MENU
 Fruitarians – more restricted form of vegetarianism. Do
It is defined as a presentation of food and beverage that a restaurant is
offering. It is primarily a selling aid. A menu must be appealing to the
customers and encourages them to accept it and want to open it to view its
contents. It must contain adequate information, easily found and followed,
will make the customer feel more at home and will assist in selling the
menu.
Things to consider in designing a menu:
 Size and shape
 Artwork
 Color
 Ease of handling
 Layout
 Information it contains
 Logical flow of information
 Headings
 Prices are clearly indicated
 Service charge
 Description of dishes
 Specialty of the house
 Details of the dish of the day
Menu Planning – is one of the functions required before assembling the food
materials to produce quality meals.
Kinds of Menu
 Cycle Menu – a kind of menu planned for a specific period of time
and rotated according to pattern.
 Set Menu – a fixed menu that is used for all customers.
 Selective Menu – a menu that offers choices for each course.
 Table d’hôte Menu (Table of the Host) – a complete meal offered
for a single price, although it may offer some choices, all have the
same price.
 À la carte Menu (From the Card) – menu wherein food is priced
individually.
Influences on Menus
Health and Eating
The key issue in the relationship of health and eating is healthy
diet. Customers are increasingly looking for the availability of choices that
will enable them to have a balanced diet.
Dietary Requirements
There are a variety of medical conditions, including allergies,
which are more common than was previously understood. Customers may
therefore require a certain diet for medical reasons. These customers will
need to know about the ingredients used in a dish, since eating certain
things may make them very ill and may be even fatal.
 Allergies
 Diabetic – diet may include those with low cholesterol and low
sugar content
 Low Cholesterol
 Low Sodium/ Salt – requires a reduction in the amount of sodium
or salt consumed
Cultural and Religious Dietary Influences
Different religious faiths have differing requirements with regards
to the dishes/ ingredients that may be consumed, and these requirements
also cover preparation methods, cooking procedures and the equipment
used.
 Hindus –do not eat beef and rarely pork. Some will not eat meat,
fish or eggs.
 Jews – only “clean” (kosher) animals may be consumed. They do
not eat pork, shellfish or animal fats. There are restrictions placed
on methods of preparation and cooking.
 Muslims – will not eat meat, offal, or animal fat unless it is halal
(lawful, as required under Islamic Dietary Law) meat. Will not
consume in alcohol, even when used in cooking.
 Sikhs – do not eat beef or pork. Other may eat fish, mutton,
cheese and eggs. Will not eat halal meat.
 Rastafarians – will not eat any processed food, pork, or fish
without fins (eels). Will not consume tea, coffee or alcohol.
 Roman Catholic – few restrictions on diet. Usually will not eat
meet on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Some keep the past
tradition of not eating meat on Friday, fish and dairy may be eaten
instead.
Vegetarianism
This may be a result from cultural, religious, ethical, moral or
physiological consideration.
Forms of Vegetarianism
 Semi – do not eat red meats or all meats other than
poultry, or all meats. Diet includes fish and may include
dairy produce.
 Lacto-ovo – do not eat meat, fish or poultry but may
consume milk, milk products and eggs.
 Lacto – do not eat meat, fish, poultry or egg but may
consume milk and milk products.
 Vegans – do not eat foods of animal origin.
not eat food of animal origin, pulses and cereals. Diet
mainly includes raw and dried fruit, nuts, honey, and
olive oil.
Ethical Influence
Customers have become increasingly aware of ethical issues,
such as:
 Ensuring sustainability of food
 Fair trade
 The acceptability of genetically modified foods
 Reducing food packaging and food waste
 Reducing the effects of food production and transportation on the
environment.
Factors to Consider in Menu Preparation
 Customer – the number, age, sex, nutritional needs, food
preferences, and paying capacity.
 Operation – equipment in the kitchen, personnel, especially their
number and skills; budget and style of service.
 Environmental Factors – time of day, season, climate, and
availability of food sources.
 Aesthetics – variety, color, texture, shape, flavor and consistency.
Menu Components
Variety – adds interest to the menu and stimulates appetite and can be
achieved in different ways.
 Serving Temperature – easiest way to provide variety.
 Cooking Techniques – roasted, broiled, fried, steamed, etc.
 Texture – can be liquid, soft, solid, chewy, crispy, rich, etc.
 Height – a plate on which everything is in one height lacks appeal.
 Taste – avoid offering too many foods that contain same
ingredients or the same intensity of flavor.
 Shapes – varying shapes of foods on a plate offer diversity.
Balance – a menu can achieve balance by offering an appropriate range of
food items within each menu classification.
