Part of the Meals series

Common meals...

Breakfast

Second breakfast

Elevenses

Brunch

Tiffin

Lunch

Tea

Dinner

Supper

Dessert

Snack

See also...

Cuisine • Kitchen Buffet • Banquet Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... For the coarsely ground flour, see flour. ... Breakfast is the first meal of the day, typically eaten in the morning. ... Second breakfast is a meal eaten after breakfast, but before lunch. ... In the United Kingdom and Commonwealth, elevenses is a snack that is similar to afternoon tea, but eaten in the morning. ... Brunch is a late morning meal between the typical time for breakfast and lunch, as a replacement for both meals, usually eaten when one rises too late to eat breakfast, or as a specially-planned meal. ... For other uses, see Tiffin (disambiguation). ... Lunch is an abbreviation of luncheon, meaning a midday meal. ... An amount of formality may be present at a dinner Dinner is the main meal of the day, eaten at noon or in the evening. ... Supper is the name for the evening meal in some dialects of English - ordinarily the last meal of the day, usually the meal that comes after dinner. ... Not to be confused with Desert. ... A snack food (commonly shortened to snack) is seen in Western culture as a type of food not meant to be eaten as a main meal of the day (breakfast, lunch, dinner) but one that is intended rather to assuage a persons hunger between these meals, providing a brief... Cuisine (from French cuisine, cooking; culinary art; kitchen; ultimately from Latin coquere, to cook) is a specific set of cooking traditions and practices, often associated with a specific culture. ... A kitchen is a room used for food preparation and sometimes entertainment. ... A Chinese buffet restaurant in the U.S. A buffet (buh-FAY or /bÉ™.ˈfei/) is a meal-serving system where patrons serve themselves. ... State Banquet. ...

Depending on a country's customs, tea can refer to any of several different meals or mealtimes. For other uses, see Tea (disambiguation). ...

Origin of the term

The factual accuracy of this section is disputed. Please see the relevant discussion on the talk page

Anna, 7th Duchess of Bedford had the idea of asking her butler to bring tea, bread and butter to her chambers at 5 o'clock, as she found herself hungry before dinner, and soon started inviting her friends to join her in her sitting room for this new social event. Eventually, the beverage tea became generally affordable and the growing middle class imitated the rich and found that the meal tea was a very economical way of entertaining several friends without having to spend too much money, and afternoon tea quickly became the norm. Image File history File links Emblem-important. ... Anna Maria Stanhope (3 September 1783 - 3 July 1857), the Duchess of Bedford of Woburn Abbey in Bedfordshire, was the originator of the afternoon tea ritual in 19th century England. ... For other uses, see Butler (disambiguation). ... The middle class (or middle classes) comprises a social group once defined by exception as an intermediate social class between the nobility and the peasantry. ...

United Kingdom

Afternoon tea

A cup of tea

Afternoon tea is a light meal typically eaten at 4 o'clock. It originated in the United Kingdom, though various places that used to be part of the former British Empire also have such a meal. However, changes in social customs and working hours mean that most Britons only take afternoon tea on special/formal occasions. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2000x1500, 769 KB) Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Tea (meal) User talk:Geg User talk:Cool Cat/Archive/2006/04 User talk:Redvers/Archive05 Metadata... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2000x1500, 769 KB) Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Tea (meal) User talk:Geg User talk:Cool Cat/Archive/2006/04 User talk:Redvers/Archive05 Metadata... The British Empire in 1897, marked in pink, the traditional colour for Imperial British dominions on maps. ...

