Ever questioned when Spaniards eat breakfast? And what about lunch or dinner? Spanish mealtimes could be complicated, however this information will present you precisely when (and what!) to eat all through the day in Spain.
For those who’re from someplace just like the US, chances are high your abdomen will begin rumbling round midday. For those who had been again dwelling, it can be lunchtime.
However right here in Spain, midday is an consuming lifeless zone. It is too late for morning espresso and Spanish pastries however too early for lunch. Actually, most eating places will not even begin cooking for an additional hour and a half!
The conundrum of when to eat in Spain is almost as tough as determining the distinction between the handfuls of varieties of Spanish cured meats. It could even be probably the most vital questions you’ll be able to ask earlier than coming to Spain.
Getting Spanish mealtimes mistaken means relegating your self to tourist-trap eating places or reheated bar meals. Getting them proper means stepping right into a world of culinary delight.
Here is a breakdown of after we eat all through the day in Spain, what we eat at every meal, and what sorts of eating institutions to go to for every.
Breakfast #1: 7–9 AM
Do not anticipate to see any huge desayunos (breakfasts) in Spain. There are two morning meals right here, and the primary is sort of small. Actually, many individuals in Spain skip their first breakfast altogether, opting as a substitute for less than a fast cup of espresso or heat chocolate milk earlier than heading out the door for work.
This early within the morning, breakfast choices for these of us that do begin the day with nourishment are restricted virtually totally to carbs.
Some typical Spanish breakfast meals for the primary meal of the day embody:
- Croissants (plain, buttered, or stuffed with chocolate, cream, or jam)
- Different pastries similar to Mallorcan ensaimadas
- Any variety of candy baked items (cookies for breakfast, anybody?)
- A small bowl of cereal
That starchy goodness is often washed down with one in all Spain’s many various espresso drinks (café con leche is a well-liked alternative) or a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice.
The place to eat it: Most Spanish folks eat their first breakfast at dwelling. For those who’re visiting and have to eat out, it is a nice time to cease by a bakery or pastry store to choose up one thing candy and fast.
Breakfast #2: 10–11 AM
By the point mid-morning rolls round, it is time for the second Spanish mealtime and one thing a bit heartier. Relying on the place you might be in Spain, it’s possible you’ll hear this meal referred to as desayuno (identical to the primary breakfast) or almuerzo.
For working adults this morning snack virtually at all times includes one other espresso or maybe a juice. In Catalonia, it isn’t unusual to drink cava for breakfast, too!
The meals choices are a bit extra filling, making this second breakfast the proper approach to bridge the hole between the primary morning meal and Spain’s famously late lunch.
Some frequent decisions for breakfast #2 in Spain embody:
- Easy magdalenas (muffins flavored with citrus and olive oil)
- Toasted bread with tomato, olive oil, and (typically) cured ham
- A slice of tortilla de patatas—a standard alternative in Madrid and northern Spain, and the one time you may see eggs as a breakfast choice!
- Any variety of sandwiches, from the Catalan entrepà de botifarra filled with native sausage to Andalusia’s bite-sized montaditos de pringá made with the leftovers of the day prior to this’s pork stew
The place to eat it: Right now of day, many Spaniards will head to their native café-bar (a type of cross between the standard Spanish bar and a espresso store). Till about 11 a.m. you may discover them bustling with workplace employees and newspaper-reading outdated males.
Lunch: 2–3:30 PM
The third (and arguably most vital) of all Spanish mealtimes can’t be missed. Lunch is such a giant deal in Spain that in lots of locations it is merely referred to as la comida (actually “the meal”) as if it is the one meal that truly counts as meals.
Spanish lunchtime is meals paradise. Most eating places open for lunch round 1:30 p.m. and the crowds begin pouring in round 2 p.m. On weekends, tables will keep full till effectively previous 4:30 as family and friends preserve speaking lengthy after the meal is over, a customized generally known as sobremesa.
Just a few frequent staples you may see on Spanish lunch menus embody:
The place to eat it: That is the time to go to a sit-down restaurant, the overwhelming majority of which provide a menú del día, or fixed-price lunch particular.
This set menu sometimes presents three to 6 choices every for each a primary course and a second course. These two programs plus bread, a drink, and both dessert or espresso have a set value of about €10–16 in Madrid and even much less in smaller cities and cities.
Merienda (Mid-Afternoon Snack): 5–6:30 PM
Merienda, the fourth Spanish mealtime, is a mid-afternoon snack that may assist tide you over between lunch and dinner. The social ingredient of merienda is simply as vital because the meals itself. That is the time when mates meet to seize a espresso and abuelas collect in cafés to gossip.
