Spanish eating habits
The Spanish tend to miss breakfast (desayuno) and maybe just grab a coffee. You’ll hardly ever find a Spaniard that drinks a cup of tea in the morning (or at any other time!). You certainly won’t find hoards of breakfast cereals in a Spanish kitchen cupboard and the choice of cereals in the supermarkets is very limiting. The cereals tend to be very sugary and geared towards children with limited choice for ‘grown up’ cereals (thank goodness for Iceland and Kwik Save!).
Some Spaniards will eat breakfast mid-morning in a bar, which will consist of coffee, toast, tapas or something savoury and light, often washed down with a brandy.
Lunch is an important meal and a family occasion and can last for up to 3 hours. Of course, working families in the cities don’t have the time to do this, but the tradition still takes places in the smaller towns. Lunch is often prepared by the grandma of the family (who may be looking after the children while the parents work). Unless the family work far away they will all make the effort to be there for lunch.
Dinner is not such an important meal and is eaten from 8pm onwards. Spaniards without families might eat in local bars (you don’t often get single Spaniards doing their weekly shop and cooking for themselves!). Families tend to eat a light meal in the evening along with the children.