A meal is an eating occasion that takes place at a certain time and includes consumption of

food Food is any substance consumed by an organism for nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or fungal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is inge ...

. The names used for specific meals in English vary, depending on the speaker's culture, the time of day, or the size of the meal. Although they can be eaten anywhere, meals typically take place in homes, restaurants, and cafeterias. Regular meals occur on a daily basis, typically several times a day. Special meals are usually held in conjunction with such occasions as birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, and

holidays A holiday is a day set aside by Norm (social), custom or by law on which normal activities, especially business or work including school, are suspended or reduced. Generally, holidays are intended to allow individuals to celebrate or commemorate ...

. A meal is different from a

snack A snack is a small portion of food generally eaten between meals. Snacks come in a variety of forms including packaged snack foods and other processed foods, as well as items made from fresh ingredients at home. Traditionally, snacks are p ...

in that meals are generally larger, more varied, and more filling than snacks. The type of food that is served or consumed at any given time depends on regional customs. Three main meals are often eaten in the morning, early afternoon, and evening in most modern civilizations. Further, the names of meals are often interchangeable by custom as well. Some serve dinner as the main meal at midday, with supper as the late afternoon/early evening meal; while others may call their midday meal lunch and their early evening meal supper or dinner. Except for "breakfast", these names can vary from region to region or even from family to family.

Breakfast

Breakfast Breakfast is the first meal of the day usually eaten in the morning. The word in English refers to breaking the fasting period of the previous night.Anderson, Heather Arndt (2013)''Breakfast: A History'' AltaMira Press. Various "typical" or "t ...

is the first meal of a day, most often eaten in the early morning before undertaking the day's work. Some believe it to be the most important meal of the day. The word ''breakfast'' literally refers to breaking the fasting period of the prior night.Anderson, Heather Arndt (2013)
''Breakfast: A History''
AltaMira Press. Breakfast foods vary widely from place to place, but often include carbohydrates such as grains or cereals, fruit, vegetables, protein foods like eggs, meat or fish, and beverages such as tea, coffee, milk, or

fruit juice Juice is a drink made from the extraction or pressing of the natural liquid contained in fruit and vegetables. It can also refer to liquids that are flavored with concentrate or other biological food sources, such as meat or seafood, such as ...

, juices often taken first of all. Coffee, milk, tea, juice,

breakfast cereal Cereal, formally termed breakfast cereal (and further categorized as cold cereal or warm cereal), is a traditional breakfast food made from processed cereal grains. It is traditionally eaten as part of breakfast, or a snack food, primarily in ...

pancake A pancake (or hotcake, griddlecake, or flapjack) is a flat cake, often thin and round, prepared from a Starch, starch-based batter (cooking), batter that may contain eggs, milk and butter and cooked on a hot surface such as a griddle or fryi ...

s, waffles, sausages, French toast,

bacon Bacon is a type of salt-cured pork made from various cuts, typically the belly or less fatty parts of the back. It is eaten as a side dish (particularly in breakfasts), used as a central ingredient (e.g., the bacon, lettuce, and tomato sand ...

, sweetened breads, fresh fruits, vegetables, eggs, baked beans,

muffin A muffin is an individually portioned baked product, however the term can refer to one of two distinct items: a part-raised flatbread (like a crumpet) that is baked and then cooked on a griddle (typically unsweetened), or an (often sweetened) ...

s, crumpets and

toast Toast most commonly refers to: * Toast (food), bread browned with dry heat * Toast (honor), a ritual in which a drink is taken Toast may also refer to: Places * Toast, North Carolina, a census-designated place in the United States Books * '' ...

with butter,

margarine Margarine (, also , ) is a spread used for flavoring, baking, and cooking. It is most often used as a substitute for butter. Although originally made from animal fats, most margarine consumed today is made from vegetable oil. The spread was orig ...

jam Jam is a type of fruit preserve. Jam or Jammed may also refer to: Other common meanings * A firearm malfunction * Block signals ** Radio jamming ** Radar jamming and deception ** Mobile phone jammer ** Echolocation jamming Arts and entertai ...

or marmalade are common examples of Western breakfast foods, though a large range of preparations and ingredients are associated with breakfast globally.

