There is a point during the day when you are faced with a decision: what to eat for dinner? Sometimes the answer is easy enough, but other times quite the opposite. When you have a wide variety to choose from, deciding what you want to eat can be a little hard. Perhaps you are lacking inspiration that particular day, or maybe you don’t feel like cooking. The quiz we prepared will hopefully help you choose what to eat for dinner tonight, and fill that empty belly.
Dinner in Western cultures refers usually to the largest and most formal meal of the day. Historically, dinner was eaten around midday, but over time it migrated to later in the day. The word has different meanings depending on culture and may mean a meal of any size eaten at any time of day. It is still occasionally used for a meal at noon or early afternoon on special occasions, such as a Christmas dinner. In hot climates, the main course is more likely to be consumed in the evening, after the temperature has dropped.
Nowadays, the term dinner refers to the evening meal, which is now typically the largest meal of the day in most Western cultures. When this meaning is used, the preceding meals are usually referred to as breakfast, lunch, and sometimes tea. Supper is now often an alternative term for dinner, though originally this was always a later secondary evening meal, after an early dinner.
In Norway, dinner is called middag, which means midday. People in Norway usually eat dinner relatively early by global standards, that is around 4 PM to 5 PM. It can consist of hearty dishes like stews and mutton casseroles. Meatballs often served with gravy and potatoes, are also popular. Because dinner is so early, it usually leaves time for supper later in the evening – around 7 to 8 PM.
In Australia, “dinner at dusk” has become an increasingly popular tradition. Reservation website Dimmi reported a 35% uptick in Australian dinner reservations between 5 PM. and 6 PM. in 2016. Australians with kids are particularly keen on the earlier dinner, as a result of their desire for some family time after dinner. If they have dinner earlier, the kids can stay up for a bit afterward.
In China, most working people come home around 6 PM, which marks the beginning of the dinnertime hour. Usually, dinner is eaten from around 6 PM to 8 PM. Dinner tends to be the biggest meal of the day and is often very hearty. The dishes usually include soup, a variety of meats and vegetables, and rice.
For restaurants, the busiest time is from 7 PM. Most restaurants close around 10 PM. But in snack streets, small stalls offer snacks like noodles or dumplings or barbeque till late into the night.
In Mexico, the biggest meal of the day usually comes in mid-afternoon in the form of la comida, a multi-course spread that includes sopa (soup) or ensalada (salad), guisado (an entree), and postre (dessert). Dinner is called la cena and it usually consists of a light snack in the late evening (for example, a street taco, or a hot drink and bread).
Unlike other countries, the US typically has a very short lunch — making dinner the biggest and longest meal. Dinner time for Americans varies anywhere from 4 PM to 11 PM. Types of meals also vary all across the board in the United States. Americans also are ordering more take-out and eating out more, making dinner easier than it once was.
In France, long lunch breaks and substantial lunch meals are common concepts. This is why the French usually prefers to eat dinner pretty late, around 7 to 9 PM. In major metropolitan areas like Paris extending the dining period even later into the night is nothing unusual.
Mediterranean nations like Italy appreciate later dinner times, complete with pre-meal drinks and bites. In Italy, dinners are a leisurely occasion, starting late in the evening, allowing diners to enjoy sunny days before they sit down to eat. Italian dinners usually start between 8 PM and 9 PM, and they are large meals with several courses. They typically begin with an antipasti course of snack-sized bites paired with aperitivo cocktails before proceeding to primi (pasta), secondi (meat or fish), and dolci (dessert). The Italians eat quite a lot of bread, fresh fruit, and plenty of tomatoes.
The Spanish like to eat their dinner later than the rest of the world. They usually sit down to eat no earlier than 9 PM, but it’s not uncommon to start dinner as late as 10 PM or even 11 PM. While this custom might be attributed to the country’s laidback Mediterranean attitude, some suggest the reason might be due to confusion around Spain’s time zone, dating back to World War II.
Are you getting hungry already? We know we are! It’s time to decide what are you going to have for dinner! Take the quiz and find out what you should have tonight. Bon appétit!