It ultimately derives from Latin 'minutus', something made small in French, it came to be applied to a detailed list or résumé of any kind. The word 'menu', like much of the terminology of cuisine, is French in origin.

The variation in Chinese cuisine from different regions led caterers to create a list or menu for their patrons. In the larger cities of the time, merchants found a way to cater to busy customers who had little time or energy to prepare an evening meal. Menus, as lists of prepared foods, have been discovered dating back to the Song dynasty in China. In the 19th and 20th centuries printed menus were often used for society dinner-parties in homes indeed this was their original use in Europe.Ī lighted display board-style menu outside a French Kebab restaurant. Menus are also often a feature of very formal meals other than in restaurants, for example at weddings. Since the late 1990s, some restaurants have put their menus online. Menus may be printed on paper sheets provided to the diners, put on a large poster or display board inside the establishment, displayed outside the restaurant, or put on a digital screen. A menu may be à la carte – which presents a list of options from which customers choose – or table d'hôte, in which case a pre-established sequence of courses is offered. In a restaurant, the menu is a list of food and beverages offered to customers and the prices. ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) ( June 2018) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) You may improve this article, discuss the issue on the talk page, or create a new article, as appropriate. The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with the United States and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject.

French view restaurant menu