A Vegetarian United Nations Of Hors D’oeuvres For Your Next Party

If you're planning on catering a private party, and want to really impress your vegetarian guests, then think about serving a variety of hors d'oeuvres from around the world. Serving multiple types of different ethnic cuisines as entrees can be chaotic for the caterers, as well as overwhelming for your guests. But serving a variety of finger foods as appetizers is easy and enjoyable. Here are some different ides to discuss with the caterers before you throw your party.

Samosa (India)

A samosa is a pastry that is a popular dish that you will find in most Indian restaurants. A flour-based dough is rolled out and filled with a savory mix of potatoes, peas and spices. The dough is then folded over and the samosa is fried until it is crisp. It is normally made without any meat filling, so it's perfect to serve if you're anticipating guests who are vegetarian.  If you want to be sure that the samosas are vegetarian, then make sure the caterers don't make one of the less common variants that used ground meat in the filling.

Samosas are usually served with a mint chutney and a tamarind dipping sauce.

Dolmades (Greece)

This is a famous appetizer from Greece. Grape leaves are wrapped around a savory rice filling. The grape leaves provide a sharp, almost bitter contrast to the savory filling. The rice filling is seasoned with fresh parsley, olive oil, salt, and lemon. Dolmades are served with a yogurt dipping sauce.

Falafel (Middle East)

This is perhaps the most famous vegetarian dish in the entire Middle East. It's a staple of the region. If you visit Israel, Lebanon, or Palestine, you will encounter falafel shops everywhere. A falafel is a simple patty that is made from chickpeas. The chickpeas are mashed and mixed with salt, parsley, cumin and coriander. They are then deep fried until golden brown.

Falafel is delicious served with tahini sauce, which is made using sesame seeds. You can have the caterers make the falafel so that they are small enough to be picked up using toothpicks, as opposed to the larger sized ones that are often eaten in a pita bread as a main course.

Mini Spinach Quiche (France)

Mini quiches are an excellent finger food because they are tasty and not messy. Each tiny quiche will come in it's own crust. The filling is an egg, cheese, cream and spinach mixture that is flavored with nutmeg and shallots. The ideal size mini quiche is one that doesn't require utensils, but rather can be eaten in two or three bites.


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