noun
Dated term for lunch. The reading ちゅうじき is now largely replaced by ちゅうしょく for the same kanji 昼食.
See also: 昼食 (ちゅうしょく)
昔は「昼食」を「ちゅうじき」と読むことがあった。
In the past, 昼食 was sometimes read as ちゅうじき.
noun
food served at a tea party
Only when written 中食
Specific to the kanji form 中食. Refers to light food served during a tea ceremony or tea gathering.
茶会では中食として懐石料理が出される。
At a tea gathering, kaiseki cuisine is served as the light meal (中食).
The modern standard reading for 昼食, meaning lunch. ちゅうじき is a dated variant of the same word.
The reading ちゅうじき is the older go-on reading of the characters 昼 (daytime) and 食 (meal). The kanji form 中食 for the tea-party sense literally means 'mid-meal' or 'middle food', referring to a light meal served during a tea gathering.