What does “uzsonna” mean in Hungarian?

Reggeli, ebéd, uzsonna, vacsora — Hungarian names four meals a day, and uzsonna is the one with no clean English match. It’s the light bite eaten between lunch and dinner: a sandwich, some fruit, a pastry, often what parents pack for kids after school. English speakers reach for “snack,” but uzsonna is scheduled and expected, a real slot in the day’s rhythm, not just something you grab when hungry.

The recipe in this clip lists “kis uzsonnára, reggelire, vacsorára” as serving options for the same goat-cheese pancakes — proof that in Hungarian meal planning, the mid-afternoon bite gets named on equal footing with breakfast and dinner, not folded into either one. It’s why Hungarian kids' snack boxes and school schedules build in a dedicated uzsonna break.