Buffet is a word of French origin that means sideboard in the dining room, but also a refreshment table or place for refreshment. Certainly, it is a Frenchism, but not many know that it derives from the name of the chef of Francis I of France, Pietro Buffet, who, accompanying the king in his stays in Italy, fell in love with our country to the point that he decided to stay there for always. And, in the service of the secretary of the Bishop of Verona, Buffet became famous for the refreshment tables that he prepared with rare skill and which were called precisely with the name of "buffet".

The "buffet", intended as a gastronomic moment, has become quite fashionable today, especially when the invitation involves a certain number of guests and there is no possibility to make them all sit at the table. The preparation of a buffet includes a rather large table on which everything you need to eat and drink (i.e. plates and glasses) and various cold savory preparations (canapés, salads, jelly dishes, pâté, stuffed eggs) and desserts are placed (fruit salads, cakes, spoon desserts). The buffet (also called «standing lunch») sometimes includes one or two hot dishes that are brought to the table at the last moment.