In modern French cuisine, an entremet, literally "between servings," is a small dish served between main courses, or a dessert. However, in the late medieval and early modern period in Europe, the entremet was often an elaborate entertainment course featuring fanciful foods, and sometimes live entertainment. In English, this course was often referred to as a subtlety, from a word meaning "refined," "clever," or "finely textured." Subtleties, however, did not include entertainment.
The entremet has its origins in ancient Roman cuisine, when novelty dishes were popular at lavish court meals. In the medieval era, entremets were originally rather simple dishes such as porridge or chopped liver, but brightly colored with saffron or seasoned with exotic spices. The course was meant to appeal to all the senses, and to showcase expensive and unusual ingredients. The purpose of the entremet was to provide entertainment as well as food, and to set off the boundaries between courses at a formal banquet.
Over the years, the entremet became increasingly elaborate. Poultry and game animals were redressed after cooking to resemble the living animal. Foods were prepared to look like other foods or fanciful animals, to resemble ornate castles, or to depict scenes such as a knight in battle.
Allegorical and political themes became popular, especially at feasts commemorating important political events, like the defeat of an enemy in battle. Some entremet dishes were gigantic, requiring many servants to carry them in. They included special effects such as fire-breathing animals, fountains gushing wine, and miniature archers or musicians.
The entremet also came to include live entertainment in the form of musicians, dancers, actors, singers, and poetry recitals, often depicting political victories and glorifying the host of the banquet. Huge wooden models of cities or ships, or other theatre-like props, could be included. Giant pastries could be created to contain human performers.
Today, entremets usually take the form of a sweet course or a pastry, traditionally served after the cheese course near the end of the meal. In this sense, an entremet is a multi-layered mousse cake featuring a variety of textures and flavors. It is still intended to delight both the palate and the eye and to be a form of novelty and amusement as well as food. The pastry can be made into interesting shapes such as a pyramid or dome, and is often interestingly decorated. There are molds and pastry rings specifically intended for crafting entremets.