Traditionally, loose tea would be served in a teapot with milk and sugar. This would be accompanied by various sandwiches (customarily cucumber, egg and cress, fish paste (bloater), ham, and smoked salmon), scones (with butter, clotted cream and jam — see cream tea) and usually cakes and pastries (such as Battenberg, fruit cake or Victoria sponge). The food would be often served in a tiered stand. A teapot with floral design A Chinese Yixing Zisha teapot A Chinese Zisha teapot - Melon A modern teapot A teapot is a vessel used for steeping tea leaves or a herbal mix in near-boiling water. ... The traditional cucumber sandwich is composed of paper-thin slices of cucumber placed between two triangular slices of lightly buttered white bread. ... An egg is a body consisting of an ovum surrounded by layers of membranes and an outer casing of some type, which acts to nourish and protect a developing embryo. ... Cress can refer to several edible members of the family Brassicaceae used as leaf vegetables including watercress land cress (also known as Belle Isle cress, Early yellowrocket, American cress, dryland cress, upland cress, cassabully, creasy salad, Early winter cress, American cress and American watercress). ... This article is about the cut of meat. ... Smoked salmon is salmon, typically a fillet that has been cured using salt and generally sugar and then hot or cold smoked. ... Scones with honey. ... Clotted cream on scones with jam, also called Cream Tea. ... Cream tea composed of scones, clotted cream and strawberry jam Cream tea at The Orchard, Grantchester A cream tea, Devonshire tea or Cornish cream tea[1] is tea taken with a combination of scones, clotted cream, and jam. ... Lyons Battenberg Cake Scottish Ambulance Service paramedic vehicle with high visibility battenberg colour scheme Battenberg cake (also: Battenburg cake, Liam Wilson) is a light sponge cake which, when cut in cross section, displays a distinctive two-by-two check pattern alternately coloured pink and yellow. ... Fruitcake is a heavy cake made of dried or candied fruits and nuts that are soaked in brandy or rum, often used in the celebration of weddings and Christmas. ... Sponge cake is a type of soft cake based on fat, wheat flour, sugar, baking soda and eggs. ...

While afternoon tea used to be an everyday event, nowadays it is more likely to be taken as a treat in a hotel, café, or tea shop, although many Britons still have a cup of tea and slice of cake or chocolate at teatime. Accordingly, many hotels now market a champagne cream tea. For other uses, see Hotel (disambiguation). ... Cafe redirects here. ... The gallery in The Willow Tearooms. ... This article is about Champagne, the alcoholic beverage. ...

High tea

High Tea at the Istanbul Kampinski Hotel

High Tea (also known as Meat Tea^[1]) is an early evening meal, typically eaten between 5 and 6 o'clock in the evening. It would be eaten as a substitute for both afternoon tea and the evening meal. The term comes from the meal being eaten at the ‘high’ (main) table, instead of the smaller lounge table. It is now largely replaced by a later evening meal. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 448 × 599 pixelsFull resolution‎ (1,712 × 2,288 pixels, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 448 × 599 pixelsFull resolution‎ (1,712 × 2,288 pixels, file size: 1. ...

It would usually consist of cold meats, eggs and/or fish, cakes and sandwiches. In a family, it tends to be less formal and is an informal snack (featuring sandwiches, biscuits, pastry, fruit and the like) or else it is the main evening meal. This article is about the food item. ... For other uses, see Biscuit (disambiguation). ... Basket of western-style pastries, for breakfast Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Pastries For the Pastry Distributed Hash Table, see Pastry (DHT). ... For other uses, see Fruit (disambiguation). ...

On farms or other working class environments, high tea would be the traditional, substantial meal eaten by the workers immediately after nightfall, and would combine afternoon tea with the main evening meal. For other uses, see Farm (disambiguation). ... The term working class is used to denote a social class. ...

In recent years, High Tea has become a word for exquisite afternoon tea. However, this usage is incorrect and should be discouraged for reasons given below. This article is about tea, the meal. ...

Main evening meal

In most of England the three main meals are referred to as 'breakfast, dinner and tea' where in Standard English they are 'breakfast, lunch and dinner'. Standard English is a nebulous term generally used to denote a form of the English language that is thought to be normative for educated users. ...

Ireland

In Ireland "to have your Tea" can mean either the main evening meal or a meal afterwards like supper. Although Tea would mostly follow a dinner meal and would usually take place between 6pm and 9pm.

Africa

Afternoon tea was served daily in upper class homes in Commonwealth countries through the end of the 20th Century. The tradition continues in some countries, in others tea is served less frequently. Afternoon tea is generally available in high-end hotels, restaurants and cafés.

Argentina, Bolivia and Uruguay

Snacks are eaten at 5:00 pm and include medialunas (crescent-shaped rolls), miga sandwiches (very thin bread), dulce de leche, dulce de membrillo (sweet quince paste), marmalade or butter spread over bread, and assorted bizcochos and pastries with tea, coffee, café con leche or mate. This light meal is called Merienda. A jar of doce de leite Dulce de leche in Spanish, dolç de llet in Catalan, or doce de leite in Portuguese (milk candy), is a milk-based syrup. ... Binomial name Mill. ... For other uses, see Marmalade (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Butter (disambiguation). ... Biskotso (Spanish: bizcocho, “biscuit”) refers to baked bread topped with butter and sugar, or garlic, in some cases. ... For other uses, see Tea (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Coffee (disambiguation). ... Popular rock band in Costa Rica in the late 1980s. ... Mate Mate (pronounced ) is a caffeinated infusion prepared by steeping dried leaves of erva-mate (Portuguese) / yerba mate (Spanish) (Ilex paraguariensis) in hot water. ...

