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Lunch is a meal typically consumed around the middle of the day, following breakfast and preceding dinner. It varies in form, size, and significance across cultures and historical periods. In some societies, lunch constitutes the main meal of the day and may consist of multiple courses, while in others it is lighter and more utilitarian in nature. The foods consumed at lunch differ widely according to local dietary customs, ranging from simple items such as or to more elaborate meals involving rice, , or . Regional and cultural practices continue to shape lunch traditions, which are further influenced by factors such as religion, geography, and economic context.
The word luncheon () has a similarly uncertain origin according to the OED, being "related in some way" to lunch. It is possible luncheon is an extension of lunch, as with punch to puncheon and trunch to truncheon. Originally interchangeable with lunch, it is now used in especially formal circumstances. The Oxford Companion to Food claims that luncheon is a Northern England English word which is derived from the Old English word nuncheon or nunchin meaning . The OED records the words "nuncheon" and "nunchion" with the meaning "drink" or "snack" in various forms since the Middle English period.
In England, during the late 17th and 18th centuries, this meal was gradually pushed back into the evening, creating a greater time gap between breakfast and dinner. A meal called lunch came to fill this gap. The late evening meal, called supper, became squeezed out as dinner advanced into the evening, and often turned into a snack. Formal "supper parties", artificially lit by candles, sometimes with entertainment, persisted as late as the Regency era, and a ball normally included supper, often served very late.
Until the early 19th century, was generally reserved for the ladies, who would often have lunch with one another when their husbands were out. The meal was relatively light, and typically included left-overs from the previous night's dinner, which were often plentiful. As late as 1945, Emily Post wrote in the magazine Etiquette that luncheon is "generally given by and for women, but it is not unusual, especially in summer places or in town on Saturday or Sunday, to include an equal number of men"hence the mildly disparaging phrase, "the ladies who lunch". Lunch was a ladies' light meal; when the Prince of Wales stopped to eat a dainty luncheon with lady friends, he was laughed at for this effeminacy.
Beginning in the 1840s, afternoon tea supplemented this luncheon at four o'clock. Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management (1861)a guide to all aspects of running a household in Victorian Britain, edited by much less to explain about luncheon than about dinners or ball suppers:
The lunch meal slowly became institutionalized in England when workers with long and fixed-hour jobs at the factory were eventually given an hour off work to eat lunch and thus gain strength for the afternoon shift. Stalls and later steakhouse near the factories began to provide mass-produced food for the working class, and the meal soon became an established part of the daily routine, remaining so to this day.
In many countries and regions, lunch is the dinner or main meal. Prescribed lunchtimes allow workers to return to their homes to eat with their families. Consequently, businesses close during lunchtime when lunch is the customary main meal of the day. Lunch also becomes dinner on special days, such as holidays or events, including, for example, Christmas dinner and harvest dinners like Thanksgiving; on these special days, dinner is usually served in the early afternoon. The main meal on Sunday, whether at a restaurant or home, is called "Sunday dinner", and for Christians is served after morning church services.
In Japan, chūshoku often consists of rice or noodle dishes such as ramen, soba and udon bowls. Many Japanese people will also take a boxed lunch, known as a bentō, to class or to work with them. Sushi, donburi and teishoku are also common. Additionally, other Japanese lunch options include quick and convenient foods like onigiri (rice balls), , and instant noodles, catering to busy individuals.
In China today, lunch is not nearly as complicated as it was before industrialisation. Rice, noodles and other mixed hot foods are often eaten, either at a restaurant or brought in a container. Western cuisine is not uncommon. It is called 午餐 or 午饭 in most areas.
In Finland, lunch is a full hot meal, served as one course, sometimes with small salads and desserts. Dishes are diverse, ranging from meat or fish courses to soups that are heavy enough to constitute a meal.
In France, the midday meal is taken between noon and 2:00p.m.
In Italy, lunch is taken around 12:30 in the north and at 2:00 p.m. in the center south; it is a full meal, but is lighter than supper.
In Germany, lunch was traditionally the main meal of the day. It is traditionally a substantial hot meal, sometimes with additional courses like soup and dessert. It is usually a savoury dish consisting of protein (e.g., meat), starchy foods (e.g., ), and vegetables or salad. and are popular as well. There are a few sweet dishes like Germknödel or rice pudding that can also serve as a main course. Lunch is called Mittagessenliterally, "midday's food".
