A full course dinner is a dinner

Dinner

Dinner is usually the name of the main meal of the day. Depending upon culture, dinner may be the second, third or fourth meal of the day. Originally, though, it referred to the first meal of the day, eaten around noon, and is still occasionally used for a noontime meal, if it is a large or main...

 consisting of multiple dishes, or courses. In its simplest form, it can consist of three or four courses, such as soup, salad, meat and dessert.

Form

In formal dining, a full course dinner can consist of five, seven, eight, ten or twelve courses, and, in its extreme form, has been known to have twenty-one courses. In these more formalized dining events, the courses are carefully planned to complement each other gastronomically. The courses are smaller and spread out over a long evening, up to three, four or five hours, and follow conventions of menu planning that have been established over many years.

Most courses (excluding some light courses such as sorbets) in the most formal full course dinners are usually accompanied by ("paired with") a different wine, liqueur, or other spirit; today, craft beers and sakes are increasingly being integrated into the pairings.

Cutlery

Table settings can be elaborate. More ostentatious settings sometimes include all silverware and glassware that will be needed for the entire meal, and lay out the silverware so that the outermost tools are used for the dishes appearing earliest on the menu. In this scheme, when diners are served the first course, they can depend on finding the correct implement at the outermost edge of the arrangement.

An alternative scheme arranges the place setting so that only the implements needed for the first one or two courses appear in the table setting. As the dinner progresses and new courses arrive, used implements are removed with the dishes, and new silverware is placed next to the plates. Generally speaking, at a formal dinner implements are not used for more than one course. This scheme is commonly used when dinners are offered à la carte

À la carte

À la carte is a French language loan phrase meaning "according to the menu", and used in* A reference to a menu of items priced and ordered separately, i.e. the usual operation of restaurants * To order an item from the menu on its own, e.g...

, so that the most appropriate implement is selected for a given course. For example, some diners may order clear, thin soups and others may order thick, creamy soups. As each of these soups has its own unique spoon, it would be considered improper and impractical to lay out a spoon that may not be needed or correct.

Example meal

The first class

First class

The term First class generally implies a high level of service, importance or quality. Specific uses of the term include:-Sports:* First-class cricket...

passengers aboard the ill-fated ocean liner Titanic were served a ten course meal :

First Course

• Hors D'Oeuvres
• Oysters

Second Course

• Consommé Olga
• Cream of Barley

Third Course

• Poached Salmon with Mousseline Sauce, Cucumbers

Fourth Course

• Filet Mignons Lili
• Saute of Chicken, Lyonnaise
• Vegetable Marrow Farci

Fifth Course

• Lamb, Mint Sauce
• Roast Duckling, Apple Sauce
• Sirloin of Beef, Chateau Potatoes
• Green Pea
• Creamed Carrots
• Boiled Rice
• Parmentier & Boiled New Potatoes

Sixth Course

• Punch Romaine

Seventh Course

• Roast Squab & Cress

Eighth Course

• Cold Asparagus Vinaigrette

Ninth Course

• Pate de Foie Gras
• Celery

Tenth Course

• Waldorf Pudding
• Peaches in Chartreuse Jelly
• Chocolate & Vanilla Eclairs
• French Ice Cream