Mexico

It's a light meal eaten late afternoon before dinner that includes assorted sweet breads or antojitos: enchiladas, pambazos, tamales, quesadillas, sopes or tacos and is accompanied with a hot drink such as tea, coffee, hot chocolate or other types of drinks.

In many Latin American countries (e.g. Argentina, Mexico etc. ), this light meal is called Merienda or once (e.g chile)(a light meal eaten at dinner time (between 8 or 9 o'clock).

Australia and New Zealand

Many Australians call the early evening meal their tea while others will call it dinner; though both words are mutually understood to mean the same thing. The prominence of this usage is due to the influence of Scottish people for whom dinner is a meal eaten at midday and tea is the evening meal. Although the proportion of Scottish settlers being much greater in New Zealand than in Australia, in modern New Zealand the midday meal is still termed lunch. Hence Australians and New Zealanders commonly describe the three main meals as breakfast, lunch, and tea.

Afternoon tea is not served daily but is served more frequently than in the United States. The meal is sometimes called high tea on the same understanding as in the U.S. (see below) but purists consider such usage erroneous. Cream teas are referred to as Devonshire Teas and are available in many high-end restaurants and cafés.

During the working day tea break or just tea can refer to either morning tea (corresponding to elevenses and coffee break) or afternoon tea. This may be taken in a designated tea room. Colloquially, this can be referred to as a "morning smoko" or just "smoko"; which in times past was understood to mean a cup of tea, maybe something sweet or a sandwich, and a cigarette. This term is commonly used by tradesmen and the building industry. In the United Kingdom and Commonwealth, elevenses is a snack that is similar to afternoon tea, but eaten in the morning. ... A coffee break is a daily social gathering for a snack and short downtime practiced by employees in business and industry. ... For tea rooms used in Japanese tea ceremony, see Japanese tea house The gallery in The Willow Tearooms. ... Smoko (Derived from the term Smoke Break is a commonly used term by Australian and New Zealand labourers. ...

Canada

Due to the great variation of cultures scattered across Canada, one may find families in the same neighbourhood who observe any or none of the tea customs found in the rest of the world. Cattle ranchers on Ranch Creek may prefer coffee in the morning to tea in the afternoon, a Hong Kong Chinese buisness meeting in Markham may take afternoon tea (see below), and on Vancouver Island, especially in the city of Victoria, you may find those who socialize over tea and scones at four.

Germany

In Germany the traditional afternoon meal is called Kaffee (coffee), Nachmittagskaffee (Afternoon Coffee) or Kaffee und Kuchen (coffee and cake). Only sweet foodstuffs are served, with cream-based cakes taking priority (such as Black Forest gateau), although drier forms of cake, fruit tarts and pastries may also be served. In modern times, because of work and lack of time, a Kaffee is an event reserved for Sunday afternoons with a carefully set coffee table, tablecloth, and invited guests. Black Forest gateau Black Forest gateau (also commonly called Black Forest cake in Canada, the USA and Australia) is the English name for the southern German dessert Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte (literally Black Forest cherry cake). It originated in the Black Forest region of southern Germany, but it is a popular...

The practice of consuming extremely rich concoctions flourished during the German economic recovery period — the Wirtschaftswunder of the 1950s and 1960s — as a reaction against the austerity and rationing of the war and immediate post-war years. The 1950s decade refers to the years 1950 to 1959 inclusive. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969. ... Gas ration stamps being printed as a result of the 1973 oil crisis Rationing is the controlled distribution of resources and scarce goods or services: it restricts how much people are allowed to buy or consume. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

