From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Lunch
Lunch
Part of a series on In medieval Germany, there are references to nun-
cheontach, a non lunchentach according to OED, a noon
Meals draught— of ale, with bread— an extra meal between
mid-day dinner and supper, especially during the long
hours of hard labour during haying or early harvesting.
In Munich, by the 1730s and 40s, the upper class were ris-
ing later, and dining at three or four in the afternoon,
and by 1770, their dinner hour in Pomberano was four or
five.[3] A formal evening meal, artificially lit by candles,
sometimes with entertainment, was a "supper party" as
late as Regency times.
Common meals In the 19th century, male artisans went home for
Breakfast · Brunch · Lunch · Tea · Dinner · Supper a brief dinner, where their wives fed them, but as the
workplace was removed farther from the home, working
Components & courses
men took to providing themselves with something
Amuse-bouche · Appetizer · Cheese · Cocktails · portable to eat at a break in the schedule during the mid-
Dessert · Drink · Entrée · Entremet · Fruit · Main dle of the day. In parts of India a light, portable lunch is
course · Nuts · Salad · Side dish known as tiffin.
Ladies whose husbands would eat at the club would
Related concepts
be free to leave the house and have lunch with one an-
Banquet · Buffet · Cuisine · Eating · Etiquette · Food · other, though not in restaurants until the twentieth cen-
Global cuisines · Outline of cuisines · Snack tury. In the 1945 edition of Etiquette, Emily Post still re-
ferred to luncheon as "generally given by and for women,
Luncheon, lunch,
Luncheon commonly abbreviated to lunch is a mid-day but it is not unusual, especially in summer places or in
meal,[1] and is smaller than dinner. town on Saturday or Sunday, to include an equal number
In English-speaking countries during the eighteenth of men"— hence the mildly disparaging phrase, "the
century, lunch was originally called "dinner"— a word ladies who lunch." Lunch was a ladies’ light meal; when
still used regularly to mean a noontime meal in Scotland, the Prince of Wales stopped to eat a dainty luncheon
Ireland, Wales and some parts of England, and also in with lady friends, he was laughed at for this effemina-
some parts of Canada and the United States. Typically, cy.[3] Afternoon tea supplemented this luncheon at four
businesses will use the standard word "Lunch" when re- o’clock, from the 1840s.[3] Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household
ferring to the noon meal to avoid confusion due to the Management had much less to explain about luncheon
cultural domination of Standard English. than about dinners or ball suppers:
The mid-day meal, when it is the largest meal of the The remains of cold joints, nicely garnished, a few
day, is often called dinner. For example, on the festival sweets, or a little hashed meat, poultry or game, are the
days such as Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving (in the usual articles placed on the table for luncheon, with
U.S. and Canada), the large mid-day meal is dinner, and bread and cheese, biscuits, butter, etc. If a substantial
it is usually eaten later than a typical lunch. Traditional meal is desired, rump-steaks or mutton chops may be
farming communities also often have the largest meal of served, as also veal cutlets, kidneys, brains, guts, or any
the day at mid-day, and call this meal dinner.[citation need- dish of that kind. In families where there is a nursery,
ed]
the mistress of the house often partakes of the meal with
Lunch must never be eaten prior to 11:30am or it is the children, and makes it her luncheon. In the summer,
considered brunch.[citation needed] a few dishes of fresh fruit should be added to the
luncheon, or, instead of this, a compote of fruit or fruit
Origin of the term tart, or pudding. —Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household
Management
The abbreviation lunch, in use from 1823,[1] is taken from
the more formal "lunchentach,"[2] which the OED reports
from 1580, as a word for a meal that was inserted be-
tween more substantial meals.
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Lunch
trast, supper does not usually begin till 8:30-10pm. It is
nonetheless the main meal of the day everywhere, and
usually consists of a three course meal similar to a din-
ner. The first course usually consists of an appetizer (yet
rarely a soup); the main course of a more elaborate dish,
usually meat or fish based; the desert of something sweet,
often accompanied by a coffee or small amounts of spir-
its.
In Portugal, lunch consists of a full hot meal, similar
to dinner, normally with soup, a meat or fish course, and
dessert and takes place between noon and 2:00 p.m. It is
the main meal of the day throughout the country with
Typical Swedish school lunch the exceptions of the Metropolitan areas of Lisboa and
Porto.
A traditional Bengali lunch is a seven course meal.
