51吃瓜

Sometimes breakfast just doesn鈥檛 cut it. Whether you鈥檙e on a long journey and had an early start or you鈥檝e already put in some manual labor after breakfast, a mid-morning snack is a refreshing and fulfilling break before the formal lunch hour. In England, it鈥檚 called elevenses, as in a small meal you eat around 11 am, though even fictional characters know the joy of a meal between breakfast and lunch. Merry and Pippin in the Lord of the Rings series, for example, are avid fans of the second breakfast.

England and Middle Earth aren鈥檛 the only places you鈥檒l find this tradition, however. These countries also partake, each with a different name.

almuerzo (Spain)

The word for lunch in Spanish is , but in certain parts of Spain, you鈥檒l find that almuerzo is less about a middle-of-the-day meal and more about a second breakfast. For breakfast (), Spaniards often eat something small and light with a coffee or juice. That leaves room for a mid-morning almuerzo around 10 or 11 am. A type of muffin called a is common, as is pan con tomate (bread and tomato), ham, a small sandwich, or some (similar to an egg and potato quiche). The small meal is often eaten at a cafe, and coffee or espresso is often present as well. Just don鈥檛 fill up too much because the famously long Spanish lunch comes shortly after, around 2 pm.

The Spanish tradition spread where the country historically had colonies as well, though it鈥檚 shifted slightly. In Chile, for example, once (辞谤听), which means 11 in Spanish, is no longer a meal eaten between breakfast and lunch but is instead eaten between lunch and dinner.

Careful what you order when abroad! Find out which foods have less-than-appealing meanings in other countries.

hamaiketako (Basque)

Elevenses goes by a different name in the Basque region of northern Spain. Hamaiketako (which means 11 am) is the word for a small savory snack between a breakfast of sweets and a larger lunch. Sausages and other meats are on the menu, as well as cheese and eggs.

Hamaiketako is the same as English elevenses, but it wasn鈥檛 always so in the Basque region. Rural areas used to have hamarretako (10 am). The shift to an hour later came after the rise of cities and factories.

drugie 艣苍颈补诲补苍颈别 (Poland)

A hobbit would not go asking for follow-up morning meals in Poland, because a second breakfast is already included (though they may be on their own for third breakfast). Drugie 艣苍颈补诲补苍颈别 is the Polish word for elevenses, where drugie means the “second” and 艣苍颈补诲补苍颈别 means “breakfast.” It鈥檚 eaten at some point between 10 and 11 am and typically consists of bread, 办颈别艂产补蝉补 sausage, eggs, or sandwiches. Unlike in Spain, drugie 艣苍颈补诲补苍颈别 is often eaten on the go, so the portability of the food is paramount.

迟铆锄贸谤补颈 (Hungary)

罢铆锄贸谤补颈 is similar to elevenses in that it鈥檚 a meal between breakfast and lunch that gets its name from the time that it鈥檚 eaten. Only 迟铆锄贸谤补颈 means 10 am, not 11 am (though the exact time a person eats is up to them, of course). The meal is usually small and isn鈥檛 typically a hot meal鈥攖hat鈥檚 reserved for a sprawling lunch.

From salty to sweet, many of the words we use to describe food have since become apt descriptors of our personality traits. Take a look at some here.

merienda (Philippines)

When Spain colonized the Philippines, they left behind one of their eating habits, but not the name (almuerzo) it goes by. In the Philippines, it鈥檚 called , which is often used to describe an afternoon snack in Spanish-speaking countries but refers to any meal outside of the big three in Filipino culture and language. The first merienda usually happens around 10 am, with the second between 3 and 5 pm. There鈥檚 not a strict list of what鈥檚 on the menu. Sometimes it鈥檚 sweet, other times savory. Leftovers are common. Whatever the merienda of choice, it鈥檚 tasty.

yum cha (Hong Kong)

The tradition of yum cha聽in Hong Kong dates back to the 1800s, during the聽time period of the Xianfeng Emperor. Yum cha, typically a brunch meal, translates from Cantonese as 聽鈥渄rink tea.鈥� The beverage isn鈥檛 the only thing consumed, though. Dim sum (bite-sized sweet and savory dishes) are passed along as well, and yum cha can refer to the act of eating dim sum and drinking tea. It鈥檚 not only a tradition in Hong Kong. Yum cha and the type of cuisine served originally comes from Guangdong province and is popular in Cantonese-speaking regions. Wherever you鈥檙e partaking, expect it to be a sit-down meal where the people around you are just as important as the food.