Dinner is the name of the main meal of the day. Depending upon region and tradition, it may be the second or third meal of the day. A simple dinner typically consists of a meat, fish, poultry or other high-protein entrée, served with one or two vegetables and/or with grain or cereal product - especially bread, but potatoes, rice, pasta, and noodles are also common. Any or all of these components may be served with a hot or cold gravy or sauce.

In general, people in rural parts of America, Canada, and other Anglophone countries eat breakfast, dinner and supper. In these cases, dinner typically happens between midday and early afternoon. But whether town or country, wherever the dominant industry of an area involves hard labor (e.g., farming, mining, timber trade), midday dinner is an important feature because it divides the day's labor in half and provides well-earned refreshment. Their evening meal is smaller than the midday meal and is commonly called 'supper'. In Scotland and northern England, supper is almost invariably called 'tea' (specifically, "high tea" - which does not indicate high formality but indicates that some kind of meat, fish, etc., is being served).

People who live in cities and towns, and especially those who work in "white collar" positions, typically eat dinner in the evening. Their midday meal is called lunch (or luncheon) and is often a small and quick meal, although a business lunch can be large, heavy and protracted.

The word "dinner" comes from the French word dîner, the "main meal of the day", from Old French disner. An individual dinner can also be a more sophisticated meal, such as a banquet or feast.

Historically, very long ago, human beings probably spent their mornings preparing the one main meal of the day. The lion's share of it might have been eaten at midday, followed by a nap. Leftovers might be consumed as supper later that evening, and/or as breakfast the following morning. In many European countries, breakfast still consists of the prior day's leftovers, with the freshly-prepared English, Scottish and Irish full breakfasts standing apart as exceptions to prove the rule.

On holidays, such as American and Canadian Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, New Year's Day, and occasionally on weekends, people who normally eat dinner in the evening will step back in time and eat their special holiday dinner in the early afternoon.

European Mainland

In Spain and Portugal, the midday meal is the main meal of the day. Therefore, the evening meal is typically served late, no earlier than 8 p.m. In most cases the evening meal is translated into English as "dinner" from the Spanish "cena", and "comida" or "almuerzo" is translated into "lunch", although this is the main meal of the day.

See also

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Snack
• Supper

External links

• "What time is dinner?", History Magazine, October/November 2001
• 1