An Italian meal begins with the antipasto. Meant to awaken the palate and stave off initial hunger pangs, it could just be a simple platter of sliced cured meats and a few olives. But often it is more complex, with a few chicken liver crostini or tomato-topped bruschette, perhaps, or marinated olives and anchovies, or all manner of colorful savory vegetable salads.

Antipasti normally arrive on platters to be shared, an enticing and festive sight. The antipasto table found in old-fashioned Italian restaurants is a sort of precursor to the modern-day salad bar, though usually far better and certainly more beautifully presented.

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Source: http://www.nytimes.com/