Why do Spaniards have their lunch and dinner so late?
Upvote:-1
In 1942, General Franco changed Spain's time zone to align with Germany's time zone (because Spain and Germany were allied. It is still functioning today with the same timezone, hence, it gets darker later than it should. Perhaps this can be ONE of many reasons why they have lunch and dinner a little later. It'd be interesting to know if they had the same customs before the time zone change was made...
Here's an article (in Spanish) that could explain a few things about the time change. http://sociedad.elpais.com/sociedad/2013/09/25/actualidad/1380137001_972870.html
Upvote:0
Countries that produced olive oil in classical times stayed up late because this fuel for oil lamps was cheap ( North Africa & Spain ). In Rome and many other places it was expensive and so people got up with the light and tended to go to bed when it gets dark. This is the norm in many counties around the world.
Upvote:5
Most think of the later dinner time as stemming from the need to ensure that all family members are home to eat together - which is an important tradition of cohesiveness and family-focus.
This article cites the later dinner-time in Italy as stemming from the long days that people spend out of the home - by implication, earning wage via the livelihood.
Upvote:14
I'm kind of surprised nobody has brought up the Siesta.
In Spain and many other subtropical and tropical climes they have a tendency to nap during the hottest parts of the day. You'd logically have to then work that much later to put in the same amount of work. That would shift your entire calendar back likewise, including the evening meal.
It's is actually Northern Europeans who are weird in working the whole day through and taking dinner so early. Noel Coward even wrote a rather famous song about it, Mad Dogs and Englishmen
Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun, The Japanese don´t care to, the Chinese wouldn´t dare to, Hindus and Argentines sleep firmly from twelve to one. But Englishmen detest-a siesta.
In the Philippines they have lovely screens to protect you from the glare. In the Malay States, there are hats like plates which the Britishers won't wear. At twelve noon the natives swoon and no further work is done, but mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun.
Upvote:19
Spain is in the western end of the Central European Time. This means despite the same clock, they have later actual sun cycle (e.g. later actual sunrise, noon, sunset, etc.) than other countries. Human activities are partly influenced by the sun cycle, so it is logical that their meal schedule is later than the rest of Europe as well.
For example, for 21 October, the solar noon in Madrid is calculated to be at 13:59, compared to 12:51 in Berlin or 12:21 in Warsaw. Sunset is 17:28 in Warsaw and 19:26 in Madrid. Based on these alone, we can predict that Spaniards would have lunch around 1 hours later than the Germans or 2 hours later than the Poles. And Madrid is still not at the westernmost region of Spain. I believe in Seville it must be even later.
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