Asnack is a small portion offood generallyeaten betweenmeals.[1] Snacks come in a variety of forms includingpackaged snack foods and otherprocessed foods, as well as items made from fresh ingredients at home.
Traditionally, snacks are prepared from a number of ingredients commonly available at home without a great deal of preparation. Oftencold cuts,fruits,leftovers,nuts, andsweets are used as snacks. With the spread ofconvenience stores, packaged snack foods became a significantly profitable business.
Snack foods are typically designed to be portable, quick, and satisfying.Processed snack foods, as one form ofconvenience food, are designed to be less perishable, more durable, and more portable than prepared foods. They often contain substantial amounts ofsweeteners,preservatives, and appealing ingredients such aschocolate,peanuts, and specially designed flavors (such as flavoredpotato chips). Aside from the use ofadditives, the viability ofpackaging so that food quality can be preserved without degradation is also important for commercialization.[2]
A snack eaten shortly before going to bed or during the night may be called a "bedtime snack", "late night snack", or "midnight snack".
In 2010, the average Canadian ate 300 snacks throughout the entire year.[3] Canadian identity is often associated with snack foods that are sold in Canada[4] due toeconomic nationalism.[5] Some Canadian snacks includeketchup chips,Smarties,Coffee Crisp,Kinder Surprise,Jos Louis,Big Turk, andNanaimo bars.[6]
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In the United States, a popular snack food is thepeanut. Peanuts first arrived fromSouth America viaslave ships and became incorporated into African-inspired cooking on southernplantations. After theCivil War, the taste for peanuts spread north, where they were incorporated into the culture of such popular events as baseball games andvaudeville theaters.[7]
Along withpopcorn (also of South American origin), snacks bore the stigma of being sold by unhygienicstreet 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.[7]
Pretzels were introduced to North America by theDutch, viaNew 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 theProhibition era (1920–1933), pretzels underwent rebranding to make them more appealing to the public. Aspackaging revolutionized snack foods, allowing sellers to reduce contamination risk, while making it easy to advertise brands with alogo, 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.[7][8]
Nuts are a staple of snacks in theMiddle East. Among the many varieties available within the region, the most popular arealmonds,walnuts,hazelnuts,pine nuts, andpistachios.[9] 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.[10] The health benefits of nuts comes from them being good sources of protein, healthy fats, fibers, vitamins and minerals.[11] Nuts have now become a regular snack with a 119 billion dollar market as of 2022 that is projected to continue growing into 2023.[12] 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 asbaklava,knafeh, andkibbeh.[13][14][15]
Spreads and dips are eaten withpita bread. The most popular dip in the middle east ishummus.[16] Hummus is a blend ofchickpeas,tahini, lemon, and garlic usually served with olive oil and paprika on top.[17] Hummus's origins can be traced back to a Syrian cookbook from the 13th century.[18] Other dips are also popularly served such asmouhammara andbaba ganoush.[16] Mouhammara is a walnut, tahini, and roasted red pepper dip served with olive oil on top originating from the Syrian city ofAleppo.[19] Baba ganoush is a spread made from roasted eggplants, olive oil, and other vegetables.[20] The origins of baba ganoush are not clear with many conflicting pieces of evidence pointing to multiple countries of origin.[21] A sweet dip is Ashta, a cream made from milk, rose or orange blossom water, and ghee, which is usually accompanied with honey.[22]
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Many popular snacks in the Middle East are obtained from street vendors due to low cost and convenience of eating on the go.[23] Many of these snacks consist of a protein with bread.[23]Falafel consists of many little fried balls of ground chickpeas orfava beans with herbs, spices served in pita bread with tahini sauce and a choice of vegetables.[24] Falafel is believed to originate from Egypt around 1000 years ago byEgyptian Copts.[25]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.[26]
In Japan, rice-based snacks such asSenbei (rice crackers) andMochi (pounded rice cakes) have been part of traditional food culture for centuries, often consumed during festivals and tea ceremonies. Modern packaged snacks have also become highly popular, with products likePocky and uniquely flavoredKit Kat bars (includingMatcha green tea andWasabi varieties) gaining both domestic and international recognition.[27] Convenience stores (konbini) play a central role in snack culture by offering ready-to-eat foods such asOnigiri (rice balls),Karaage (fried chicken), and sandwiches alongside packaged chips and sweets.
Street snacks are also common, particularly at festivals (matsuri). Popular examples includeTakoyaki (octopus-filled batter balls),Taiyaki (fish-shaped pastries filled with sweet bean paste or custard), andDorayaki (pancakes filled with sweet red bean paste). Seasonal snacks reflect local agricultural traditions, such asSakura mochi (rice cake filled with red bean paste and wrapped in a cherry blossom leaf), which is associated with cherry blossom season in spring. Snack companies in Japan also collaborate with popularAnime andManga franchises to produce limited-edition flavors, which become sought after by collectors and fans.
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Government bodies, such asHealth Canada, recommend that people make a conscious effort to eat more healthy, natural snacks, such asfruit,vegetables,nuts, andcereal grains while avoiding high-calorie, low-nutrientjunk food.[28]
A 2010 study showed that children in theUnited States snacked on average six times per day, approximately twice as often as American children in the 1970s.[29] This represents consumption of roughly 570 calories more per day than U.S. children consumed in the 1970s.[30]
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