You’ve been in your first Swiss job for two weeks and, at 9.15 am, a colleague takes some food out of their bag, calmly opens it at the desk and starts eating. It’s not that he hasn’t had breakfast. It’s just that it’s time for the Znüni. And if that seemed a bit odd to you, just wait until 4.00 pm for the Zvieri.
German-speaking Swiss people have five recognised mealtimes: Zmorge (breakfast), Znüni (at 9 am), Zmittag (lunch), Zvieri (at 4 pm) and Znacht (supper). ‘Znüni’ comes from ‘zu neun’, literally ‘at nine’. Zvieri comes from ‘zu vieri’, meaning ‘at four o’clock’. These are not modern inventions: they are customs that stem from Switzerland’s agricultural heritage, where working from dawn meant needing a snack mid-morning before the main meal.
In Swiss schools, the ‘Znüni’ is an official break. In many companies, employees take a 10- or 15-minute break mid-morning to have a bite to eat together. It is not considered a waste of time. On the contrary: many Swiss employers see it as a habit that improves concentration and the working atmosphere. And that is how this custom came about – one that seems strange to newcomers but, after six months, seems completely normal to them.
For those coming from Spain, the contrast is quite clear. Over there, the main break is at midday – a long one with a hearty lunch. Here, midday is just 30 minutes; dinner is at 6.30 pm or 7 pm; and in between there are two breaks with their own names. The day you find yourself pulling out your sandwich at 9.15 am without even thinking about it, you’re already a bit of a local.