What are hobbits' daily eating schedules?

Question

In the LOTR movies, we see the hobbits complain about missing meals a lot, as seen here:

Do we know what meals a hobbit would usually take every day?

Side question: is there a difference in meals between the book and movie?

Answer 1

Lots

From the prologue (emphasis mine):

As for the Hobbits of the Shire, with whom these tales are concerned, in the days of their peace and prosperity they were a merry folk. They dressed in bright colours, being notably fond of yellow and green; but they seldom wore shoes, since their feet had tough leathery soles and were clad in a thick curling hair, much like the hair of their heads, which was commonly brown. Thus, the only craft little practised among them was shoe-making; but they had long and skilful fingers and could make many other useful and comely things. Their faces were as a rule good-natured rather than beautiful, broad, bright-eyed, red-cheeked, with mouths apt to laughter, and to eating and drinking. And laugh they did, and eat, and drink, often and heartily, being fond of simple jests at all times, and of six meals a day (when they could get them). They were hospitable and delighted in parties, and in presents, which they gave away freely and eagerly accepted.

^{_{fellowship of the Ring Prologue 1: "Concerning Hobbits"}}

An exact schedule is difficult to nail down; the hobbits we follow don't usually take their meals at consistent times.

Books versus Movies

Pippin identifies seven meals in the movie, and this is how they relate to the books:

• Breakfast. Hobbits have breakfast, though our four favourite hobbits don't take it at a consistent time. On the road from Hobbitton, they have it at 9:30:

  Sam! Get breakfast ready for half-past nine!

  ^{_{Fellowship of the Ring Book I Chapter 3: "Three is Company"}}

  In Crickhollow, before setting out through the Old Forest, they have it at 4:30:

  It is time to get up. It is half past four and very foggy. Come on! Sam is already getting breakfast ready. Even Pippin is up.

  ^{_{Fellowship of the Ring Book I Chapter 6: "The Old Forest"}}

  And in Bree they take it at 6:30:

  'In any case we must be called at dawn,' said Frodo. 'We must get off as early as possible. Breakfast at six-thirty, please.'

  ^{_{Fellowship of the Ring Book I Chapter 10: "Strider"}}

  Rather than occurring at any kind of consistent time, "breakfast" appears to be just the meal they eat as soon as they wake up. About what time your typical hobbit would do that is, unfortunately, unrecorded so far as I know.

• Second Breakfast. In The Hobbit, Bilbo is about to tuck into his second breakfast, at 10:30, shortly before Gandalf sends him off to join the Dwarves:

  Then he had a nice little breakfast in the kitchen before turning out the dining-room. By that time the sun was shining; and the front door was open, letting in a warm spring breeze. Bilbo began to whistle loudly and to forget about the night before. In fact he was just sitting down to a nice little second breakfast in the dining-room by the open window, when in walked Gandalf. "My dear fellow," said he, "whenever are you going to come? What about an early start?-and here you are having breakfast, or whatever you call it, at half past ten! They left you the message, because they could not wait."

  ^{_{The Hobbit Chapter 2: "Roast Mutton"}}

• Elevenses. This is actually a real meal taken in the UK, so it seems likely that hobbits also have it. There's a possible reference to it in reference to Bilbo's party (emphasis mine):

  When every guest had been welcomed and was finally inside the gate, there were songs, dances, music, games, and, of course, food and drink. There were three official meals: lunch, tea, and dinner (or supper). But lunch and tea were marked chiefly by the fact that at those times all the guests were sitting down and eating together. At other times there were merely lots of people eating and drinking - continuously from elevenses until six-thirty, when the fireworks started.

  ^{_{Fellowship of the Ring Book I Chapter 1: "A Long-expected Party"}}

  But that's the only mention I can find. As Catija points out in comments, it seems a bit odd to have two meals so close together (second breakfast at 10:30 and elevenses at, well, 11), so it's possible this is rather a reference to the 11 o'clock hour. It's also possible that Bilbo just took his second breakfast late, or that hobbits really are that gluttonous. Either or.

• Luncheon. This word isn't used, but "lunch" is. I'm not sure of the difference, if there is one.

• Afternoon tea. Hobbits definitely take a teatime meal, which is referenced in the quote above from Bilbo's party. Exactly when they take it is hard to say, but it seems likely that it would be about 4pm, since that's when afternoon tea was traditionally taken in real-life England

• Dinner/Supper. Pippin splits these up, but I'm not entirely confident there's a distinction in the book. Our friends at English.SE note a difference, but it's not clear to me from the text whether the hobbits consider these two separate meals, or if they use two names for the same meal (depending on how heartily one eats).

Answer 2

They eat six meals a day in the books.

being fond of simple jests at all times, and of six meals a day (when they could get them). They were hospitable and delighted in parties, and in presents, which they gave away freely and eagerly accepted.

In Jacksons films this is changed to seven, possibly because he's never actually read the book, or just skimmed it.