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Sunday Classics: Nuncheon

Jane Austen called. We’ve all been invited to her Sunday nuncheon.

If you’re wondering why we’ve moved on from the classic Sunday luncheon, now might be a good time to grab your nearest copy of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility. Uttered by Mr. Willoughby somewhere in Chapter 44, the lines read, 

“Yes,—I left London this morning at eight o'clock, and the only ten minutes I have spent out of my chaise since that time procured me a nuncheon at Marlborough.”

 Back in Austen’s time, the term ‘nuncheon’ was used to refer to a light midday/afternoon snack. While breakfast and dinner were considered to be the two primary meals in a day, the concept of lunch didn't really exist. This was owing to the fact that there was no specific time period known as an afternoon. While morning stretched on from breakfast to 4pm, the day darkened into evening after that, eventually leading on to dinner time. In the intervening hours, people were often found munching on a variety of things – the most popular among them being cold meat, cheese, bread… and beer to wash it down with. These ‘munchies’ went on to be labelled as nuncheon.

And while we may be big fans of the Austenian nuncheon, that is not to say that we’re ready to give up on our Sunday brunch ways. Instead, like all other wise people, we too have decided to opt for the middle path. So, if you find us sneaking sandwiches out of the fridge a couple of hours after brunch, come join us for a good ol’ Sunday nuncheon.

^{_{- Upasya Bhowal}}