Second breakfast facts for kids

Second breakfast is a special meal. It is eaten between breakfast and lunch. People in places like Bavaria (Germany), Poland, Slovakia, Spain, and Hungary often enjoy it. In Bavaria and Poland, they even have unique foods just for this meal! In Vienna, Austria, they call it Jause. In Spain, it's called almuerzo. People in these areas often eat four or five meals a day.

What is Second Breakfast?

Second breakfast is usually a lighter meal or snack. People typically eat it around 10:00 in the morning. Its Hungarian name, tízórai, and Slovak name, desiata, actually mean "snack at 10".

Typical Foods

This meal often includes coffee and either pastries or sausages. A very common sausage is the white sausage, called Weißwurst. This sausage is a special food from Munich and Bavaria. Cooks prepare it early in the morning for second breakfast. It is served with pretzels, sweet mustard, and wheat beer. This meal is a bit like the British elevenses.

In Poland, second breakfast often has snacks like sandwiches or pastries. It can also be light dessert foods. Examples include chocolate pudding or kisiel.

For Farmers

Second breakfast is also common in some countryside areas. Farmers often wake up very early. They might eat a small "first breakfast," like toast and coffee. This happens right after they wake up. Then, after their first set of chores, they eat a bigger, heartier second breakfast.

Second Breakfast in Stories

Second breakfast appears in famous books and movies!

In Tolkien's World

In J. R. R. Tolkien's book The Hobbit, the main character, Bilbo Baggins, eats a second breakfast. Tolkien also wrote that hobbits like to eat six meals a day.

In Peter Jackson's movie The Fellowship of the Ring, Aragorn is leading the hobbits on a long walk. Pippin hopes for a meal break. He is shocked when Merry tells him that Aragorn probably doesn't know about second breakfast. Pippin then asks if Aragorn knows about other hobbit meals. These include elevenses, luncheon, afternoon tea, dinner, and supper. Aragorn gives them apples to keep them going until their next regular meal.

In Other Books

In Thomas Mann's books The Magic Mountain and Buddenbrooks, second breakfasts are mentioned often. Sometimes, food from the first breakfast, like oatmeal and fruit, appears again. In Magic Mountain, Mann even talks about "third breakfasts"!