In the Netherlands, Belgium, and Norway, it is common to eat sandwiches for lunch: slices of bread that people usually carry to work or school and eat in the Cafeteria. The slices of bread are normally filled with sweet or savoury foodstuffs such as chocolate sprinkles (hagelslag), apple syrup, peanut butter, slices of meat, cheese or kroket. The meal typically includes coffee, milk or juice, and sometimes yogurt, fruit or soup. It is eaten around noon, during a lunch break.
In Portugal, lunch ( almoço in Portuguese) consists of a full hot meal, similar to dinner, usually with soup, meat or fish course, and dessert. It is served between noon and 2:00p.m. It is the main meal of the day throughout the country. The Portuguese word lanches derives from the English word "lunch", but it refers to a lighter meal or snack taken during the afternoon (around 5pm) due to the fact that, traditionally, Portuguese dinner is served at a later hour than in English-speaking countries.
In Spain, the midday meal, "lunch" takes place between 1:00 and 3:00p.m. and is effectively dinner, (the main meal of the day); in contrast, supper normally begins between 8:30 and 10:00p.m. Being the main meal of the day everywhere, it usually consists of a three-course meal: the first course typically consists of an appetizer; the main course of a more elaborate dish, usually meat- or fish-based; the dessert of something sweet, often accompanied by a coffee or small amounts of spirits. Most places of work have a complete restaurant with a lunch break of at least an hour. Spanish schools also have a full restaurant, and students have a one-hour break. Three courses are standard practice at home, workplace, and schools. Most small shops close for between two and four hoursusually between 1:30 to 4:30p.m.to allow to go home for a full lunch.
In Sweden, lunch is usually a full hot meal, much like in Finland.
In the United Kingdom, lunch is typically a small meal designed to stave off hunger until returning home from work and eating dinner. It is usually eaten early in the afternoon. Lunch is often purveyed and consumed in . Pub lunch dishes include fish and chips, ploughman's lunch and others. On Sundays, it is usually the main meal, and typically the largest and most formal meal of the week, to which family or other guests may be invited. It traditionally centres on a Sunday roast joint of meat. It may be served rather later than a weekday lunch, or not.
In Poland, the main meal of the day (called obiad) is traditionally eaten between 1:00pm and 5:00pm, and consists of a soup and a main dish. Most Poles equate the English word "lunch" with "obiad" because it is the second of the three main meals of the day; śniadanie (breakfast), obiad (lunch/dinner) and kolacja (dinner/supper). There is another meal eaten by some called drugie śniadanie, which means "second breakfast". Drugie śniadanie is eaten around 10:00am and is a light snack, usually consisting of sandwiches, salad, or a thin soup.
In Romania, lunch ( prânz in Romanian) is the main hot meal of the day. Lunch normally consists of two dishes: usually, the first course is a soup and the second course, the main course, often consists of meat accompanied by potato, rice or pasta (garnitură). Traditionally, people used to bake and eat desserts, but nowadays it is less common. On Sundays, the lunch is more consistent and is usually accompanied by an appetiser or salad.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, lunch is the day's main meal. It is traditionally a substantial hot meal, sometimes with additional courses like soup and dessert. It is usually a savoury dish, consisting of protein (such as meat), starchy foods (such as potatoes), and a vegetable or salad. It is normally eaten around 2:00pm.
In Bulgaria, lunch is normally eaten between 12:00 PM and 2:00 PM. In the capital of Sofia, people usually order takeaway because lunch breaks are too short to go in place. In other areas, Bulgarians often have salad as the first meal and a dish from the national cuisine as the second one.
In Mexico, lunch ( comida) is usually the main meal of the day and normally takes place between 2:00pm and 4:00pm. It usually includes three or four courses: the first is an entrée of rice, noodles or pasta, but also may include a soup or salad. The second consists of a main dish, called a guisado, served with one or two side dishes such as refried beans, cooked vegetables, rice or salad. The main dish is accompanied by tortillas or a bread called bolillo. The third course is a combination of a traditional dessert or sweet, café de olla, and a digestif. During the meal, it is usual to drink aguas frescas, although soft drinks have gained ground in recent years.
In Brazil, lunch is the main meal of the day, taking place between 11:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Brazilians usually eat rice with beans, salad, french fries, some kind of meat or pasta dishes, with juice or soft drinks. The kind of food may vary from region to region. Fast and simpler meals (sandwich, etc.) are common during weekdays. After the meal, some kind of dessert or coffee are also common.
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