Merienda

For the place in California, see Merienda, California.

Merienda is a midday meal had in Spain, Argentina and Uruguay around 5:30 p.m. to fill in the meal gap between lunch at 2:00 p.m. and dinner at 9:00 p.m. It is a simple meal that often consists of a piece of fruit, cookies, snacks, yogurt, juice, coffee, etc.

It is typical for Argentines to go to a cafe to have merienda. A typical order consists of tostadas (small baguette-like pieces of bread that are sliced and toasted, served with dulce de leche (a typical Argentine caramel-like spread) and jam. The tostadas are often accompanied by a cafe con leche (coffee with steamed milk)and orange juice. North americans may relate this light meal to a type of "second breakfast."

In the Philippines, merienda (Filipino: meryenda) simply refers to any light snack eaten between the three main meals.

In Catalonia, the Valencian Community and the Balearic Islands, it is known as berenar in Catalan, and pa amb tomàquet is commonly eaten with a few slices of cured ham. Simplicity is typically key as the meal is not meant to spoil ones appetite for the proper dinner.