Spanish Steps - Fact file - Meal times

The Spanish, like many Latin cultures, make the mid-day meal their biggest. El almuerzo, lunch, usually runs from 1pm or 2pm onwards, and can stretch on for hours, particularly at weekends.

La cena, the evening meal, is taken quite late, sometimes as late as 9pm or 10pm and sometimes running past midnight. So if you are invited to a friend's home at 6pm, don't expect to eat for a few hours. The meal will generally comprise 3 courses. First is el primero, the lighter first course, such as la sopa, soup, or la ensalada, salad. This is followed by el segundo, second or main course, usually a substantial meat or fish dish. This is finished off with el postre, dessert.

The traditional religious festivals bring with them traditional foods. At Christmas, for example, families may tuck into el besugo, a rich fish dish made with bream, along with el pavo, turkey, or other regional specialities. There are also special desserts - los polvorones, lard and almond cookies, el turrón, nougat made with almonds and honey, and el mazapán, marzipan.

Other traditional meals have less religious significance however. In Argentina and Uruguay, for example, every 29th day of the month is celebrated with the eating of los ñoquis del 29. Italian immigrants who settled in South America brought these potato dumplings, originally called 'gnocchi', with them and traditionally shared them among neighbours. Today they are eaten by everyone, and are a staple feature on restaurant menus.