer

is a tiny delicious morsel often broader than that specific pastry type

How Substantial

platter

73 1.5

antipasto

5 6.1

starter

9 1.9

canape

1 6.3

bonne bouche

9.9

Surface Forms

bonne bouche singular

bonnes bouches plural

Morphology

bonne + bouche

The phrase is a French borrowing composed of 'bonne' (good) + 'bouche' (mouth), so a learner who knows those words can infer a general idea of something pleasant for the mouth (a tasty bite). However, the exact culinary sense 'a small, delicious morsel' is a conventionalised, culture-specific usage that is not fully predictable from the literal parts, making the relation metaphorical and only partly transparent.

Etymology

Bonne bouche comes from French and literally puts bonne 'good' and bouche 'mouth' together, creating the image of a very small bite that pleases the mouth. That's why bonne bouche now means 'a small, delicious morsel' often served as an appetizer.