Supper is the name for the evening meal in some dialects of English – the last meal of the day. Originally, in the Middle Ages, it referred to the lighter meal following dinner. The term is derived from the French souper, which is still used for this meal in Canadian French, Swiss French and sometimes in Belgian French. It is related to soup. It is also related to the German word for soup, Suppe. In England, whereas “dinner“, when used for the evening meal, is formal, “supper” is used to describe a less formal, simpler family meal. In some areas of the United Kingdom, “supper” is used to describe an evening meal when dinner has been eaten around midday. In some northern British and Australian homes, as in New Zealand and Ireland, “tea” is used for the evening meal. In parts of the United Kingdom, supper is a term for a snack eaten after the evening meal and before bed, usually consisting of a warm, milky drink and British biscuits or cereal, but can include sandwiches.
Elevenses. In the United Kingdom, Ireland and some Commonwealth realms, elevenses is a snack that is similar to afternoon tea, but eaten in the morning. The name refers to the time of day that it is taken: around 11 am. In Australia and New Zealand, elevenses are called morning tea or smoko (often little lunch or playlunch in primary school). Choice of foods consumed at morning tea vary from cakes, pastries or biscuits, to just coffee. In Sweden elevenses is a tradition mostly associated with old people, the Swedish word is “elva-kaffe” meaning “eleven-coffee”. It is often served with some kind of cookie.
Brunch is a meal eaten between breakfast and lunch.Some colleges and hostels serve brunch, especially on Sundays and holidays. These brunches are often serve-yourself buffets, but menu-ordered meals may be available too. The meal usually has standard breakfast foods such as eggs, sausages, bacon, ham, fruits, pastries, pancakes. However, it can include almost any other type of food served during the day. Buffets may have large roasts of meat or poultry, cold seafood like shrimp and smoked fish, salads, soups, vegetable dishes, many types of breadstuffs, and desserts of all types. Brandy milk punches, Bellinis, and Bloody Marys are popular brunch cocktails. Often, however, the term brunch refers more to breakfast than lunch.Brunch meals are prepared by restaurants and hotels for special occasions, such as weddings, Valentine’s Day, or Mother’s Day.
Merienda is a light meal in Southern Europe, Latin America, and the Philippines. People usually have it in the afternoon or for brunch, it fills in the meal gap between lunch at midday and dinner, or between breakfast and lunch. It is a simple meal that often consists of a piece of fruit, cookies, yogurt, and other snacks accompanied with juice, chocolate, coffee, spirits, and other beverages. It is typical for Argentines to go to a café to have merienda. A typical order consists of tostadas served with dulce de leche (a typical Argentine caramel-like ) and jam. It is accompanied by café con leche (coffee with steamed milk) and orange juice. North Americans may relate this light meal as a type of “second breakfast.” In the Philippines, merienda (Filipino: meryenda or minandál) refers to the light meals similar to afternoon tea. Merienda taken in the early evening just before dinner is referred to as merienda cena. In Catalonia, the Valencian Country and the Balearic Islands, it is called berenar in Catalan. It is commonly eaten with pa amb tomàquet and a few slices of cured ham. It is a simple meal as you must keep the appetite for the proper dinner.
