Is there an English word meaning "snacks eaten as an accompaniment while drinking alcohol"?

I'm currently travelling in Korea and Japan and learned that both languages have words specifically for snacks that accompany alcoholic drinks, or at least go with beer and spirits such as sake or soju. It can include but is not limited to chips and nuts, sometimes salty or spicy. But it occurred to me that English doesn't have an equivalent word. The best I can think of are "snack", "munchies", "nibbles", and "finger food".

For those wondering, the Japanese word is "おつまみ" (otsumami) and the Korean word is "안주" (anju).

What's the best English word for a drinking snack?

Solution 1:

I believe the Spanish word tapa is often used in English, which means precisely that. From the Oxford English Dictionary:

1953 C. Salter Introducing Spain iv. 36, I should like to draw attention to...the admirable habit of the ‘tapa’. In Spain, when you order a drink in a bar..., you will always be given...something to eat.

1959 W. James Word-bk. Wine 186 Tapas, small dishes served gratis in boat-shaped saucers with every glass of wine ordered...in a Spanish bodega or café.

1964 C. Rougvie Medal from Pamplona vi. 79 Must be a pub there with tapas...these bits of food they give you free with the booze.

1978 J. Hyams Pool vi. 74 She had tapas and white wine at Café Monaco with a friend.

1982 D. Serafín Madrid Underground 63 It was the hour to take tapas or pre-dinner snacks.

Solution 2:

I am going to vote for "drinking/beer/bar snack" based on transitive translation from Japanese to Russian to English:

In Russian, food given with alcohol (otsumami) is called "закуска" (zakuska). Among sources for translation: http://biablasta.ru/raznovidnosti-edy/cukemono-2.html
Despite a very strong connotation of being alcohol companion, it is officially translated into English as "snack" (based on several russian-english dictionaries I checked).

Therefore, a good translation would merely add the alcohol connotation, e.g. "beer snack" or "alcohol snack" or especially "bar snack".

Solution 3:

A French word for food that is often associated with drinks is hors d'oeuvre; it is widely used in English.

Solution 4:

I believe Munchies is the right word. The other words you suggested would mean other types of food as well. But munchies is almost synonymous with beer snacks.

Another specific word used in the same context is canapé.

EDIT

One source describing the usage of canape as a drink snack is Wikipedia. This is the link - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canap%C3%A9#Details

Similarly, Encarta World English Dictionary mentions the association of Munchies and Canape with drinks

http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/dictionary/DictionaryResults.aspx?lextype=3&search=canape

http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/dictionary/DictionaryResults.aspx?lextype=3&search=munchies

Solution 5:

A British term that's caught on in the US: pub grub.