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Where does the word "a la carte" come from? It comes from French a la carte, and was adopted directly into English (1826).
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Where does the word "a la carte" come from? It comes from French a la carte, and was adopted directly into English (1826).
A la carte’s story begins in French: a la carte meant “according to the menu card.” Literally according to the card, referring to ordering individually priced dishes from a menu. It reached English by 1826 as a la carte. French for 'by the card', i.e. from the bill of fare, as opposed to the fixed-price 'table d'hôte' of inns; English visitors met it in the Paris restaurants that multiplied after the Revolution, which priced each dish separately. Today, a la carte means ordering individual dishes from a menu, rather than a fixed-price set meal.
- Stage 1 · French · 1700s a la carte "according to the menu card", literally according to the card, referring to ordering individually priced dishes from a menu.
- Stage 2 · English · 1826 a la carte "ordering dishes individually from a menu", French for 'by the card', i.e. from the bill of fare, as opposed to the fixed-price 'table d'hôte' of inns; English visitors met it in the Paris restaurants that multiplied after the Revolution, which priced each dish separately.