A different time zone It was in 1940 that Spain's leader decided to align his country with Nazi Germany and change its time zone to match, reports the BBC. As a result, Spain remains an hour ahead of the other countries in the same longitude (England, Portugal, and Morocco) and instead follows Central European Time.
Spaniards are living in the wrong time zone, and have been for more than 70 years. Glance at a map and you'll realise that Spain – sitting, as it does, along the same longitude as the UK, Portugal and Morocco – should be in Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
For years, the European country has been notorious for its super-late dinner time, usually around 10 p.m., coupled with its nationwide policy for taking a siesta in the mid-afternoon. This time is usually when most shops and businesses close for about two hours so employees can rest.
Spain changed to CET after the Spanish Civil War in 1940 but continued to eat at the same time. Therefore, 1pm lunches became 2pm lunches, and Spaniards were suddenly eating dinner at 9pm instead of 8pm, and to this day, the clocks were never changed back.
Dinner: 9 – 11 p.m.
But on weekends, when most Spanish people tend to go out with friends, dinner can start even later and last until close to midnight. Since the Spanish food culture dictates you should eat five meals a day, dinner in Spain is a relatively light meal compared with many other countries.
And then in Mediterranean countries like Italy, Spain, Greece, Portugal, dinners are a party reserved for much later. Typically, these hot weather countries have a long afternoon siesta (nap) and people commune for dinner later in the night, starting at 10pm or even later.
But why do the Spanish eat so late? When the sun is highest in the sky in Spain, it is not noon but 1.30pm. If you measure mealtimes according to the position of the sun, rather than what it is says on the clock, Spaniards are having their lunch at more or less the same times as the rest of Europe.
Norway -- 4:00 PM-5:00 p.m.
Dinner time in Norway is known for being quite early compared to other European countries, usually between 4 and 5 p.m. This practice dates back to Norway's agricultural past when hard work on farms required long hours.
In addition, Spanish workers typically work 11-hour days, from 9am to 8pm. With dinner at 9pm and a couple of hours of TV, they tend not to get to bed before midnight.
A typical Spaniard eating schedule is as followed:
– Comida (lunch): anywhere from 1pm to 3pm, depending on your schedule. – Merienda (mid-afternoon snack): anywhere from 5pm to 7pm. – Cena (dinner): anywhere from 8:30pm to 11pm.
Punctuality is not highly important in Spain. People can arrive half an hour late to a social function with no questions raised. If someone turns up late and apologises, people are likely to respond with something like “no pasa nada” – meaning “It's not that important”.
Desayuno: El desayuno is the first meal of the day and is the meal that most often gets skipped. Breakfast in Spain is fairly light for adults, consisting of coffee and toast or a biscuit, if it's eaten it at all.
That is because Spain (except the Canary Islands) is in the wrong time zone. Madrid is on a similar line of longitude to Swansea in Wales. Its clocks are set to Central European Time, the same as Warsaw or Tirana, some 24 degrees or 2,000kms (1,200 miles) to the east. Spanish time is a historical anomaly.
A Mediterranean lifestyle emphasizes sociable mealtimes, a well-balanced diet, and walking as a mode of transportation, which helps to reduce pollution-related deaths. Obesity has been linked to sociable mealtimes, which have also been linked to improved mental health.
La Comida – Lunch
Lunch is the mid-day meal, or la comida as it is called in Spain, and it is the largest meal of the day. It usually comes with multiple courses, eaten between 1:30 and 3:30 pm.
Dinner. Dinner is a lighter meal than lunch and typically is eaten between 9 and 10 pm during the week, although if you go out to dinner on the weekend you might not eat until 11 or 12!
“Spain is a very big place and people still take a half-hour siesta in some parts of the country – particularly in Andalucía where it's very hot,” said Chinchilla.
In Madrid, there are laws in place to reduce noise nuisance. During night hours (11pm to 7am), noise from houses and premises cannot exceed 30 decibels. In the daytime (from 7am to 11pm) the limit is set at 35 decibels.
The siesta in Spain is a famous tradition which consists of a short nap, usually 15-30 minutes. Find out more about the Spanish siesta and pick up some tips.
Australia. In Australia, a light meal eaten in the period between 10:30 am and noon is considered Morning Tea; an actual lunch will be consumed between 12 and 2 PM.
Most HBE consumed the first meal of the day between 6.01 and 8.00 am (76.6%) during the week and 7.01 and 9.00 am on weekends (65.9%). Most HBE consumed the first meal of the day early during the week (84.0%) compared to the weekend (54.6%).
Australian families usually have dinner between 6 and 7pm, but I see older people having dinner as early as 5pm and young busy professionals can have dinner as late as 8 or 9pm. Why is dinner time in India as late as 9pm?
Being fussy about punctuality
It is accepted as the social norm. If you turn up on time for a dinner party at someone's house, it will be seen as you being rather pushy.
A typical Spanish dinner will have a main dish, such as a seafood dish, vegetarian dish, or roasted meat. This is either stuffed in a sandwich or served with a portion of rice. Common sides include a green salad, omelette, fried potatoes, grilled vegetables, cold cuts, or cheese.
Tapas is traditionally a drink and bite to eat, so when you meet for tapas in Spain, it's usually around 1:30 to 3pm or 8:30 to 10:30pm. If you stick to the traditional Spanish times for tapas, you're guaranteed to get the freshest food and the best atmosphere.