Meal

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For powder made by grinding grain, see flour.
Meals have been traditionally prepared by women in a home kitchen (Painting from the circle of Jean-Baptiste de Saive, 1563)
Part of a series on
Meals
Still life with fruits, nuts, and large wheels of cheese.
Meals
Components and courses
Related concepts

A meal is an

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

holidays. A meal is different from a snack in that meals are generally larger, more varied, and more filling than snacks.[3]

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

Main article: Breakfast

Breakfast 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.[4] The word breakfast literally refers to breaking the fasting period of the prior night.[5]

Breakfast foods vary widely from place to place, but often include

jam or marmalade are common examples of Western breakfast foods, though a large range of preparations and ingredients are associated with breakfast globally.[6]

Variations of breakfast

Full breakfast

Main article: Full breakfast

A

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'.[7] Other regional names and variants include the 'full Scottish', 'full Welsh', 'full Irish' and the 'Ulster fry'.[8][9][10]

The full breakfast is among the most internationally recognised

fruit juices with bread, croissants, or pastries
.

Instant breakfast

Main article: Instant breakfast

"

beverage.[12][13] 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.[13]

Champagne breakfast

Main article: Champagne breakfast

A

champagne or sparkling wine. It is a new concept in some countries[14]
and is not typical of the role of a breakfast.

It may be part of any day or outing considered particularly luxurious or

pastries, which would not ordinarily be eaten at breakfast[17] or more courses.[18]
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

Main article: Breakfast

Refer to this Wikipedia Breakfast page for a list of countries and continents and their variations of breakfast. The cuisine articles linked in the breakfast page regarding each countries and continents cuisine may display variations of breakfast more thoroughly.

Lunch

Main article: Lunch

Lunch is a meal typically eaten at midday; it varies in size by culture and region.[19] The word lunch is an abbreviation for luncheon, whose origin relates to a small snack originally eaten at any time of the day or night. During the 20th century the meaning in English gradually narrowed to a small or mid-sized meal eaten at midday. Lunch is commonly the second meal of the day after breakfast. 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

Main article: Packed lunch

A

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
.

Meal deal

Another variation of lunch is the meal deal,

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.[22]

Dinner

Main article: Dinner

Dinner usually refers to a significant and important meal of the day, which can be the

Sunday dinner
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, and this term is still often used to signify that Sunday dinner is special even if no longer preceded by attendance at church.

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

Main article:
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).[25]

Many traditions conclude a formal meal with coffee, sometimes accompanied with spirits, either separate or mixed in the coffee.

Meals at other times of the day

Main article: Outline of meals § Types of meals, in the order served throughout the day

Meal preparation

Main article: Meal preparation

Meal preparation, sometimes called "meal prep," is the process of planning and preparing meals. It generally involves food preparation, including cooking, sometimes together with preparing table decorations, drinks etc

Food preparation

Main article:
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

Main article: Cooking

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 farther 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.[26]

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.[27] Although more people are eating alone, research suggests that many people do not consider a "meal" a solo act, but rather commensal dining.[28] 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.[27]

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.[27]

See also

References

  1. ^ "meal noun (FOOD) - definition in the British English Dictionary & Thesaurus - Cambridge Dictionaries Online". Archived from the original on 2014-04-28. Retrieved 2016-08-07.
  2. ^ "meal - Definition from Longman English Dictionary Online". Archived from the original on 2021-06-08. Retrieved 2016-08-07.
  3. S2CID 21246397
    .
  4. ^ "breakfast – definition of breakfast by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia". Thefreedictionary.com. Archived from the original on 21 May 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
  5. ISBN 0759121656
  6. ^ "History of breakfast". Archived from the original on 23 January 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
  7. ^ "The full English". Jamieoliver.com. Archived from the original on 28 July 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
  8. ^ "Traditional Scottish Food". Visit Scotland. Archived from the original on 13 February 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
  9. ^ Rowland, Paul (25 October 2005). "So what is a 'full Welsh breakfast'?". Wales Online. Archived from the original on 2 May 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
  10. ^ Bell, James (29 January 2014). "How to... Cook the perfect Ulster Fry". Belfast Telegraph. Archived from the original on 3 February 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
  11. ISBN 978-0-231-13110-0
    .
  12. ^ Brand Positioning: Strategies for Competitive Advantage - Subroto Sengupta. pp. 5-6.
  13. ^ a b Consumer Behavior in Action: Real-Life Applications for Marketing Managers - Geoffrey P. Lantos Archived 2023-08-15 at the Wayback Machine. p. 45.
  14. ^ "The Telegraph - Calcutta : Metro". Calcutta, India: Telegraphindia.com. 2005-01-03. Archived from the original on September 19, 2012. Retrieved 2011-03-04.
  15. ^ "icseftonandwestlancs - Grand National thrills for Crosby couple". Icseftonandwestlancs.icnetwork.co.uk. 2009-08-11. Retrieved 2011-03-04.[permanent dead link]
  16. ^ Press Association (2003-10-24). "Concorde makes final landing | Business". London: guardian.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2013-08-27. Retrieved 2011-03-04.
  17. ^ Moscow News - Travel - Swissц╢tel Krasnye Holmy Archived 20 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  18. ^ "Magazine / Travel : Weekend getaway". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 2007-08-19. Archived from the original on 2008-10-16. Retrieved 2011-03-04.
  19. ISBN 978-0-19-104072-6
    .
  20. ^ "BBC: Lancashire > Voices > Wordly Wise?". BBC. 31 May 2005. Archived from the original on 8 May 2013. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
  21. ^ "What your meal deal lunch choice says about you". JOE.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2020-06-12. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
  22. ^ "Obesity and overweight". www.who.int. Archived from the original on 2020-12-08. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
  23. The Food Timeline. Archived
    from the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  24. ^ McMillan 2001.
  25. ISBN 9780307929365. Archived
    from the original on 2023-08-15. Retrieved 2019-05-06.
  26. ^ McMillan, S (2001). "What Time is Dinner?". History Magazine. Archived from the original on 8 December 2017. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
  27. ^
    ISSN 0261-3077. Archived
    from the original on 2019-05-06. Retrieved 2019-05-06.
  28. ISBN 9781845694036, archived
    from the original on 2023-08-15, retrieved 2021-10-18

Further reading

External links

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