A canapé is a small, decorative bite-sized appetizer, usually made from a piece of bread, toast, pastry, or a cracker topped with something savory like cheese, meat, fish, or spreads, and eaten in one or two bites. The word comes from French, where canapé originally means “sofa,” likening the topping to a person sitting on a sofa.

In French and some dictionaries, canapé can also mean a type of sofa or couch, though in everyday English it almost always refers to elegant party finger food.