Canapés are a type of hors doeuvre, a small, prepared, and often decorative food, consisting of a small piece of bread, cracker, or pastry, wrapped or topped with some savory food, held in the fingers and often eaten in one bite. The name comes from the French word for sofa, drawing on the analogy that the garnish sits atop the bread as people do on a couch. Traditionally, canapés are built on stale bread cut in thin slices and then shaped with a cutter or knife into circles, rings, squares, strips, or triangles. These are then deep-fried, sautéed, or toasted, then topped or piped with highly processed and decoratively applied items. Colorful and eye-pleasing garnishes often complete the presentation. The composition of a canapé consists of a base (e.g., the bread or pancake), a spread, a main item, and a garnish. The spread is traditionally either a compound butter, made by creaming butter with other ingredients such as ham or lobster, or a flavored cream cheese. Mayonnaise salads can also be prepared as spreads. Common garnishes can range from finely chopped vegetables, scallions, and herbs to caviar or truffle oil. Canapés are usually served on a canapé salver and eaten from small canapé plates. When making canapés, hosts usually plan for around four per person as a starter, or 12 for a main course.