Why do we eat three meals a day?
This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license and written by Auckland University of Technology's Senior Lecturer Rob Richardson and Lecturer Dianne Ma. .
Pop quiz: name the world’s most famous trio? If you’re a foodie, then your answer might have been breakfast, lunch and dinner. It’s an almost universally accepted trinity – particularly in the Western world.
But how did it come about?
The first meals
were nomadic. Forming small communities, they would travel with the seasons, following local food sources.
While we can only guess what daily mealtimes rhythms looked like, evidence dating back from the South Moravia region, Czech Republic, shows people visited specific settlements time and again. They gathered around hearths, cooking and sharing food: the first signs of human “commensality”, the practice of eating together.
One of the best-preserved hunter-gatherer sites we’ve found is – located on the shores of the modern-day Sea of Galilee (also called Lake Tiberias or Lake Kinneret) in Israel, and dating back some 23,000 years.
In addition to several small dwellings with hearths, it provides evidence of diverse food sources, including more than 140 types of seeds and nuts, and various birds, fish and mammals.
The development of some 12,000 years ago gave rise to permanent settlements. The earliest were in the Levant region (across modern-day Iraq, southwestern Iran and eastern Turkey), in an area called the “Fertile Crescent”.
Permanent agriculture led to the production of a . The ability to stay in one place with food on-hand meant the time it took to cook no longer mattered as much.
It quickly became common to eat one early in the day, followed by a larger later on. The specific timings would have varied between groups.
Eating together as a rule
The communal nature of foraging and hunting, and later farming, meant humans almost always ate their meals in the . In the ancient city-state of Sparta, in the , these practices were codified as common main meals called (meaning “eating together”).
These meals were consumed at the end of the day in communal dining halls. Food was served by young boys to tables of 15 or so men who lived together and fought in the same . The men gradually shared generational knowledge with the young boys, who themselves would join the tables by age 20.
In the 5th century BCE, Greek historian Herodotus how syssitia evolved from a Spartan military practice to having deep political meaning in society. Similarly, common meals were an integral component of civil society, and that missing a meal without good reason was a civic offence.
By dining in of the rest of society, citizens were compelled to maintain self-discipline. Mealtime was also an opportunity for social linkage, and ranging from business deals to politics.
The eating habits of Spartan women are missing in the texts, although it is implied they .
Bunches of lunches
Counter to the tough Spartan way of life, the Romans enjoyed their main meal, , earlier in the day, followed by a lighter meal just before bed.
The northern European tribes tended towards two larger meals per day, as more is required in colder climes. To the Vikings, these meals were known as , or day meal and night meal. Nattmal was the cooked evening meal, while dagmal usually consisted of leftover nattmal with the addition of bread and beer or mead.
In Australia, evidence suggests Aboriginal peoples tended toward a , which aligns with the predominant method of cookery: slow-cooking with hot coals or rocks in an . This underground oven, used by Aboriginal and also Torres Strait Islander communities, was referred to as a or by some groups.
This is similar to other Indigenous preparations throughout the Pacific, such as the New Zealand Māori , Hawaiian , Fijian , and even the Mayan .
The once-daily meal would have been supplemented with snacks throughout the day.
Three’s the magic number
The timing of meals was heavily influenced by class structure, local climate and people’s . Practicality also played a part. Without reliable lighting, meals had to be prepared and eaten before dark. In settled parts of Northern Europe, this could be as early as 3pm.
So how did we go from one or two main meals, to three? The answer may lie with the British Royal Navy.
Since its inception in the 16th century, the navy served to align with the shipboard routine. This included a simple breakfast of ship’s biscuits, lunch as the main meal, and dinner as more of a light supper.
Some sources suggest the term “” may have come from the square wooden trays meals were served in.
INITIALLY, SAILORS RECEIVED A DAILY GALLON OF BEER WITH MEALS. THIS WAS LATER CHANGED TO WATERED-DOWN RUM, THE INFAMOUS ‘GROG’, WHICH IS BEING HANDED OUT IN THIS 1940 PHOTO TAKEN ABOARD HMS KING GEORGE V. ,
The , which started around 1760, arguably also played a role in formalising the concept of three specific mealtimes across the Western world.
The cadence of breakfast, lunch and dinner matched the routine of the longer, standardised workdays. Workers ate breakfast and dinner at home, before and after work, while lunch was eaten with coworkers at a set time.
With minimal breaks, and no time for snacking, three substantial meals became necessary.
The fall of the holy trinity
Today, many factors impact the of our meals, from long work commutes to juggling hobbies and social obligations.
The COVID pandemic also impacted how and what we eat, leading us to eat larger amounts of . The rapid growth of also means a meal is no more than a few minutes away from most people.
All of this has resulted in mealtimes becoming less rigid, with social meals such as , and expanding how we . And mealtimes will continue to as our schedules become ever more complicated.