When going to a fancy foods show, you want to prepare yourself ahead of time with a little research. You can look up fancy fast food, fancy specialty foods, or even just a list of fancy food names. Read on for some of my favorite fancy food names, and what the heck they are.

1. Canapes

Fancy name for little toasts. Seriously, it is a little toasted point of bread that is smeared with some sort of spread, sometimes a protein, and then a garnish of some sort. It can be Wonder Bread, mayo, baloney and mustard, or it can be brioche, fig chutney, prosciutto and caviar.

2. Trifle

This dessert is layered inside a big glass dish, so that you can see all the way up the sides, at each and every layer. It makes you feel like a dessert archaeologist. The cake bit is usually lady fingers, with some pudding or jam, and a cream of some sort as well. Depending upon the size of the dish, you can get tons of layers of delicious in there.

3. Abalone

This is an edible sea snail. They do not live in curled shells like their terrestrial brethren, but simply have a rounded shell that rests on their back. They truck along on a big sucker foot, eating various detritus wherever they ooze. The meat of the abalone is delicious, slightly buttery, and can be consumed cooked or as a raw sushi preparation. I myself have cooked it in the ceviche style.

4. Ceviche

Not a food, but a cooking method. Generally done with raw fish, it is added to something acidic, usually a fresh citrus juice, and the acid cooks the fish. It is some of the freshest, lightest flavor you will ever experience, and pairs very well with mango and avocado.

I hope that these fancy food names intrigued you and made you hungry. I know that I am. Next time you go out to a fancy restaurant, see if you can find one or two and give them a try. With a name that fancy, they are bound to be good, right?