Food
Snack Attack: Afternoon Snacks Around The World
Slide Nr 1Is there any better way to dive into the culture of a country than through its cuisine? Gastronomy is a meeting of tradition and necessity, age-old customs and modern innovation, and even something as seemingly mundane as snack time can tell you a lot about a place, its history and how its people live. We take a look at traditional and popular snacks in 10 countries around the world.
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Snack Attack: Afternoon Snacks Around The World.
Slide Nr 2Afternoon Tea, United Kingdom – The English tradition of afternoon tea dates back to the early 19th century, when it was customary to eat only two meals a day, with dinner served at 9pm. As the story goes, a hungry Anna Maria Russell, Duchess of Bedford began to ask her servants for bread with butter and tea in the middle of the afternoon. The practice quickly caught on among the aristocracy and became something of a status symbol, but over time it would be adopted by most of English society. Today, a formal afternoon tea consists of a selection of sweet and savoury items, from finger sandwiches to pastries and scones (eaten with jam and clotted cream), all accompanied by a cup of black tea with milk. Although tea time is traditionally around 4 or 5pm, the arrival of industrialisation changed the practice among the working class, who began to eat it more as a light meal after the day’s labour between 5 and 7pm, with various salty accompaniments such as meat or fish. This became known as high tea.
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Snack Attack: Afternoon Snacks Around The World.
Slide Nr 3Maté And Facturas, Argentina – Usually taken in the middle of the afternoon or before dinner, Argentina’s national snack is often accompanied by its national drink: maté, a tea-like infusion of dried leaves from the yerba maté plant. This warm, caffeinated beverage is enjoyed with sandwiches, biscuits or facturas, pastries stuffed with a variety of fillings, from cream to dulce de leche and quince jam. Shortbread-like bizochito biscuits and pepas, thumbprint biscuits filled with quince jam, are also frequently on the menu. Coffee with milk can be served as well. [Photo: Mushii/Wikimedia Commons]
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Snack Attack: Afternoon Snacks Around The World.
Slide Nr 5Stroopwafels And Hagelslag, Netherlands – The Dutch generally stick to a schedule of three square meals a day, but when a craving for something sweet attacks between mealtimes, a stroopwafel really hits the spot. Made of two waffle-esque biscuits sandwiching a rich caramel filling, stroopwafels are said to have first been made in the 18th century in the city of Gouda, and are often taken with a cup of tea; to enjoy it like a local, place the stroopwafel on top of the teacup and leave for a minute, so that the caramel inside becomes melt-in-your-mouth soft. Other common Dutch snacks include liquorice candy, called drop, and hagelslag, chocolate sprinkles that are eaten as a bread topping. [Photo: Liza Lagman Sperl/Flickr]
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Food
Snack Attack: Afternoon Snacks Around The World.
Slide Nr 6Aguapanela Con Queso And Almojábana, Colombia – Colombia’s national afternoon snack, called onces, is as much a part of the daily routine as breakfast or dinner. Served between 5 and 6pm, the main protagonist of onces is aguapanela, a drink made from crystallised, unrefined sugarcane juice called panela. Panela is cut into pieces and dissolved in boiling water, then served hot (on cold days) or cold (on hot days), sometimes with a touch of lemon or milk. In Bogotá, aguapanela is enjoyed with cheese (which is submerged in the drink until soft and melty) and almojábana, a soft, fluffy bread made with cornflour and cheese. On your next visit to Bogotá, pay a visit to the renowned restaurant La Puerta Falsa in the historic city centre, a favourite for locals looking to enjoy their onces. [Photo: Ken-ichi Ueda/Flickr]
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Food
Snack Attack: Afternoon Snacks Around The World.
Slide Nr 7Tartine And Viennoiserie, France – The French don’t snack – at least, not officially. Instead, they take a sweet afternoon treat called le goûter. Dinner isn’t served until 8 or 8:30pm, so many – especially energetic children getting out of school – need something to tide them over until the last meal of the day. For kids, le goûter is sacred, never to be missed, and usually consists of a sweet crêpe, biscuits or a slice of bread (tartine) covered with nutella or jam. Adults, on the other hand, generally enjoy more sophisticated treats, like a fruit tart or some viennoiserie (pastries such as croissants or pain au chocolat, puff pastry with chocolate inside) along with tea or coffee. Le goûter is also a social occasion, a chance to meet up with friends at a local café or invite them round for a chat and some cake.
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Food
Snack Attack: Afternoon Snacks Around The World.
Slide Nr 8Bao Bing, Taiwan – When it comes to an afternoon pick-me-up, the Taiwanese also tend to prefer a little something sweet – and refreshing. Around 4pm, Taiwanese people stave off the heat and their hunger by indulging in bao bing, a mound of shaved ice topped with an array of tasty additions, from sweetened condensed milk to tapioca balls, fresh fruits, mung beans or grass jelly. Crunchy, cold, soft, sweet, gooey – boa bing is a party of textures and flavours, and just the thing to beat the tropical heat. [Photo: Connie/Flickr]
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Food
Snack Attack: Afternoon Snacks Around The World.
Slide Nr 9Arancini And Taralli, Italy – Italians usually eat their largest meal at lunch, but that doesn’t keep stomachs from grumbling around the time the clock strikes 5. When that happens, they have a variety of ways to quiet it. Popular across the country, arancini – deep-fried rice balls stuffed with a variety of fillings, from meat and tomato sauce, to peas or cheese – come from Sicily and date back to 10th-century Ottoman occupation on the island. Elsewhere in the south, especially in the region of Puglia, the snack of choice are thick, ring-shaped crackers called taralli, which are usually made with salt and olive oil, and often flavoured with a variety of herbs and spices, especially fennel seeds or course black pepper. [Photo: G. Melfi/Wikimedia Commons]
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Food
Snack Attack: Afternoon Snacks Around The World.
Slide Nr 10Simit, Cheese And Tea, Turkey – Anyone who’s hungry for a snack in Turkey is spoiled for choice, with diverse options for all tastes, from little ‘pizzas’ like Lahmacun to delicious sweets like baklava. When afternoon rolls around, however, Turks opt for a simit, a type of Turkish bagel that’s dipped in molasses and covered with sesame seeds before baking, generally accompanied by cheese and a cup of strong Turkish tea. Simit traces its origins as far back as the 16th century, to the time of Sultan Suleiman ‘The Magnificent’, and is so popular in Turkey, it’s sold on practically every street corner. [Photo: captain.orange/Flickr]
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Food
Snack Attack: Afternoon Snacks Around The World.
Slide Nr 11Samosas And Pani Puri, India – India’s cuisine is as vibrant and diverse as its people, and there’s a multitude of delectable street snacks to choose from when you need to refuel. Samosas are popular across the subcontinent, with each region putting its own spin on these delicious fried pockets filled with zesty herbs, spices and veggies or meat, usually eaten with sweet or savoury sauces. Pani puri or gol gappe is another beloved street eat, consisting of puffy fried bread stuffed with various fillings, often using potato, chickpea, onion, chilli, tamarind and a mix of spices. Again, the flavours and ingredients vary from region to region. Washing it all down is a cup of chai tea, an infusion of black tea with strong spices, such as ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and black peppercorns.
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