Traditionally coffee is the preferred drink served (with cream, or condensed milk, and/or sugar), but in recent decades tea has become more popular also to the common German people. In North-Germany, e.g. Lübeck, Bremen and esp. Hamburg, as well as in Friesland esp. East Frisia, however, tea has always been traditional. Also, in the upper class and the German bourgeois esp. of the 19th and early 20th century tea was the preferred drink, they also called it Tea instead of Nachmittagskaffee, they had their Afternoon Tea and also Tea Parties. People like Johann Wolfgang von Goethe were known for their tea parties, and authors like Heinrich Heine were known as fanatic tea lovers. The afternoon tea at the home of Thomas Mann was also quite famous (a TV Station in the 1950s produced a documentary called Afternoon Tea with Thomas Mann, in which Mann invited the viewer to tea and then served a cup of tea to the camera). In the late 19th and early 20th century, tea was also extremely popular in Berlin and in parts of today's East Germany. The origin maybe lies in the German tea culture, esp. of the Prussian aristocracy, which dates back to the 17th century. Friesland is a district in Lower Saxony, Germany. ... The landscape to the north of Greetsiel, in East Frisia. ... Goethe redirects here. ... Christian Johann Heinrich Heine (December 13, 1797 – February 17, 1856) was a journalist, an essayist, and one of the most significant German romantic poets. ... For other persons named Thomas Mann, see Thomas Mann (disambiguation). ...

Germans are also well aware of the U.K. custom, and refer to it by the English words Tea Time. Friends may sometimes gather to have an English-style tea instead of the usual Nachmittagskaffee.

Hong Kong

In Hong Kong, afternoon tea is common, although not a meal served daily. Usually some light "snacks" such as sandwiches, toast, or even more elaborated such as fried chicken, French toast, Chiu Chow Style Noodles, and even a mini meal would be served together with milk tea, coffee, Horlicks, Ovaltine, yuenyeung or lemon tea. Many local fast food restaurants, such as Café de Coral, sell afternoon tea sets. A snack food is seen in Western culture as a type of food that is not meant to be eaten as part of one of the main meals of the day (breakfast, lunch, supper). ... This article is about the food. ... KFCs Fried chicken with french fries. ... For the band, see French Toast (band) French toast serving French toast (often known as eggy bread in the UK, pain perdu in French) is a popular breakfast food in North America, Europe and Hong Kong. ... Hot milk tea in a cylindric cup Hong Kong-style milk tea, often known as dai-pai-dong milk tea, is a beverage originating from Hong Kong. ... For other uses, see Coffee (disambiguation). ... Horlicks malt powder in jars from India (left) and Jamaica. ... Ovaltine is a brand of sweetened milk flavoring product made with sugar (except in Switzerland), malt extract, cocoa, and whey. ... Yuanyang (Traditional Chinese: ), or Yuenyeung, is a popular kind of beverage in Hong Kong, which is a mixture of Hong Kong-style milk tea and coffee. ... This article is about the fruit. ... A promotional poster of the restaurant A Café de Coral fast food restaurant Interior of one restaurant. ...

Also in Hong Kong, as well as in other parts of southern China, is the unrelated custom of yum cha (飲 茶, or yam2 cha4, Cantonese for "drinking tea"). Yum cha refers to a meal at which tea and dim sum is consumed, often on social occasions. Yum cha is a native Chinese custom, and is not derived from British or other European tea-drinking traditions. Unlike European tea, which is frequently taken in the home, yum cha is almost always consumed in a dim sum restaurant or teahouse. Lung Mun, an old-styled Cantonese restaurant in Wan Chai, Hong Kong Yum cha (Cantonese:飲茶; Japanese: ヤムチャ, kanji:喫茶), literally translated as drinking tea, refers to the Cantonsese custom of eating tiny tastes of many different foods while sipping a well-brewed Chinese cuppa. ... This article is about all of the Cantonese (Yue) dialects. ... Dim sum (Chinese: 點心; Cantonese IPA: dɪm2sɐm1; Pinyin: diǎnxīn; Wade-Giles: tien-hsin; literally dot heart or order heart, meaning order to ones hearts content; also commonly translated as touch the heart, dotted heart, or snack), a Cantonese term... Dim sum (Traditional Chinese: 點心; Simplified Chinese: 点心; Cantonese IPA: , Jyutping: dim2 sam1; Mandarin Pinyin: diÇŽnxÄ«n, Wade-Giles: tien-hsin; literally dot heart or order heart, meaning order to ones hearts content; also commonly translated as touch the heart, dotted heart, or snack), a Cantonese term, is usually... Yugao-tei, Kanazawa A tea house (茶室, cha-shitsu) is a structure designed for holding Japanese tea ceremonies. ...

Italy

In Tuscan tradition, this afternoon meal is called Merenda.

