If you’ve been in Spain some time and even in the event you’re simply travelling right here, you have in all probability heard of the phrases ‘comida’ and ‘almuerzo’ to check with daytime meals. But what do they really imply and what’s the distinction?
If you search for the phrase almuerzo in an English-Spanish dictionary, it will likely be translated into English because the phrase ‘lunch’.
As you may quickly discover out, that is not at all times technically appropriate, at the least not in Spain.
When you’re in Spain you’ll usually hear individuals speaking about comida relatively than almuerzo, so what’s the distinction?
Comida for Spaniards is the principle meal of the day – lunch – which is eaten round 2pm. Comida basically means ‘meals’ and presently they’ll sometimes be consuming a scorching cooked meal, which might even be a menú del día – a set three course lunch with a starter, major and dessert.
READ ALSO: Why do Spaniards eat so late?
So, if comida is basically lunch, then what’s almuerzo?
Almuerzo is a lighter snack eaten round noon, the identical time as maybe a number of northern Europeans eat lunch. It gained’t be a full lunch, however relatively a bocadillo (crammed baguette) typically.
Almuerzo might fairly simply be confused with the phrase merienda, which is one other snack in between meals. However, merienda is eaten round 5pm with a view to stave off starvation till the late dinner or cena round 9pm and even later.
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Lots of Spaniards don’t even eat almuerzo in truth, provided that they really feel notably hungry or they’ve had a really early breakfast, opting as an alternative for a espresso. Almuerzo could also be a meal extra typical for kids to eat, as is the case with merienda as properly.
So, case closed? Not fairly, as almuerzo can imply one thing totally different, relying on the place you’re.
If you’re in Andalusia or within the Canary Islands for instance, you might discover some individuals referring to the principle meal of the day as el almuerzo as an alternative of la comida, whereas the noon snack would nonetheless be referred to as desayuno as an alternative of almuerzo.
The identical goes for Central or South American Spanish-speaking international locations, as there almuerzo is often the principle meal of the day at lunch time, not comida. Although in Mexico, almuerzo and comida are sometimes used the identical as in most of Spain.
If that wasn’t complicated sufficient, in some international locations equivalent to in Costa Rica, Cuba and Colombia, they check with dinner as comida too, whereas in Spain it’s at all times cena.
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Experts have differing opinions on the etymology of the phrase almuerzo in Spanish. Some consider it is a mixture of each Arabic (from the Moors who conquered Spain) and Latin – forming the phrase ‘al-morsus’ – whereas others consider it comes from simply the Latin verb admordere – each of which basically are the phrase for morder or chew.
In non-Classical Latin, it additionally meant to eat calmly and rapidly, so basically when you’re having almuerzo you may have having a small, gentle chew, which you eat rapidly.
READ ALSO: El Esmorzaret – What is Valencia’s sacred snack custom?