This snacking interval is virtually sacred amongst Spanish children. As folks become older, they could not at all times have the choice to merendar on daily basis (particularly in the course of the work week). That stated, it is nonetheless a beloved customized that many Spaniards take pleasure in every time they will!
The fare for the mid-afternoon snack is often candy, however there are some savory choices as effectively:
The place to eat it: You possibly can take pleasure in merienda at a café or bakery, and even at a bar!
Aperitif & Tapas: 8–10 PM
The true enjoyable of consuming in Spain begins later within the night, when the solar dips beneath the horizon and the tapas and pintxos bars start to open. In lots of components of Spain, folks will take pleasure in a fast chew and drink to open their urge for food earlier than dinner. This is called an aperitivo (aperitif).
A phrase of warning: It is troublesome to seek out genuine Spanish dinner meals earlier than 8:30 p.m. On the typical American or British dinnertime of 6–8 p.m., few—if any—kitchens at sit-down eating places are open. As an alternative, that is prime tapas time.
Going for tapas can vary from one fast drink earlier than dinner to spending the whole night going to 3 or 4 bars and having some tapas at every. Folks usually eat tapas standing up on the bar moderately than at a desk.
Whereas the dimensions, fashion, and value of tapas fluctuate from area to area, in lots of components of Spain it’s normal to get a free tapa whenever you order a drink. That is usually merely a small dish of olives or potato chips. Nevertheless, in some cities like Granada, it’s normal to get a small cooked dish!
In different cities, like Seville and San Sebastian, tapas (or pintxos) often value round €2–6. These are usually bigger or extra elaborate than the free tapas served in different components of the nation.
For those who’re headed out for tapas in Spain, listed below are just a few typical choices you would possibly dig into:
The place to eat it: Head out to your nearest tapas or pintxos bar to take pleasure in a Spanish aperitivo. You possibly can merely keep there and luxuriate in one drink and a tapa, or go barhopping for a full tapas feast!
Dinner: 9–11 PM
Dinner in Spain could also be late, however as with all Spanish mealtimes, it is undoubtedly value ready for.
Cena, or dinner, is often a lot lighter than it could be in lots of different international locations. If eaten at dwelling, a Spanish dinner usually consists of a salad; a plate of cured ham, sausages, or aged cheese; and even simply yogurt and a bit of fruit.
Restaurant and bar dinners are one other story. Whereas there are specific meals that you’re going to virtually by no means discover on dinner menus—pasta, rice, lentils, or lamb, for instance—Spain has an enormous number of dinner choices. For instance:
- Tortilla de patatas, Spain’s ubiquitous potato omelet
- Huevos rotos, a dish of fried potatoes topped with fried eggs which can be then “damaged” to let the yolk spill over the entire thing
- Croquettes made with ham, potato, salt cod, or just about anything!
- A easy and scrumptious salad
The place to eat it: For those who’re consuming out in Spain, you’ll be able to head to a restaurant for dinner—or just proceed your tapas crawl throughout varied bars!
Spanish Mealtimes FAQs
Spain’s famously late mealtimes are on account of the truth that the nation has been geographically within the mistaken time zone since World Battle II! After the time zone modified, Spaniards stored consuming on the identical time with regard to the place of the solar within the sky.
Beforehand, lunch would have been round 1 p.m. and dinner round 8, however for the reason that nation moved ahead an hour, these occasions at the moment are 2 and 9 p.m., respectively. (Curiously, 1 and eight p.m. are the frequent mealtimes in Portugal—which is in Spain’s authentic time zone.)
Most individuals in Spain eat between 4 and 6 meals per day, although it will probably fluctuate relying on the placement and everybody’s particular person schedules.
These Spanish mealtimes sometimes embody a lightweight chew and occasional very first thing within the morning, a extra substantial “second breakfast,” a hearty lunch, a mid-afternoon snack or merienda, tapas or an aperitif, and a lightweight dinner.
Many individuals in Spain really eat two breakfasts! The primary is often one thing gentle and candy, similar to a pastry or cookies. The second breakfast, eaten round mid-morning, is commonly toasted bread with tomato and olive oil, a slice of potato omelet, or a small sandwich.
Merienda is Spain’s mid-afternoon snack. It is sometimes loved between 5 and 6:30 p.m., however could be eaten at any time between lunch and dinner.
Hungry for extra? Join my free weekly publication and obtain a brand new Spanish recipe as soon as every week! Be a part of right this moment and get my FREE Spanish ingredient necessities information!
