meals

meals
Among the Greeks the times and names of meals varied at different periods. In early times breakfast (ariston) was taken shortly after sunrise, followed by a main meal (deipnon) at midday and supper (dorpon) in the evening. In Classical Athens two meals—a light lunch (ariston) and dinner (deipnon) in the evening—appear to have been usual. From the 4th cent. bc onwards an earlier breakfast (akratisma) was again added, or substituted for lunch.

Among the Romans dinner (cena) was eaten in the middle of the day in early times, with a light supper (vesperna) in the evening. Eventually an evening cena, often commencing in the late afternoon, became usual. Lunch (prandium), consisting of fish or eggs and vegetables together with wine, was eaten towards midday and replaced supper. In the morning there was a very light breakfast (ientaculum), which might consist of only bread...

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