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Outline of meals facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

A meal is a time when people eat specific, prepared food. It's different from a snack because meals are usually bigger and have more kinds of food. Meals can happen at home, restaurants, or cafeterias, but you can have a meal almost anywhere!

Most people eat regular meals several times a day. There are also special meals for events like birthdays, weddings, or holidays. A meal can have one or more parts, called courses, and each course can have one or more dishes.

Kinds of Meals

The 3 Main Meals of the Day

  • Breakfast – This is the first meal you eat in the morning, usually within an hour or two of waking up.
  • Lunch – This meal is eaten around the middle of the day, usually between 11 AM and 3 PM.
    • Box lunch – A lunch you pack in a box to take with you, like to school or work. In some places, it's called a "packed lunch."
  • Dinner – This is often the biggest meal of the day, eaten in the evening. Some people might call this "supper" or "tea," depending on where they live.
    • Dinner party – A social gathering where people share a dinner meal.
    • Full course dinner – A meal with many different parts, like soup, salad, a main dish, and dessert.

Meals Throughout the Day

Meals can be eaten at different times, and some have special names:

  • Breakfast – The morning meal, usually before 10 AM.
  • Second breakfast – A small meal eaten after breakfast but before lunch. This is common in places like Bavaria, Poland, and Hungary.
    • Tiffin – In India, this can mean a second breakfast or a light lunch. It also refers to packed lunches delivered by people called dabbawalas in Mumbai.
Mumbai Dabbawala or Tiffin Wallahs- 200,000 Tiffin Boxes Delivered Per Day
A dabbawala in Mumbai delivering meals in tiffin carriers.
  • Brunch – A meal that combines breakfast and lunch. It's usually eaten late morning, often on Sundays, and is bigger than a regular breakfast. The word "brunch" comes from combining "breakfast" and "lunch."
  • Elevenses – A light snack and drink taken in the late morning, between breakfast and lunch. It's also called "morning tea."
  • Lunch – The midday meal. The size of lunch can be different depending on the culture.
  • Tea – This can refer to different meals or times of day, especially in countries that were part of the former British Empire.
  • Afternoon tea – A light meal in the mid-afternoon, often around 4 PM. It usually includes small sandwiches, cakes, and scones with tea.
Peninsula Afternoon tea
Afternoon tea with small cakes and sandwiches.
  • High tea – A British meal usually eaten in the early evening.
  • Dinner – Often the main and most important meal of the day. It can be eaten instead of lunch, high tea, or supper. The time people eat dinner has changed over history, but now it's usually the largest meal eaten in the late evening in most English-speaking places.
  • Supper – A light meal eaten late in the evening, especially if the main meal (dinner) was eaten earlier in the day.
  • Siu yeh – A late-night meal, popular in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and parts of southern mainland China. It can be eaten from 9 PM until early morning.
  • Midnight snack – A meal eaten late at night or early in the morning, often by people who are hungry before bed or are up late.

Meal Styles

Meal Styles by How They Are Served

  • Airline meal – A meal served to passengers on an airplane.
  • Banquet – A very large, formal, and fancy meal with many guests and dishes.
  • Barbecue – A meal where food, often meat or fish, is cooked outdoors over an open fire or grill.
  • Blue-plate special – A term used in the United States for a special, low-priced meal offered by restaurants, usually changing daily.
  • Buffet / Smörgåsbord – A meal where people serve themselves from food laid out in a public area. Buffets are great for feeding many people at once.
Swedish buffet-Smörgåsbord-01 (cropped)
A Swedish smörgåsbord buffet, where people serve themselves.
  • Kids' meal – A meal specially made for children, often smaller and with kid-friendly foods.
  • Meals on Wheels – A service that delivers meals to the homes of people who can't prepare their own food.
  • Multicourse meal – A meal with several different dishes served one after another.
    • Main course – The most important or main dish in a meal with several courses. It usually comes after the entrée (starter).
  • Picnic – A meal eaten outdoors, where you bring your own food, often in a picnic basket. Picnics are popular in parks, on beaches, or at rest stops during long drives.
Toronto Picnic
People enjoying a picnic outdoors.
  • Potluck – A gathering where each person or group brings a dish of food to share with everyone else.
  • School meal – Meals provided to students at school.
  • "TV dinner" – A pre-prepared meal that you heat up, usually in the microwave or oven.
  • Yum cha – A Cantonese morning or afternoon meal where small dishes called dim sum and tea are served.