Composition – refers to a plate’s visual and sensory appeal. Generally, an
odd number of foods on a plate are more visually appealing than an even
number. Food must be served in appropriate portion sizes.
Descriptive Copy – menu text that describes each menu item. Adjectives
used should reflect the concept and theme.
Truth in Menu – federal law requires that certain menu statements be
accurate. Menu information such as quantity, quality, price, brand names,
product identification, origin, merchandising terms, preservation methods,
food preparation, and verbal and visual presentation must be accurate.
Classification of Food Menu
Appetizer or Hors d’œuvre – food items served before the main course of a
meal. A one-bite appetizer is known as amuse-bouche. It may be stationary
or passed. Stationary hors d’œuvre are also referred to as table hors
d’œuvre and passed hors d’œuvre are also called as butler-style hors
d’œuvre.
 Canapés  Sausages
 Cold Cuts  Dumplings
 Crudités  Bruschetta
 Deviled Eggs
 Cheeses
Soups – a liquid food made by combining ingredients until the flavor is
extracted, forming a broth. Traditionally, soups are classified into two broad
groups: clear soups and thick soups.
French Classification of Clear Soup
 Bouillon – in French Cuisine it is simply a broth. Usually made by
simmering mirepoix, aromatic herbs (bouquet garni) with beef,
veal, or poultry bones or with shrimp, or vegetables in boiling
water.
 Consommé – made from richly flavored bouillon that has been
clarified through a fining process involving egg protein.
Salad – often served as an appetizer before a larger meal, but can also be a
side dish or main course. They include a mixture of hot and cold foods, often
including raw vegetables. Green salads with leaf lettuces are generally
served with salad dressings.
Popular Salad Dressings
 French Dressing – is a term to describe vinaigrette in US and
Great Britain. In US, it is almost always reddish made from
vegetable oil, vinegar, ketchup, water, paprika, and other spices.
 Thousand Island – commonly made from mayonnaise, ketchup,
Tabasco sauce and finely chopped pickles, onions, bell peppers,
and green olives. Chopped hard-boiled egg is also common.
 Italian Dressing – a vinaigrette-type dressing found in US cooking.
It is a mixture of water, oil, vinegar or lemon juice, pepper, minced
onions and bell peppers, sugar or high fructose corn syrup, and
variety of herbs and spices.
  Blue Cheese Dressing – popular salad dressing and dip in the US.
Usually made from mayonnaise, sour cream, blue cheese, milk,
vinegar, onion powder, dry mustard, and garlic powder.
 Classic Ranch Dressing – condiment made of buttermilk or sour
cream, mayonnaise, minced green onion, garlic powder, and other
seasonings. Also popular as a dipping.
 Balsamic Salad Dressing – a mixture of oil, vinegar, salt and
pepper to taste, herbs, mustard or egg yolk. Balsamic Vinaigrette
is made by adding olive oil and other seasonings into balsamic
vinegar.
Intermezzo – served between main courses in a 7 to 15 meal course dinner
as a way to cleanse the palate. It is usually small, light and refreshing.
Sorbet is commonly used.
Main Course – featured or primary dish in a meal consisting of several
courses. It usually follows entrée course, and the salad course. Entrée is
used as a synonym for the main course in United Sates. It is usually
heaviest, heartiest, and most complex dish on a menu. Main ingredient is
commonly meat or fish. Often preceded by an appetizer, soup, or salad, and
followed by dessert.
Meat – animal flesh that is eaten as food.
 Beef – meat from bovines, especially domestic cattle (cows). It
include medium to large sized ungulates (hoofed animals).
 Veal –meat from calves (young cattle, usually 9 months old) most
veal come from male calves of dairy cattle breeds.
 Lamb – is a young animal (usually 1 year old) belonging to the
genus Ovis. Meat from a sheep (1 year older than a lamb) is
called hogget and meat from the adult sheep is known as mutton.
 Pork – culinary name for meat from domestic pig
Poultry – domesticated birds kept for meat, eggs, and feathers. Also
includes birds like pigeons or doves or game birds like pheasants.
Game – animal hunted for food or not normally domesticated. Game animals
are also hunted for sport.
 Furred Game – most widely available game animals are venison
(deer), rabbit, and wild boar.
 Feathered Game – most popular feathered game are quail,
pheasant, and partridge.
Fish – either seawater or fresh water. It is classified by experts into three
categories based on their shape and skeletal structure. Round, flat or
boneless.
Shellfish – exoskeleton-bearing aquatic invertebrates used as food.
