Dessert refers to the last course of a meal- it usually consists of fruits, sweetmeats or cheese, or all three. It is derived from the Old French word desservir which means 'to clear the table'.
There are two basic reasons why dessert is always served last apart from tradition. Firstly by enjoying dessert right at the end of a sumptuous meal a person is actually giving his digestive system time to digest the more nutritious components of the consumed food. Secondly eating dessert last also slows down the absorption of the sugar from the dessert thereby effectively stalling any sudden changes in the blood glucose levels of the body.
The term dessert is generally used in the USA, Canada, Ireland, Australia and France but in the United Kingdom the terms sweets, puddings and afters are more commonly used.
There are two basic reasons why dessert is always served last apart from tradition. Firstly by enjoying dessert right at the end of a sumptuous meal a person is actually giving his digestive system time to digest the more nutritious components of the consumed food. Secondly eating dessert last also slows down the absorption of the sugar from the dessert thereby effectively stalling any sudden changes in the blood glucose levels of the body.
The term dessert is generally used in the USA, Canada, Ireland, Australia and France but in the United Kingdom the terms sweets, puddings and afters are more commonly used.
