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A snack food (commonly called
a snack) is seen in Western culture as a
type of food not meant to be eaten as a main
meal of the day – breakfast, lunch, or
dinner – but one rather that is intended to
assuage a person's hunger between these
meals, providing a brief supply of energy
for the body. The term may also refer to a
food item consumed between meals purely for
the enjoyment of its taste.
Traditionally snacks were prepared from
ingredients commonly available in the home,
often leftovers, sandwiches made from cold
cuts, nuts, fruit, and the like. The Dagwood
sandwich was originally the humorous result
of a cartoon character's desire for large
snacks.
With the multiplication of convenience
stores, packaged snack foods are now a
significant business. Snack foods are
typically designed to be portable, quick and
satisfying. Processed snack foods are
designed to be less perishable, more
durable, and/or more appealing than prepared
foods. They often contain substantial
amounts of sweeteners, preservatives, and
appealing ingredients such as chocolate,
peanuts, and specially designed flavors
(such as flavored potato chips). |
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