A canapé is just a French catch-all name for small and pretty finger foods, ideally served with drinks before a meal or at a cocktail party, and able to be swallowed in less than two bites.

Technically, a canapé is composed of a bread, puffed pastry (as in the vol-au-vent) or pancake (as in blini) base, with some kind of spread (butter, sour cream, tarama, flavored cream cheese, you name it), a main ingredient, and a little garnish such as herb sprigs, caviar, or truffles.

A canapé is usually salty, made from puffed pastry or thinly sliced white bread cut into decorative shapes and then topped with a spread that is often piped on using a pastry bag for maximum glamour before being garnished.