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Snack
Small food portions consumed outside of the main meals of the day

A snack is a small portion of food generally eaten between meals, which can be homemade using ingredients like fruits, cold cuts, and nuts or purchased as packaged and processed foods. With the rise of convenience stores, snack foods became a profitable industry, focusing on portability, convenience, and flavor. These items often include ingredients like chocolate, peanuts, and sweeteners, preserved through additives and specialized packaging. Snacks eaten late at night are sometimes known as “bedtime” or “midnight snacks.”

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North America

Canada

In 2010, the average Canadian ate 300 snacks.3 Canadian identity is often associated with snack foods that are sold in Canada4 due to economic nationalism.5 Some Canadian snacks include ketchup chips, Smarties, Coffee Crisp, Kinder Surprise, Jos Louis, Big Turk, and Nanaimo bars.6

United States

In the United States, a popular snack food is the peanut. Peanuts first arrived from South America via slave ships and became incorporated into African-inspired cooking on southern plantations. After the Civil War, the taste for peanuts spread north, where they were incorporated into the culture of such popular events as baseball games and vaudeville theaters.7

Along with popcorn (also of South American origin), snacks bore the stigma of being sold by unhygienic street vendors. The middle-class etiquette of the Victorian era (1837–1901) categorized any food that did not require proper usage of utensils as lower-class.8

Pretzels were introduced to North America by the Dutch, via New Amsterdam in the 17th century. In the 1860s, the snack was still associated with immigrants, unhygienic street vendors, and saloons. Due to loss of business during the Prohibition era (1920–1933), pretzels underwent rebranding to make them more appealing to the public. As packaging revolutionized snack foods, allowing sellers to reduce contamination risk, while making it easy to advertise brands with a logo, pretzels boomed in popularity, bringing many other types of snack foods with it. By the 1950s, snacking had become an all-American pastime, becoming an internationally recognized emblem of middle American life.910

Middle East

Nuts are a staple of snacks in the Middle East. Among the many varieties available within the region, the most popular are almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pine nuts, and pistachios.11 According to archeological evidence, nuts have been part of the Middle Eastern diet for centuries with ancient civilizations taking advantage of them for their health benefits.12 The health benefits of nuts comes from them being good sources of protein, healthy fats, fibers, vitamins and minerals.13 Nuts have now become a regular snack with a 119 billion dollar market as of 2022 that is projected to continue growing into 2023.14 Nuts can be prepared in a variety of ways, such as by roasting them with spices and lemon juice or incorporating them into food and desserts such as baklava, knafeh, and kibbeh.151617

Spreads and dips are eaten with pita bread. The most popular dip in the middle east is hummus.18 Hummus is a blend of chickpeas, tahini, lemon, and garlic usually served with olive oil and paprika on top.19 Hummus's origins can be traced back to a Syrian cookbook from the 13th century.20 Other dips are also popularly served such as mouhammara and baba ganoush.21 Mouhammara is a walnut, tahini, and roasted red pepper dip served with olive oil on top originating from the Syrian city of Aleppo.22 Baba ganoush is a spread made from roasted eggplants, olive oil, and other vegetables.23 The origins of baba ganoush are not clear with many conflicting pieces of evidence pointing to multiple countries of origin.24 A sweet dip is Ashta, a cream made from milk, rose or orange blossom water, and ghee, which is usually accompanied with honey.25

Many popular snacks in the Middle East are obtained from street vendors due to low cost and convenience of eating on the go.26 Many of these snacks consist of a protein with bread.27 Falafel consists of many little fried balls of ground chickpeas or fava beans with herbs, spices served in pita bread with tahini sauce and a choice of vegetables.28 Falafel is believed to originate from Egypt around 1000 years ago by Egyptian Copts.29 Shawarma is served in a similar fashion to falafel, pita bread with sauce and vegetables, but instead prepared by slowly cooking layers of meat on a spit before thinly slicing it.30

Nutrition

See also: Grazing (human eating pattern)

Government bodies, such as Health Canada, recommend that people make a conscious effort to eat more healthy, natural snacks, such as fruit, vegetables, nuts, and cereal grains while avoiding high-calorie, low-nutrient junk food.31

