Allumette is either:
1. A matchstick-sized cut of a food, especially potatoes.
2. a French hors d'oeuvre of strips or cakes of puff pastry garnished with various toppings. Some of these include:
- Allumettes à la périgourdine: coated with purée of chicken livers.
- Allumettes à la reine: coated with chicken breast, truffles, and mushrooms in a velouté sauce
- Allumettes à la toscane: sprinkled with grated Parmesan cheese
- Allumettes de palais de boeuf: topped with battered and fried julienned strips of ox palate (La Cuisine Bougeoise, 1769, acc. Larousse)
3. A petit-four of puff pastry, topped with royal icing