United States

The term high tea is sometimes used in the United States to refer to afternoon tea or the tea party, a very formal, ritualised gathering (usually of ladies) in which tea, thin sandwiches and little cakes are served on the best china. This usage comes from misunderstanding the term high to mean formal. Most etiquette mavens advise that such usage is incorrect; (Judith Martin's tongue-in-cheek interpretation is, "It's high time we had something to eat.")Some drink it with cream or milk as well. For other uses, see Tea party (disambiguation). ... It has been suggested that Office etiquette be merged into this article or section. ... President George W. Bush and Laura Bush stand with 2005 National Humanities Medal recipient Judith Martin. ... Sarcasm is the making of remarks intended to mock the person referred to (who is normally the person addressed), a situation or thing. ...

This form of tea is increasingly served in high-end U.S. hotels, often during the Christmas holidays and other tourist seasons, and a rising number of big-city teahouses, where it is usually correctly described as Afternoon Tea (see the history, above). An up and coming trend in hotels spas and high end restaurants is Tea Sommelier training[1]. A tourist boat travels the River Seine in Paris, France Tourism can be defined as the act of travel for the purpose of recreation, and the provision of services for this act. ...

The tea party is still occasionally given in the U.S., either for a special occasion or in honor of a visiting celebrity or guest. This occasion is a formal one in which ladies wear good afternoon dresses or suits and gentlemen wear business suits, but otherwise afternoon tea is an informal gathering of friends. In 1922 Emily Post wrote that servants should not enter the room during afternoon tea except if summoned to bring fresh hot water or remove soiled dishes, so as not to interrupt the intimate nature of the gathering and its conversation. Year 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Emily Post (27 October 1873-- 25 September 1960) was a United States author who promoted proper etiquette. ... A servant is a person who is hired to provide regular household or other duties, and receives compensation. ...

American situation comedies might center a joke around an eccentric British character having his afternoon tea. However, Hollywood used afternoon tea as a device to indicate social class or status; in movies such as Notorious, Marnie (both directed by Alfred Hitchcock, who was English, but set in the United States) and Pocketful of Miracles specific reference is made to the fact that a lady would have afternoon tea. Popular culture portrays upper class women as taking afternoon tea with friends at restaurants or serving it to friends in their homes; by-and-large middle class women by contrast have a coffee break in their kitchens. This article is about a genre of comedy. ... In popular usage, eccentricity refers to unusual or odd behavior on the part of an individual. ... ... Notorious is a 1946 thriller directed and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, and starring Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman as two people whose lives become intimately entangled during an espionage operation. ... Marnie is a 1964 psychological thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock and based on the novel Marnie by Winston Graham. ... Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock KBE (August 13, 1899 â€“ April 29, 1980) was an iconic and highly influential British-born film director and producer who pioneered many techniques in the suspense and thriller genres. ... Pocketful of Miracles is a 1961 film starring Glenn Ford, Hope Lange and Bette Davis. ... A kitchen is a room used for food preparation and sometimes entertainment. ...

Use in cricket

In cricket, the second and usually shorter of the two intervals during a match lasting a full day or more is known as the tea interval, and also (more formally but less commonly) the afternoon tea interval. The interval is an opportunity for the players and umpires to partake in light refreshments. The ex-England international Phil Tufnell was well known to enjoy this break, sometimes having as many as three cups in a twenty minute break. This article is about the sport. ... Philip (Phil) Clive Roderick Tuffers Tufnell (born April 29, 1966 in Barnet) is a television personality and former English cricketer. ...

References

Charles (left) and Lupin Pooter at Broadstairs, from Chapter VI of Diary of a Nobody. ...

See also

• British cuisine
• Cream tea (Devonshire tea)
• Tea
• Tea party
• Tea dance
• Tea sandwich
• Tea set

British cuisine is shaped by the countrys temperate climate, its island geography and its history. ... Cream tea composed of scones, clotted cream and strawberry jam Cream tea at The Orchard, Grantchester A cream tea, Devonshire tea or Cornish cream tea[1] is tea taken with a combination of scones, clotted cream, and jam. ... For other uses, see Tea (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Tea party (disambiguation). ... A tea dance or thé dansant is an afternoon or early evening dance. ... A tea sandwich is a small prepared sandwich meant to be eaten at afternoon teatime to stave off hunger until the main meal. ... Gold and enamel tea set made by David Andersen in the 1930s, as a royal gift from the Norwegian crown prince to president Roosevelt. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Tea (meal)

• "Free guide to best places for Afternoon Tea in London and UK, with reservation service", from AfternoonTea.co.uk
• "Teas and Other Afternoon Parties", Chapter XIII of Emily Post's Etiquette (1922), at Bartleby.com
• "Best Places To Visit For Afternoon Tea", from the UK Tea Council website