Uncovering the Surprising Reasons Spaniards Dine Late

Meal Times in Spain

Spain isn’t as mellow about meal times as you might think. In fact, the European country is well-known for its super-late dinner time, typically around 10 p.m. This late dining is accompanied by a nationwide tradition of taking a siesta in the mid-afternoon, during which most shops and businesses close for about two hours to allow employees to rest and recharge.

Historical Context of Time Zones

The peculiar timing of meals in Spain stems from a complicated historical background. According to an article by Food & Wine, Spaniards have been living in the incorrect time zone since World War II. Geographically, Spain aligns with countries like Portugal, Morocco, and the U.K., which all observe Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).

In contrast, Spain operates on Central European Time (CET), placing it one hour ahead. This shift was instituted by former Spanish leader General Francisco Franco, who aimed to synchronize Spain’s time with Nazi Germany.

Even after World War II concluded, clocks remained unchanged, resulting in Spanish meals, workdays, and television schedules being pushed one hour later. Consequently, this pattern has cemented the later days that many Spaniards experience.

Future Changes and Impact

In 2016, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy announced proposals to revert clocks back to GMT. This change aimed to abolish siestas and would consequently lead to Spanish workdays ending at 6 p.m. instead of 8 p.m. Despite receiving public support, the effort has not yet been realized, and discussions on changing time zones appear to be stalled.

One potential benefit of reverting to GMT would be the extension of summer daylight, with sunsets happening around 10 p.m. However, this shift could also lead to darker winter mornings, as the sun may not rise until after 9 a.m.

As José Luis Casero, president of the National Commission for the Rationalization of Spanish Schedules, expressed in an interview with the BBC, “if we changed time zones, the sun would rise one hour earlier, and we’d wake up more naturally. Meal times would occur an hour earlier, granting us an extra hour’s sleep.”