traiteur

A traiteur (; French: [tʁɛ.tœʁ]) is a French food-seller, whose places of business were arguably the precursors of the modern restaurant. Prior to the late 18th century, diners who wished to "dine out" could dine at a traiteur's, or order meals to go. The cooks and caterers guild – informally known as the traiteurs – progressively claimed the right to make any sophisticated meals, leaving inns and taverns to mainly make roast or grilled meat. As of the late seventeenth century, many offered a table d'hôte, a meal offered at a set price with no choice of dishes. However both cabarets and traiteurs could also offer individual choice of dishes, despite claims to the contrary. In modern France, the word often refers to a caterer. Traiteur is an agent noun formed from the verb traiter ('treat')...