Spuntini is an original Italian word with the literal meaning “to snack,” also referring to “a bite, or a starter.” Spuntini is not considered an appetizer in Italy due to the time many consume them, but we use the words appetizer and spuntini interchangeably in the US.
In the article below, find out when you should eat spuntini in Italy or the US and what makes up a Spuntini.
Is eating a spuntini every day healthy for me?
The art of eating small meals or snacking between each main course is a healthy lifestyle method of keeping nutrients in your body for all-day energy. Eating small amounts throughout the day allows your body to burn more calories rather than hold on to them, and depending on the type of food, it can provide a brain boost of concentration until lunch.
When consumed late in the mornings between breakfast and lunch, a spuntini revitalizes your energy by replacing any calories burned thus far in your day. It also satisfies your hunger pangs that push some people to reach for unhealthy snack foods by staying small in portion. You can prepare your portioned snacks to be a healthy combination of fruit, veggies, cookies, or nuts at home.
A healthy benefit of ordering a spuntini when eating at a restaurant is that it triggers the hormones that tell your body hungry. By consuming small portions of salty or sweet flavors, your mind prepares your body to want the entire meal that is on its way. Keeping your appetizer choices healthy also helps make you full faster and drives you to save some of your main course for later.
When is the right time to order a Spuntini while in Italy? What about in the US?
There is no “right” time to have a snack, no matter what country you are in, and it varies greatly on your daily schedule of events. In a general sense of timing, when in Italy and having a snack after breakfast but before your second meal, a Spuntini is in order. These snacks are typically a more healthy option, such as cheese slices, a biscuit, or small tea cake-like dessert.
There is an array of options when snacking in the US, from healthy to junk. These mid-morning options often rely on a person’s work schedule. Someone working a night shift may consider their Spuntini appetizers: greasy, deep-fried smaller portions of a regular meal. In Italy, these snacks are eaten later in the day, just before their third full meal, and referred to as a merenda.
What is the difference between a Spuntini and a Merenda?
These words are Italian terms for a snack or bite between meals, but they refer to a different time frame for consuming such a snack. The timeframe to eat each snack also affects what the snack is.
In Italy, a Spuntini refers to a small snack consumed between the first and second meals of the day, typically late morning. If the snack is later in the day, after the second meal but before the third, Italians refer to it as a merenda and consume the snack just before the third meal of the day.
In the United States, what we call appetizers relates more to the Italian term merenda. We order appetizers when we go out to a restaurant to snack on while waiting for our main course. These typically consist of greasy deep-fried food options that would not be consumed in the early hours before lunch.
