Crudités, a haute French import (the French word means “raw”; the culinary term is always plural), surfaced in stateside cookbooks around the mid-20th century, and Americans latched on immediately. Homemakers ers and restaurant chefs appreciated how easy it was to platter up crisp vegetables with a dip or two and call it hors d’oeuvres. Even James Beard glorified crudités in one of his works, declaring it “the most appetizing dish imaginable.”
With the advent of baby carrots in the 1980s and eventually prepackaged relish trays, the concept stopped feeling even remotely glamorous. But it’s back on the upswing: Farm-fresh produce has never been more diverse; dips, more inspired; and grazing boards, more in vogue.
Start with the freshest seasonal vegetables you can get.