Variations of breakfast

Full breakfast

full breakfast A full breakfast is a substantial cooked breakfast meal, often served in the United Kingdom and Ireland, that typically includes back bacon, sausages, eggs, black pudding, baked beans, some form of potato, tomatoes, mushrooms, toast, and a b ...

is a

breakfast Breakfast is the first meal of the day usually eaten in the morning. The word in English refers to breaking the fasting period of the previous night.Anderson, Heather Arndt (2013)''Breakfast: A History'' AltaMira Press. Various "typical" or "t ...

meal, usually including

, sausages, eggs, and a variety of other cooked foods, with hot beverages such as coffee or tea, or cold beverages such as juice or milk. It is especially popular in the UK and Ireland, to the extent that many cafés and pubs offer the meal at any time of day as an "all-day breakfast". It is also popular in other English-speaking countries. In England it is usually referred to as a 'full English breakfast' (often shortened to 'full English') or 'fry-up'. Other regional names and variants include the 'full Scottish', 'full Welsh', 'full Irish' and the 'Ulster fry'. The full breakfast is among the most internationally recognised British dishes, along with such staples as bangers & mash, shepherd's pie,

fish and chips Fish and chips is a popular hot dish consisting of fried fish in crispy batter, served with chips. The dish originated in England, where these two components had been introduced from separate immigrant cultures; it is not known who created t ...

and the Christmas dinner. The full breakfast became popular in the British Isles during the Victorian era, and appeared as one among many suggested breakfasts in the home economist Isabella Beeton's ''

The Book of Household Management ''Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management'', also published as ''Mrs. Beeton's Cookery Book'', is an extensive guide to running a household in Victorian Britain, edited by Isabella Beeton and first published as a book in 1861. Previously p ...

'' (1861). A full breakfast is often contrasted (e.g. on hotel menus) with the lighter alternative of a

Continental breakfast Breakfast, the first meal of the day eaten after waking from the night's sleep, varies in composition and tradition across the world. Africa Breakfast in Africa varies greatly from region to region. Algeria Breakfast in Algeria is heavily influe ...

, traditionally consisting of tea, milk or coffee and

s with bread, croissants, or pastries.

Instant breakfast

Instant breakfast Instant breakfast typically refers to breakfast food products that are manufactured in a Drying (food), powdered form, which are generally prepared with the addition of milk and then consumed as a drink.powdered form, which are generally prepared with the addition of milk and then consumed as a beverage.Brand Positioning: Strategies for Competitive Advantage - Subroto Sengupta
pp. 5-6. Some instant breakfasts are produced and marketed in liquid form, being pre-mixed. The target market for instant breakfast products includes consumers who tend to be busy, such as working adults.Consumer Behavior in Action: Real-Life Applications for Marketing Managers - Geoffrey P. Lantos
p. 45.

Champagne breakfast

champagne breakfast A champagne breakfast is a breakfast served with champagne or sparkling wine. It is a new concept in some countries and is not typical of the role of a breakfast. It may be part of any day or outing considered particularly luxurious or indulgen ...

is a

served with champagne or sparkling wine. It is a new concept in some countries and is not typical of the role of a breakfast. It may be part of any day or outing considered particularly luxurious or

indulgent In the teaching of the Catholic Church, an indulgence (, from , 'permit') is "a way to reduce the amount of punishment one has to undergo for sins". The ''Catechism of the Catholic Church'' describes an indulgence as "a remission before God of ...

. The accompanying breakfast is sometimes of a similarly high standard and include rich foods such as salmon, caviar, chocolate or pastries, which would not ordinarily be eaten at

or more courses. Instead of as a formal meal the breakfast can be given to the recipient in a basket or hamper. Variations of breakfasts across countries and cuisines Refer to this Wikipedia

page for a list of countries and continents and their variations of breakfast. The cuisine articles linked in the

page regarding each countries and continents cuisine may display variations of breakfast more thoroughly.

Lunch

Lunch, the abbreviation for ''luncheon'', is a light meal typically eaten at midday. The origin of the words ''lunch'' and ''luncheon'' relate to a small snack originally eaten at any time of the day or night. During the 20th century the meaning gradually narrowed to a small or mid-sized meal eaten at midday. Lunch is commonly the second meal of the day after

. The meal varies in size depending on the culture, and significant variations exist in different areas of the world. In some parts of the UK it can be called dinner or lunch, with the last meal called tea.

Variations of lunch

A packed lunch (also called pack lunch, sack lunch or bag lunch in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

, or packed lunch in the United Kingdom, as well as the regional variations: bagging in Lancashire, Merseyside and Yorkshire,) is a lunch prepared at home and carried to be eaten somewhere else, such as school, a workplace, or at an

outing Outing is the act of disclosing an LGBT person's sexual orientation or gender identity without that person's consent. It is often done for political reasons, either to instrumentalize homophobia in order to discredit political opponents or to com ...

. The food is usually wrapped in plastic, aluminum foil, or paper and can be carried (" packed") in a lunch box, paper bag (a " sack"), or

plastic bag A plastic bag, poly bag, or pouch is a type of container made of thin, flexible, plastic film, nonwoven fabric, or plastic textile. Plastic bags are used for containing and transporting goods such as foods, produce, powders, ice, magazines, c ...

