An entrée is a dish served before the main course of a meal in modern French table service and much of the English-speaking world. Outside North America, it is generally synonymous with the terms hors doeuvre, appetizer, or starter. However, in North America, an entrée is the main dish served at a typical three-course meal, eaten after an appetizer and before a dessert menu item. Most people regard it as the most vital part of the meal. The term "entrée" was imported from France to the United States at the end of the 19th century by French chefs in chic New York restaurants. During this era, some restaurants served as many as fifteen courses for meals in the United States, and restaurants and hotels led the practice of calling the main course an entrée. Nowadays, it appears regularly on different menu types when dining out in North America. In France, the modern meaning of "entrée" on a restaurant menu is the small course that precedes the main course in a three-course meal, i.e., the course which in British usage is often called the "starter" and in American usage the "appetizer".