Znüni - A Swiss Mid-morning Snack

In this mini series I'll write about the five daily meals people eat in Switzerland: Zmorge, Znüni, Zmittag, Zvieri and Znacht. What do we typically eat? When do we eat? What is the proper conduct at the table? Today, I'll write about Znüni.

What is a Znüni?

The Swiss German word Znüni is a short form of the German 'zu neun' which literally means 'at nine'. It refers to a small meal or a snack that is eaten at or around 9am. A non-literal translation for Znüni would be 'mid-morning snack'.

Znüni is a custom all over Switzerland and exists in schools, companies and homes just the same. Some companies even encourage their employees to take a mid-morning break and enjoy a conversation and a cup of coffee with their colleagues because it supposedly improves productivity.

In fact, Znüni is such a common thing in Switzerland that the word Znüni is also used in combination with other words:

Znünibrot (Znüni bread)

Znünigipfeli (Znüni croissant)

Znüniöpfel (Znüni apple)
Znünipause (Znüni break)
Znüniwägeli (Znüni food truck)

What the Swiss eat as mid-morning snack

A Znüni is a small and fairly quick deal. Usually, a Znüni contains fruit, rolls or croissants and is accompanied by hot coffee, tea or juice. We Swiss like our strong coffee at all times of the day!

A typical Znüni from my school years almost always included a Swiss apple. Some schools even provided Znüni apples for all the children so they would eat a healthy Znüni rather than cookies or other sweets.

During my studying years, my mid-morning snack was mainly coffee accompanied by a cereal bar or other high energy snack. Now, as a working adult, I usually stick to healthier options like fruit but don't mind making an exception for a chocolate croissant once in a while.

What exactly Swiss people eat as their Znüni snack depends very much on personal taste and diet. Indeed, there are no strict rules on what to eat or drink during your Znüni break. Healthier food is probably better for you but in the end that depends on your personal preferences.

Znüniöpfel - Tim Reckmann / pixelio.de

Other articles in this mini series:

Zmorge - breakfast
Znüni - mid-morning snack
Zmittag - lunch
Zvieri - mid-afternoon snack
Znacht - dinner

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