. While packed lunches are usually taken from home by the people who are going to eat them, in Mumbai, India, tiffin boxes are most often picked up from the home and brought to workplaces later in the day by so-called

dabbawalla The dabbawalas (also spelled dabbawallas or dabbawallahs, called tiffin wallahs in older sources) constitute a lunchbox delivery and return system that delivers hot lunches from homes and restaurants to people at work in India, especially in Mu ...

s. It is also possible to buy packed lunches from stores in several countries. Lunch boxes made out of metal, plastic or vinyl are now popular with today's youth. Lunch boxes provide a way to take heavier lunches in a sturdier box or bag. It is also

environmentally friendly Environment friendly processes, or environmental-friendly processes (also referred to as eco-friendly, nature-friendly, and green), are sustainability and marketing terms referring to goods and services, laws, guidelines and policies that clai ...

Meal deal

Another variation of lunch is the meal deal, this is a meal often bought from a store and contains the following: a sandwich or pastry, a bag of chips, salad or fruit and a bottled drink. Meal deals are a staple of many Western high-street supermarkets and convenience stores; they are generally offered at a deal price and are highly convenient for the busy working person. Some stores are now adding

premium Premium may refer to: Marketing * Premium (marketing), a promotional item that can be received for a small fee when redeeming proofs of purchase that come with or on retail products * Premium segment, high-price brands or services in marketing, ...

meal deal items and salads to their meal deal inventory. Critics, however, criticise the meal deal for increasing the levels of single-use plastic waste in circulation and persuading people to buy more food than they originally intended or wanted - contributing to the growing obesity crisis.

Dinner

Dinner usually refers to a significant and important meal of the day, which can be the noon or the evening meal. However, the term ''dinner'' can have many different meanings depending on the culture; it may mean a meal of any size eaten at any time of the day. Historically, it referred to the first large meal of the day, eaten around noon, and is still sometimes used for a noon-time meal, particularly if it is a large or main meal. For example,

Sunday dinner A Sunday roast or roast dinner is a traditional meal of British and Irish origin. Although it can be consumed throughout the week, it is traditionally consumed on Sunday. It consists of roasted meat, roasted potatoes and accompaniments su ...

is the name used for a large meal served after the family returned home from the morning's church services, and often based on meat that roasted while the family was out. The evening meal can be called tea when dinner, which is generally the largest of the day, is eaten in the middle of the day.

Variations of dinner

Full course dinner

A full-course dinner is a dinner consisting of multiple dishes, or courses. In its simplest, English-based form, it can consist of three to five courses, such as appetizers, fish course, entrée, main course and dessert. The traditional courses and their order vary by culture. In the Italian meal structure, there are traditionally four formal courses: antipasto (appetizers), ''primo'' (the "first" course, e.g., a pasta dish), ''secondo'' (the "second" course, e.g., fish or meat), usually accompanied by a ''contorno'' (a side dish), and ''dolce'' ("sweets", or dessert). Many traditions conclude a formal meal with coffee, often accompanied with spirits, either separate or mixed in the coffee.

Meals at other times of the day

Meal preparation

Meal preparation, sometimes called "meal prep," is the process of planning and preparing meals. It generally involves food preparation, including cooking.

Food preparation

Preparing food for eating generally requires selection, measurement and combination of ingredients in an ordered procedure so as to achieve desired results. Food preparation includes but is not limited to cooking.

Cooking

Cooking Cooking, cookery, or culinary arts is the art, science and craft of using heat to Outline of food preparation, prepare food for consumption. Cooking techniques and ingredients vary widely, from grilling food over an open fire to using electric ...

or ''cookery'' is the art, technology and craft of preparing

for consumption with the use of heat. Cooking techniques and ingredients vary widely across the world, from grilling food over an open fire to using electric stoves, to baking in various types of ovens, reflecting unique environmental, economic, and cultural traditions and trends. The ways or types of cooking also depend on the skill and type of training an individual cook has. Cooking is done both by people in their own dwellings and by professional cooks and chefs in restaurants and other food establishments. Cooking can also occur through chemical reactions without the presence of heat, most notably with ceviche, a traditional South American dish where fish is cooked with the acids in lemon or lime juice.

History

Breakfast before the 1800s was usually just toast or some variation of gruel or porridge and the main meal was dinner. Peasants (which were the majority in every country) had dinner around noon, after six or seven hours of work. Then, in the late 1700s and the 1800s, people began to work further from home, and the midday meal had to become something light, just whatever they could carry to work (lunch). They began to eat dinner (the main meal) in the evening.

Eating the meal

Throughout history, meals were normally communal affairs. People got together, shared the food, and perhaps talked over the day. In the 21st century, an increasing number of adults in developed countries eat most or all of their meals alone. Although more people are eating alone, research suggests that many people do not consider a "meal" a solo act, but rather commensal dining. It is unclear whether people eating alone eat more, less, or the same amount of food compared to people eating in groups, partly because of differences in whether they are eating alone at home or eating alone in restaurants. Restaurants have responded to the increasing number of people eating alone by accepting reservations for solo diners and installing bar seating and large tables that solo diners can share with others.

References

External links

– a historian looks at the evolution of mealtimes.
“Small meals or big ones?”
– a comparison of the number of meals taken per day. {{Authority control