 Mollusks – live in saltwater and have shells to protect their soft
bodies.
o Univalves – abalone, whelks, periwinkles, and conch
o Bivalves – mussels, oysters, clams, and scallops
o Cephalopods – octopus, squid, and cuttlefish
 Crustaceans – have hard, outer segmented shells and jointed
legs. They breathe through gills. (Lobsters, crabs, shrimps, and
crayfish)
Side Dish or Accompaniments – a food item that accompanies the main
course at a meal. A typical meal with a meat-based main dish might include
one vegetable dish, and one starch dish.
Sauce – a liquid or sometimes semi-solid food served on or used in
preparing other foods. Sauces are not usually consumed by themselves.
They add flavor, moisture, and visual appeal to another dish.
Cheese – served as a separate meal before dessert or as a dessert itself. It
is a food consisting of proteins and fat from milk. It is produced by
coagulation of the milk protein casein.
Popular Cheeses
French and Swiss
 Brie – called the “Queen of Cheeses.”
 Camembert – well-known for its creamy delicate flavor.
 Roquefort – sheep milk blue cheese. Renowned around the world
as the “King of Cheeses, Cheese of Kings.”
 Emmental – the original Swiss cheese, from Emme Valley of
Switzerland.
Italian
 Gorgonzola – veined Italian blue cheese, made from un-skimmed
caw’s or goat’s milk.
 Mozzarella – unique Italian cheese, made from the milk of water
buffalo.
 Provolone – originated in Southern Italy. Produced in different
forms and shapes.
Netherlands and Greece
 Edam – Dutch cheese sold as spheres with pale-yellow interior
and a coat of red paraffin wax.
 Gouda – most famous exported Dutch cheese.
 Feta – most famous and important culinary export of Greece.
English and American
 Stilton – blue cheese from England. Called “King of Cheeses.”
 Cheddar – most popular cheese in UK.
 Cream Cheese – soft, spreadable white cheese consumed fresh.
Condiments – flavored sauces served as accompaniments to food. Their
primary purpose is to complement and visually enhance the food being
served.
Most Commonly Ordered
1. Barbecue Sauce – tomato-based sauce containing sugar, vinegar
and an array of spices.
2. Ketchup – derivation from French and Italian tomato sauces,
made with the added ingredients of vinegar, salt, sugar, and
spices.
3. A1 – steak sauce and condiment for use with meat or game
dishes.
4. Worcestershire Sauce – trademark since 1838, a dark liquid
condiment containing a base of malt vinegar, molasses, sugar,
onions, garlic, tamarind, anchovies, and an array of spices.
5. Kikkoman – soy sauce made from naturally fermented soy beans,
yeast, wheat, and salt. Almost all soy sauce is liquid and dark in
color, from pale brown to midnight black.
6. Mustard – condiment made from seeds of mustard plant.
a. Dijon – French prepared mustard coming from Dijon
region. Made from brown or black mustard seeds, salt,
variety of spices and unfermented grape juice.
b. English – English mustard is smooth medium-toned
mustard made from brown, yellow, or white mustard
seeds, turmeric, and wheat flour.
7. Hot Sauce – product from fiery hot red chilies, vinegar, and salt.
a. Tabasco™ Sauce – Louisiana trademarked sauce
8. Horseradish – commonly used as a sauce or spread on meat,
chicken, fish, and sandwiches.
9. Wasabi – grown in Japan and often referred to as Japanese
horseradish. Served as accompaniment to sushi and sashimi.
10. Chutneys – originally East Indian sauce, relishes made from fruits
and vegetables. Served with curry to balance the hot flavor.
Adapted and adopted by the British, then made into milder relish
form.
11. Mint Sauce – sauce made from finely chopped mint leaves,
soaked in vinegar, and a small amount of sugar. Used by the
British and Irish as a complement to roast lamb.
12. Cranberry Sauce – relish made from cranberry and sugar.
Americans associate it with Thanksgiving serving it alongside the
traditional turkey.
13. Apple Sauce – a purée made from cooked apples. Used as an
accompaniment to meat, often paired with ham, pork, or bacon.
Dessert – usually ordered as the culmination of a satisfying dining
experience. It gives restaurants a final chance to impress customers.
Most Popular Desserts
 Custard – traditional dessert in Europe made of eggs, sugar, and
milk or cream.
 Cheesecake – rich dessert made with Philadelphia cheese (cream
cheese), although cottage cheese or sour cream may be used,
depending on the recipe.
 Soufflé – classic French dish of whipped egg whites combined
with a base then baked. Once cooked, its top is browned and high,
but it quickly loses height when cut and served.
 Mousse – basically a mixture of whipped cream, whipped egg
whites or egg yolks, and flavorings. Often stabilized with gelatin.
