Why Eating at 10:00pm, like the Mediterraneans, makes sense.

There is no escaping them; the wellness worshippers who seep through our social media feeds, offering quick hacks and lifestyle switches that promise cinched waists, better sleep, mental clarity, and glowing skin. Granted, some habits are worthwhile — prioritising sleep, avoiding ultra-processed foods, or reducing screen time. Funnily enough, southern European cultures adopt all of these habits instinctively, without needing an overenthusiastic daily reminder from a 15-second reel. But for them, the buck stops with the recommendation to eat dinner at 6:00pm. No, in Mediterranean culture, you can sometimes still be seated around the lunch table at that hour. It isn’t an old wives’ tale that the Spaniards eat at 10:00 or 11:00pm, nor do the Italians and Greeks fall far behind. Yet, there is a distinct method to this supposed madness which blows Western health edicts out of the water. Here’s why eating at 10:00pm just makes sense.

First, there is the undeniable element of the weather. In summer, the daylong heat encourages later mealtimes because the thought of eating, let alone cooking, during the final ferocious hours of sunlight is nigh on unbearable. By the time the sun has well and truly set and the cooler evening breeze finally ventilates the stagnant air, dinner can be comfortably served. But this custom of dining at the brink of midnight is not purely reserved for the hottest months. Typically, the Mediterraneans will eat between 9:00 and 11:00pm all year round, because the warmth is only one contributing factor.

Dinner in southern Europe is inherently convivial; if you have the option of eating amongst others, you take it. This means waiting for everyone to get home, which can often happens in the smaller hours because the widespread routine accommodates that. Shops stay open later to make up for the afternoon hours of closure for siesta times; kids meet with friends to play or to drink (depending on their age) before coming home; and the final active errands are run during these less balmy hours. By the time everyone is home, with an appetite worked up and ready for a meal, it is naturally almost 10:00pm. Crucially, dinners in southern Europe tend to be lighter - with lunch serving as the more abundant meal - so the late start doesn’t tax the digestion too heavily before bed.

While the wellness hype argues that dining earlier improves sleep and that going to bed slightly hungry is a positive consequence, the Mediterraneans view health through a different lens. Down south, it is the social element of eating that fosters the most beneficial patterns. Laughing, talking, and sharing food together is prioritised over religiously hitting REM cycles or scoring highly on a sleep metric. True wellness comes without overthinking it. For Italy, Spain, and Greece, choosing to live intuitively and communally is the healthiest outlook, and this philosophy culminates in the way they dine at the end of the day.

Daring to dine later also makes way for one of the most beloved moments in a 24-hour window: the aperitivo. Who can resist the opportunity to meet with friends at a local bar, order a glass of crisp wine, enjoy a few nibbles (which in the Med are traditionally served free of charge), and natter about the day as the light fades? The term aperitivo comes from the Latin aperire meaning ‘to open.’ This refers to a drink acting as the literal opener for the stomach, building up it’s appetite to eat soon after. It is a ritual which further enhances the sociability of southern European cultures and ties it directly to the joy of consumption.

Those who prefer a less alcoholic, more active means of inducing hunger can opt for the Italian practice of the passeggiata. This is another sacred period of the day where friends, neighbours, and kin will convene to stroll through town centres without a hint of rushing. Indeed, the slower they go the better. They link arms, exchange words, and observe the children kicking a ball, and seniors resting on foldable chairs outside their doors, and the youth chatting over their evening drinks in the piazza. It is movement for movement’s sake; steps aren’t counted, heart rates aren’t measured and they will get home simply when the time is right. Naturally, the rest of the household will have waited for them before the first morsel is served. 

There are so many Mediterranean rituals we would love to incorporate into our daily lives but, for one reason or the other, we can't, such as coastal living, post-lunch power naps, or the glass or two of wine a day. Perhaps dining at 10:00pm is also too far-fetched for our busy, tiring modern schedules. Make no mistake: it’s less about channeling the exact time you eat, and more about the philosophy behind it. 

We are supposed to listen to our bodies, to be among others, not to resist subscribing to every exhausting lifestyle hack that infiltrates our consciousness. By all means, dine at 6:00pm if it naturally moulds itself into your routine. But do it because you want to, not because you think you have to. Channel the southern European perspective of taking it easy, dining together, and stretching out the evening with drinks or walks. You’ll leave the table feeling far more fulfilled than any metric on your Oura ring can ever achieve.