Meal Styles by Type of Food

These are examples of meals based on their cooking style or where they come from:

  • Dal bhat – A traditional meal from the Indian subcontinent, usually lentils and rice.
  • Fish fry – A meal where fish is fried.
  • Mixed grill – A meal with different kinds of grilled meats.
  • Plate lunch – A meal served on a single plate, often with a main dish and sides.
  • Sunday roast – A traditional British meal eaten on Sunday, usually with roasted meat, potatoes, and vegetables.
  • Thali – An Indian meal made up of a selection of different dishes served on a platter.
Andhra Combo Meal
A typical South Indian Andhra style combo meal called a Thali.

Meals for Religious Events

Meals for Special Occasions

  • Communal meal – A meal shared by a group of people.
  • Last meal – The meal given to a prisoner before their execution.
  • Réveillon – A long, celebratory dinner held on Christmas Eve in French-speaking countries.
  • Wedding-related meals:
    • Rehearsal dinner – A dinner held the night before a wedding ceremony, usually after the wedding rehearsal.
    • Wedding reception – A celebration held after a wedding ceremony.

Parts of a Meal

  • Drink – Something to sip during the meal.
  • Food – What you eat!
    • Cuisine – A special style of cooking, often linked to a certain culture or place. It includes unique ingredients, cooking methods, and dishes.
    • Course – A group of food items served together at one time during a meal. For example, a hamburger with fries is one course.
      • Hors d'oeuvre – A small food item served before the main parts of a meal. It's often eaten by hand.
      • Entrée – A dish served before the main course. In some places like the U.S., this word can mean the main course itself.
      • Main course – The most important or main dish in a meal with several courses.
      • Dessert – A sweet course that usually ends an evening meal. This can include cakes, cookies, ice cream, fruit, and more.
    • Dishes – A specific food that is prepared and ready to eat. For example, a pasta dish or a chicken dish.
      • Side dish – A food item that goes along with the main course, like mashed potatoes with steak.
      • National dish – A food dish strongly connected to a particular country, often part of its identity.
    • Bread – A basic food made from flour and water, usually by baking. It's one of the oldest foods people have made.
    • Garnishes – Items used to decorate a food dish or drink. They can add flavor or just make the food look nicer.
    • Condiments – Sauces or other food items added to foods to give them a special flavor or make them taste better, like ketchup or mustard.
    • Leftovers – Food that is not eaten during a meal and saved for later.

Meal Activities

Places to Eat Meals

  • Cafeteria – A place where you can buy and eat meals, often in schools or workplaces, where you serve yourself.
  • Dining room – A room in a home or building specifically used for eating meals.
  • Restaurant – A place where people go to buy and eat prepared meals.
  • Langar – A community kitchen in a Sikh temple where free meals are served.
  • Dhaba – A roadside restaurant or food stall in India, often serving local cuisine.

Meal Tools

  • Table – A piece of furniture with a flat top and legs, used for eating.
    • Picnic table – A table with attached benches, designed for eating outdoors.
  • Chairs – Seats used at a table.
  • Tableware – Dishes, glasses, and cutlery used for eating.
  • Glassware – Drinking glasses.
  • Eating utensils – Tools like forks, spoons, and knives used for eating.

Meal Aspects

  • Menu – A list of food and drink items available at a restaurant or for a meal.
  • À la carte – When you order individual dishes from a menu, rather than a set meal.
  • Table d'hôte – A set meal with a fixed price, offering limited choices.
  • Nutrition – The study of how food affects your body and health.

Meal Structure by Cuisine

Different cultures have unique ways of structuring their meals. Here are some examples:

Images for kids

  • Albert Anker - Stillleben - Unmässigkeit

    Simple meals often consist of bread or meat. Painting by Albert Anker, Excess (1896).

  • Sveas brunch (cropped)

    Brunch foods laid out for a meal.

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Outline of meals Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.