 Strudel – frequently sweet, but occasionally savory, pastry. It is
made of very thin layers of dough, which are filled, rolled, and
baked. Known as fruit-filled dessert in US. One of the most
famous Austrian desserts.
 Crêpes – the thin, delicate pancake known by the French term
crêpe can be part of an elegant dessert. Crêpes Suzette is one of
the single most recognizable imports of French cuisine.
 Petit four – a small cake eaten generally at the end if a meal or
served as part of dessert, sometimes with coffee. The name is
from the French petit fours, meaning “small oven.”
Meals of the Day
Breakfast – referred to as the most important meal of the day. It is the first
meal taken after rising from a night’s sleep.
Types of Breakfast
 Continental Breakfast - is a light breakfast which may include
various types of coffee, teas, juices, fruits and all kinds of pastries.
This is the lightest type of breakfast and is usually very cheap if
you are buying it. It is the total opposite of an English breakfast.
 English Breakfast - is an extremely big meal. A traditional English
breakfast would include- sausages, eggs, and tomatoes. Orange
juice is traditionally drunk before the breakfast and coffee is drunk
after it.
 French Breakfast - usually includes baguettes with jam or butter
and sometimes warm/cold croissants. The usual drink would be a
cup of hot black coffee but tea or hot chocolate can also be drunk.
The French breakfast is very light and therefore referred to as
'petit' in France.
 American Breakfast - is very similar to the English breakfast and is
very big and filling. It usually consists of two eggs, sliced bacon or
sausage, sliced bread or toast with jam/butter, pancakes with
syrup, various different cereals including porridge, cornflakes etc,
and coffee/tea and orange/grapefruit juice.
  Indicate the method of preparation
 Chinese Breakfast - usually consists of a warm bowl of congee, 5. List specialties, sandwiches, and other items in separate groups
which is a watery rice gruel which is very similar to porridge and on the menu. Place at the top of the list the items you want to sell
can be eaten with various different topping from sweet to savory. the most.
6. Design menu cards so that it is in harmony with the motif of the
Commonly Ordered Foods place, decors, ambience, and atmosphere of the location.
7. Indicate the name and address of the organization, the day and
Egg – offers substantial protein and is among the most popular and versatile hours of service, and other information that may impress and
breakfast food. invite the customer for a “repeat business.”
 Fried Egg – ranked first in popularity for breakfast egg dishes 8. Edit to avoid misspelled words, incorrect prices, and incomplete
o Sunny Side Up – yolk is visible, highly mounded, and listing.
yellow. 9. Remember that the menu should be easy to read, quick to grasp,
o Basted – yolk has a thin veil of white covering it. and clear as to prices.
o Over Easy – egg is turned so that both sided are
cooked. The yolk is still liquid when served.
o Over Medium – the yolk is partly cooked. QUIZ
o Over Hard – the yolk is firm and fully cooked.
 Scrambled Egg – usually made with whole eggs, it is moist and Modified True or False. Write TRUE, if both statements are true, FALSE if
fluffy. both statements are false. If the first statement is true and the second is
o Omelets – it is folded or rolled and can be filled with a false, write TRALSE. If the first statement is false and the second is true,
write FRUE.
variety of ingredients.
 Simmered Egg – although called boiled eggs, never boil them.
__________ 1. Basted fried eggs have thin veil of white covering the yolk
Boiling can cause the eggs to toughen and discolor.
and baked eggs are cooked with moist heat.
 Poached Egg – egg is cooked with moist heat, well-rounded, and __________ 2. Mollusks have segmented legs while crustaceans have
free of ragged edges, with a firm but tender white and warm, runny shells to protect their soft bodies.
yolk. __________ 3. Gorgonzola is a veined Italian blue cheese and Stilton is a
 Baked Egg – baked or shirred eggs are baked in individual blue cheese from England.
ramekins. A ramekin is often lined with ham, bread, or vegetables __________ 4. Composition is achieved by offering appropriate range of
and the egg, and then it is topped with cheese, cream, or herbs. food items and Variety adds interest to the menu.
__________ 5. Poultry are domesticated birds kept for meat. Pigeons or
Breakfast Meats – frequent accompaniments to eggs. doves are not considered as poultry.
 Bacon – one of the most popular breakfast meats. __________ 6. Bacon is a cured processed pork proc\duct. Bacon is
 Ham – is a cured, processed pork product typically composed of typically composed of meat from the pig’s hind leg.
meat from the pig’s hind leg. __________ 7. Continental Breakfast is the lightest breakfast and English
 Sausage – usually made from freshly ground pork that has been Breakfast is also considered as a light breakfast.
seasoned and formed into patties or links. __________ 8. Simmered egg is different from boiled egg. Simmering can
 Beef Hash – typically roast beef or corned beef, finely chopped cause eggs to toughen and discolor.
and combined with cubed, cooked potatoes. __________ 9. Venison is an example of furred game and pheasant is an
example of feathered game.
