Menu.

Menu, a list of food and beverages offered to customers and the prices, have been discovered dating back to the Song dynasty in China. 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.

The word “menu”, like much of the terminology of cuisine, is French in origin. 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 original menus that offered consumers choices were prepared on a small chalkboard, in French a carte; so foods chosen from a bill of fare and described as “à la carte”, “according to the board.”

The earliest European menus, several of which survive from 1751 onwards, appear to have been for the relatively intimate and informal soupers intimes (“intimate suppers”) given by King Louis XV of France at the Château de Choisy for between 31 and 36 guests. Several seem to have been placed on the table, listing four courses, each with several dishes, plus dessert.

Types of Menus ranges from a la carte menus (a French phrase that translates literally as “by the card”), static menus (a larger menu divided into categories, that doesn’t change very often), du jour menus (a French phrase that means “of the day”), cycle menus (has repeated options over a specific period of time), fixed menus (a menu with few options and a fixed total price),  table d’hote menu (a menu that offers a choice of appetizer, entree, and dessert all at a fixed total price), to  buffet menus (a system of serving food in a public area where the guests serve themselves)