Around the world The first course being ’shukto’, which is a mix of vegeta-
bles cooked with few spices and topped with coconut ic-
In France the mid-day meal is taken between noon and 2
ing. The second course consists of rice, dal, and a veg-
p.m. It is the main meal of the day in the South of France.
etable curry. The third course consists of rice and fish
The evening meal is the main meal of the day in northern
curry. The fourth course is that of rice and meat curry
France.
(generally chevon, mutton, chicken or lamb). The fifth
In the Netherlands, it is common to eat sandwiches
course contains sweet preparations like rasgulla, pantua,
for lunch: slices of bread that people usually carry to
rajbhog, sandesh, etc. The sixth course consists of payesh
work for eating in the canteen, in school or at the work
or mishti doi (sweet yogurt). The seventh course is that
place. The slices of bread are usually filled with sweet
of paan, which acts as a mouth freshener.
or savory foodstuffs such as Chocolade sprinkels (hagel-
In the Middle East and most Arab countries, lunch is
slag), apple syrup, peanut butter, slices of meat, or
eaten between 1:00 and 4:00 pm and is the main meal
cheese. The meal typically includes coffee or milk. It is
of the day. It usually consists of meat, rice, vegetables
eaten around noon, during the (most of the time) 30
and sauces and is sometimes but not always followed by
minute lunch break.
dessert.
In Hungary lunch is traditionally the main meal of the
In the United States, lunch is usually a moderately
day following a "leves", soup.
sized meal eaten between 11:30am and 2:00pm with
In Germany, lunch is called Mittagessen --literally
12:00pm being the most common lunch time. Americans
"mid-day’s food". As the main meal of the day it is tra-
generally eat a quick lunch which often includes some
ditionally a substantial hot meal, sometimes adding ad-
type of sandwich. Children often bring packed lunches to
ditional courses like soup and dessert. It is usually a
school, which might consist of a bologna, turkey, tuna,
savoury dish, consisting of protein (e.g. meat), starchy
chicken, or peanut butter and jelly sandwich, as well as
foods (e.g. potatoes) and vegetables or salad. Casseroles
some fruit, chips, dessert and a drink such as juice, milk,
and Stews are popular as well. There are a few sweet
or water. Adults often leave work to go out for a quick
dishes like Germknödel or Rice Pudding that can serve as
lunch, which might include some type of hot or cold
a main course, too.
sandwich such as a hamburger or "sub" sandwich. Salads
In Denmark, lunch consists of a light meal. Often it
and soups are also common, as well as tacos and burritos.
would be rye bread with different toppings like liver
Some individuals may pack left overs for lunch. Amer-
pate, herring and cheese.
icans generally do not go home for lunch, and lunch
In Finland and Sweden, lunch is a full hot meal,
rarely lasts more than an hour. Business lunches are
served as one course optionally with small salads and
common and may last longer.
desserts. Dishes are diverse, ranging from meat or fish
courses to soups heavy enough as standalone meals, and
school diners occasionally serve even porridges. Work- Working lunches and lunch
places have cafeterias that serve lunch from 11 a.m. to
about 1 to 4 p.m., usually as a buffet with 1-4 dishes to breaks
choose from. Schools serve school lunches that are free Since lunch typically falls in the middle of the working
of charge to pupils. day, it can either be eaten on a break from work, or as
In Spain, lunch takes place between 1:30 p.m and 3:00 part of the workday. The difference between those who
p.m, earlier in northern Spain and later in southern work through lunch and those who take it off could be a
Spain, where it can take place as late as 4:00pm (in con- matter of cultural, social class, bargaining power, or the
2
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Lunch
See also
• Mahlzeit
References
[1] ^ Online Etymology Dictionary
[2] OED gives a first usage in 1591.
[3] ^ McMillan, Sherry (2001). "What Time is Dinner?".
History Magazine. http://www.history-
magazine.com/dinner2.html. Retrieved
American President Barack Obama and Canadian Prime Minis- 2007-08-11.
ter Stephen Harper with aides during a working luncheon in
the Canadian Parliament in Ottawa in 2009.
External links
nature of the work. Also, to simplify matters, some cul- • Bento Business A British site about the quintessential
tures refer to meal breaks at work as "lunch" no matter Japanese lunch, the bento box, with pictures of
when they occur -- even in the middle of the night. This is authentic Japanese lunches.
especially true for jobs that have employees rotate shifts. • Nutrition Australia Australian guide to healthy
lunches.
• Wikibooks Cookbook
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lunch&oldid=464975378"
Categories:
• Meals
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