Quick Breads – complements breakfast entrées or serve as the main focus __________ 10. High Tea is between 3PM and 5PM. Afternoon Tea is
of a continental breakfast. served between %PM and 6PM.
 Muffins and Loaf Breads – with the exception of cornmeal and
bran muffins, most muffins and quick breads offer a cake like Identification. Identify the word being described by the statements.
texture and a sweet or fruity flavor.
 Pancakes – belong to the category of quick breads called __________ 11. Defined as the presentation of food and beverage that a
griddlecakes, which cook on a hot griddle or skillet. restaurant is offering.
o Crêpes – thin pancakes that are prepared from an egg- __________ 12. Dutch cheese sold in spheres covered in red paraffin wax.
rich batter leavening, which are filled and then rolled or __________ 13. Similar to English breakfast and it is very big and filling.
folded. __________ 14. One of the functions required before assembling food
o Waffles – made with thick pourable batter and cooked materials to produce quality meals.
on a waffle iron. Develops crisp outer shell as it cooks. __________ 15. A small cake eaten generally at the end.
__________ 16. A liquid used in preparing other foods.
Brunch – combination of breakfast and luncheon. It is often served after __________ 17. It is a combination of breakfast and lunch.
morning event prior to an afternoon one. __________ 18. Meat from an adult sheep.
 Dim Sum Brunch – popular meal in Chinese restaurants __________ 19. A kind of menu which means “table of the host.”
worldwide. It consists of wide variety of bao (buns), dumplings, __________ 20. A factor in menu preparation which accounts age, gender,
and other savory or sweet food items which have been steamed, and preferences.
deep-fried, or baked.
Matching Type. Choose the letter of the correct answer.
Lunch – an abbreviation of luncheon, it is a midday meal. It is usually a light
meal consisting of soups, salads, sandwiches, and pizza or pasta dishes. _____ 21. Cuttlefish a. Univalve
_____ 22. Crayfish b. Bivalve
Afternoon Breaks _____ 23. Crab c. Cephalopods
 Afternoon Tea – is a light meal typically eaten between 3PM and _____ 24. Mussels
5PM. Traditionally, loose tea is brewed in a teapot and served in _____ 25. Octopus
teacups with milk and sugar. Food is often served in tiered stand.
 High Tea – also known as meat tea. It is an early evening meal _____ 26. Product from fiery chilies
between 5PM and 6PM. It would be eaten as a substitute for _____ 27. Often referred to as Japanese horseradish
afternoon tea and evening meal. It would usually consist of cold _____ 28. Relish made from cranberry and sugar
meats, eggs or fish, cakes and sandwiches. _____ 29. Relish made from fruits and vegetables
_____ 30. Tomato-based sauce containing sugar, vinegar and spices
 Elevenses – in UK, Ireland and some other Commonwealth
realms, it is a snack similar to afternoon tea but it is eaten in the
a. Chutneys
morning. Less savory than brunch. The name refers to the time of
b. Wasabi
day it is taken, around 11AM.
c. Barbeque Sauce
d. Hot Sauce
Dinner
e. Cranberry Sauce
 Dinner – depending upon the region or social class, it may be the
second or third meal of the day. The word dinner came from the
_____ 31. Medical conditions a. Vegetarianism
French word “diner” meaning the main meal of the day.
_____ 32. Fruitarians b. Cultural and Religious
 Supper – is the name for evening meal in some dialects of _____ 33. Healthy diet c. Dietary Requirements
English, ordinarily means the last meal of the day. In parts of UK, _____ 34. Sikhs d. Heath and Eating
it is a term for a snack eaten after the evening meal and before _____ 35. Fair trade e. Ethical Influence
bed.
_____ 36. Queen of Cheeses a. Gouda
Rules on Menu Format _____ 37. King of Cheeses, Cheese of Kings b. Stilton
_____ 38. King of Cheeses c. Brie
1. Capitalize all words except articles, prepositions, and descriptive _____ 39. Most popular in UK d. Roquefort
information. _____ 40. Famous exported Dutch cheese e. Cheddar
2. Arrange the menu in the order in which they are to be eaten in a
meal.
3. Group foods within a course together.
4. Use accurate descriptions and develop key words for identification GOOD LUCK AND GOD BLESS!!!   
of items
 Use adjectives denoting temperature
 Describe the texture, color, shape, or origin of the food