Why does Spain eat so late?

Why so late? Look at the clock

Part of the answer is on the wall. Spain keeps the same time as France, Germany and Italy, although by its position on the map it belongs with Portugal and London, which are an hour behind. In 1940 Franco's government put the clocks forward one hour, and they never went back.

So in Madrid the sun is highest at about a quarter past one in winter and a quarter past two in summer. Measured by the sun, a lunch at half past two is not so late. The Canary Islands keep their own time, one hour behind the rest of Spain — the radio says it every hour: una hora menos en Canarias.

Not everybody thinks the clock explains everything: some point to the hard years after the Civil War, when many people held two jobs and ate between them.

• Spain keeps the same time as France, Germany and Italy; Portugal, next door, is an hour behind.
• In 1940 Franco's government put the clocks forward one hour, and Spain has kept that time zone ever since.
• The Canary Islands are one hour behind the rest of Spain.
• Whether the clock explains the late hours is debated: others point to post-war double jobs, or argue that Spanish hours simply follow the sun.

En 1940 el Gobierno de Franco adelantó los relojes una hora, y así se quedaron.

In 1940 Franco's government put the clocks forward one hour, and there they stayed.

Una razón es el reloj: España tiene la hora de Berlín, no la de Londres.

One reason is the clock: Spain keeps Berlin time, not London time.