A typical Spaniard eating schedule is as followed: – Desayuno (breakfast): anywhere from 7am to 9am, depending on how early you start your days. – Almuerzo (mid-morning snack): roughly 10am to 11am. Most Spanish schools have a patio time where the students are given this time to eat their almuerzo.
The typical Spanish work day begins at 9am; after a two-hour lunch break between 2 and 4pm, employees return to work, ending their day around 8pm. The later working hours force Spaniards to save their social lives for the late hours. Prime-time television doesn't start until 10:30pm.
Dinner (la cena) is a significantly lighter meal than lunch. It is generally eaten between 9 p.m. and midnight.
Comida: La comida is the main meal in the Spanish diet, similar to dinner in other countries, and takes place around 2:00pm. It is becoming more common that places open for lunch around 1:00pm, but it's not yet the norm.
Spain's famously late mealtimes are due to the fact that the country has been geographically in the wrong time zone since World War II! During all that time, Spaniards have eaten at the same time they always have in regards to the position of the sun in the sky.
1. Pick the right time for tapas. 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.
In 1965, Spain's infamous ruler, Francisco Franco, implemented a law requiring restaurants across the country to provide a hearty and affordable lunch to workers. The order also acted as a tool to attract tourism in Spain.
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.
You shouldn't ask for a free tapa and only kindly receive it if given to you. In some regions of Spain, however, you are offered a choice between several free tapas, sometimes allowing each member of your party to choose one for each, but this is not so common.
Paella is perhaps the most famous Spanish dish of all, and certainly one of the most abused. Authentic paella originates from the region around Valencia, and comes in two varieties: Paella Valenciana, with rabbit and chicken; and seafood paella.
El Desayuno aka Breakfast
Well, not quite for the Spanish. The El Desayuno or breakfast is even considered the lightest meal of the day. Their typical breakfast consists of strong coffee with milk, cookies, or toast with jam or cheese.
The Siesta Of Today
Office workers might leave to take a lunch or run errands between 2 and 4 p.m. Small shops and businesses might close down at about the same time. And then restaurants will close once the lunch rush is done, reopening in time for dinner, which starts late in Spain (around 9 p.m. at the earliest).
Their day starts at 8:00 am and lunch is at around 2:00 – 3:00 pm. The whole city shuts down then except for tourist sites and everything re-opens at 5:00 pm. Dinner time is also very late, at 10:00 pm and unlike in the United States, they eat a pretty big dinner. Spaniards are also big fans of bread.
In Spanish culture, breakfast is easily the least important meal, as it's pushed back to 10 a.m. Many Spaniards skip breakfast, but if they do have one it's usually something light and simple, such as coffee, hot chocolate, or fresh juice with a croissant, pastry, or toast with ham and tomato.
Traditional Spanish dinner
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.
People in France tend to spend the most time eating and drinking per day on average at 2 hours and 13 minutes. Their neighbors in Italy and Spain aren't too far behind, averaging more than two hours per day.
The siesta in Spain is a famous tradition which consists of a short nap, usually 15-30 minutes.
In the present day, a daily siesta is much less common in Spain than many people likely think. A 2016 Spanish survey found that about 58% of people in Spain surveyed say they “never nap.” Nearly 18% of survey respondents said they take a siesta four or more days per week, and about 24% take a siesta on occasion.
In reality, though, there's a very logical reason behind Spaniards' late-night eating habits: the country is actually in the wrong time zone, a phenomenon that dates back to World War II. Given Spain's longitude, the country should be on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), along with Portugal, the UK, and Morocco.
People are usually served bottled water or are expected to purchase a beverage, such as a small beer (caña) or wine. Avoid getting too drunk at a meal. Spanish generally do not drink very heavily at meals. They tend to talk over one glass for a long time.
1 – Bread must be always on the table: Spaniards eat bread with everything, and that is a success. They eat bread with fish, with meat, with stews, but also with sea rice, pasta, etc. And the best mix is the bread with chocolate, and it does not refer to chocolate cream.
Bar de Copas (Cocktail Bar)
What is this? What it means: A Spanish bar de copas is, for all intents and purposes, a cocktail bar. They are usually open late and do not serve food.