Traiteur (culinary profession)

Traiteur is an agent noun formed from the verb traiter ('treat'), which literally refers to the action of "treating" someone to something (for instance, a meal).

The root of the verb is Latin tractare ('manage, handle'), a frequentative of trahere ('pull, draw'):[4] in ancient times, for example, Latins used the expression littera tractoria (roughly rendered as 'treatment letter') to indicate a document the envoys of a prince would be given to receive food, accommodation and means of transport in the lands they would pass by, so to get a full treatment along their way.

[5][page needed] This Latin root originated both French traiteur and Italian trattoria.

Today in France, a traiteur is a catering business devoted to take-out food and service of banquets.

The staple of this type of business is an array of salads, cold meat and seafood dishes.