A 2010 study showed that children in the United States snacked on average six times per day, approximately twice as often as American children in the 1970s.32 This represents consumption of roughly 570 calories more per day than U.S. children consumed in the 1970s.33

Types

Further information: List of snack foods

See also

  • Food portal

Sources

  • Thiessen, Janis (2017). Snacks: A Canadian Food History. University of Manitoba Press. ISBN 9780887555275.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Snack food. Wikibooks Cookbook has a recipe/module on
  • Midnight Snack

References

  1. "Snack". Dictionary.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 13 March 2011. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/snack ↩

  2. Willhoft, Edward M.A. (1990). "Packaging for Preservation of Snack Food". Snack Food. p. 349-371. doi:10.1007/978-1-4613-1477-6_18. ISBN 978-1-4612-8795-7. 978-1-4612-8795-7 ↩

  3. Thiessen 2017, p. 12. - Thiessen, Janis (2017). Snacks: A Canadian Food History. University of Manitoba Press. ISBN 9780887555275. ↩

  4. Goodman, Rob (2023). Why American Democracy Is Eroding and How Canada Can Protect Itself. Simon & Schuster. p. 175. ISBN 9781668012451. 9781668012451 ↩

  5. Thiessen 2017, p. 30. - Thiessen, Janis (2017). Snacks: A Canadian Food History. University of Manitoba Press. ISBN 9780887555275. ↩

  6. Skinner, RJ. "7 Canadian snacks you can't get in the U.S. and the backstory on why". CBC Life. Retrieved 9 August 2024. https://www.cbc.ca/life/food/7-canadian-snacks-you-can-t-get-in-the-u-s-and-the-backstory-on-why-1.4102299 ↩

  7. Carroll, Abigail (30 August 2013). "How Snacking Became Respectable". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 29 May 2016. https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324009304579041322667981650 ↩

  8. Carroll, Abigail (30 August 2013). "How Snacking Became Respectable". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 29 May 2016. https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324009304579041322667981650 ↩

  9. Carroll, Abigail (30 August 2013). "How Snacking Became Respectable". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 29 May 2016. https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324009304579041322667981650 ↩

  10. "America: just one long snack bar". Ellensburg Daily Record. 3 April 1973. Archived from the original on 8 November 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2018 – via Google News. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=MqJUAAAAIBAJ&pg=7284,110511 ↩

  11. Casas-Agustench, Patricia; Salas-Huetos, Albert; Salas-Salvadó, Jordi (December 2011). "Mediterranean nuts: origins, ancient medicinal benefits and symbolism". Public Health Nutrition. 14 (12A): 2296–2301. doi:10.1017/S1368980011002540. ISSN 1475-2727. PMID 22166187. S2CID 36384880. https://doi.org/10.1017%2FS1368980011002540 ↩

  12. Casas-Agustench, Patricia; Salas-Huetos, Albert; Salas-Salvadó, Jordi (December 2011). "Mediterranean nuts: origins, ancient medicinal benefits and symbolism". Public Health Nutrition. 14 (12A): 2296–2301. doi:10.1017/S1368980011002540. ISSN 1475-2727. PMID 22166187. S2CID 36384880. https://doi.org/10.1017%2FS1368980011002540 ↩

  13. Services, Department of Health & Human. "Nuts and seeds". www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 6 October 2023. http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/nuts-and-seeds ↩

  14. ltd, Market Data Forecast. "MEA Nuts and Seeds Market | 2022 to 2027 | UAE, Israel, KSA, South Africa, Egypt". Market Data Forecast. Retrieved 6 October 2023. http://www.marketdataforecast.com/ ↩

  15. Bergum, Vidar (11 December 2020). "Middle Eastern spiced nuts". A kitchen in Istanbul. Retrieved 6 October 2023. https://vidarbergum.com/recipe/middle-eastern-spiced-nuts/ ↩

  16. Kravchuk, Natasha (21 December 2014). "Baklava Recipe, Honey Baklava, How to Make Best Baklava". NatashasKitchen.com. Retrieved 6 October 2023. https://natashaskitchen.com/baklava-recipe/ ↩

  17. Mueller, Elizabeth (Beth) (5 October 2018). "Knafeh". Pear Tree Kitchen. Retrieved 6 October 2023. https://peartreekitchen.com/knafeh/ ↩

  18. "Middle Eastern dips and spreads to bump hummus off your summer menu". Chicago Tribune. 1 August 2019. Retrieved 6 October 2023. https://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/recipes/sc-food-middle-eastern-dips-spreads-recipes-0802-20190801-pld3n2ni7rhtlma2xil4hrtdya-story.html ↩

  19. Karadsheh, Suzy (20 April 2020). "BEST Classic Hummus Recipe you'll find!". The Mediterranean Dish. Retrieved 6 October 2023. https://www.themediterraneandish.com/how-to-make-hummus/ ↩

  20. Shaheen, Kareem (24 March 2023). "The True Origins of Hummus". New Lines Magazine. Retrieved 6 October 2023. https://newlinesmag.com/newsletter/the-true-origins-of-hummus/ ↩

  21. "Middle Eastern dips and spreads to bump hummus off your summer menu". Chicago Tribune. 1 August 2019. Retrieved 6 October 2023. https://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/recipes/sc-food-middle-eastern-dips-spreads-recipes-0802-20190801-pld3n2ni7rhtlma2xil4hrtdya-story.html ↩

  22. Karadsheh, Suzy (29 May 2020). "Muhammara Recipe (Roasted Red Pepper Dip)". The Mediterranean Dish. Retrieved 6 October 2023. https://www.themediterraneandish.com/muhammara-recipe-roasted-red-pepper-dip/ ↩

  23. Kate (17 October 2017). "Epic Baba Ganoush". Cookie and Kate. Retrieved 6 October 2023. https://cookieandkate.com/epic-baba-ganoush-recipe/ ↩

  24. Lamoureux, Aimee (13 January 2023). "The Literal Meaning Of 'Baba Ganoush' Is Hilarious". The Daily Meal. Retrieved 6 October 2023. https://www.thedailymeal.com/1166095/the-literal-meaning-of-baba-ganoush-is-hilarious/ ↩

  25. Alphafoodie, Samira @ (25 October 2021). "Easy Kashta/Ashta (Lebanese Clotted Cream)". Alphafoodie. Retrieved 6 October 2023. https://www.alphafoodie.com/easy-kashta/ ↩

  26. Bremner, Jade (12 July 2017). "20 top Middle Eastern foods: Which is the best?". CNN. Retrieved 9 October 2023. https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/middle-east-food-dishes/index.html ↩

  27. Bremner, Jade (12 July 2017). "20 top Middle Eastern foods: Which is the best?". CNN. Retrieved 9 October 2023. https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/middle-east-food-dishes/index.html ↩

  28. Karadsheh, Suzy (6 February 2020). "Easy Authentic Falafel Recipe: Step-by-Step". The Mediterranean Dish. Retrieved 9 October 2023. https://www.themediterraneandish.com/how-to-make-falafel/ ↩

  29. admin (8 December 2021). "The History of Falafel". Export IL. Retrieved 9 October 2023. https://exportil.com/the-history-of-falafel/ ↩

  30. Nagi (6 February 2022). "Chicken Shawarma (Middle Eastern)". RecipeTin Eats. Retrieved 9 October 2023. https://www.recipetineats.com/chicken-sharwama-middle-eastern/ ↩

  31. "Smart Snacking - Canada's Food Guide". Health Canada. Archived from the original on 14 April 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2011. http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/using-utiliser/snacks-collations-eng.php ↩

  32. "New Trend Shows Kids Snacking Every Few Hours". NPR. 2 March 2010. Archived from the original on 10 February 2011. Retrieved 11 March 2010. https://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=124248337 ↩

  33. "American Diet Then and Now: How Snacking Is Expanding the Country's Waistline - ABC News". ABC News. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 20 February 2016. https://abcnews.go.com/Health/w_DietAndFitness/american-diet-now-snacking-expanding-countrys-waistline/story?id=13948594 ↩