Comfort food is food that provides a
nostalgic or sentimental value to someone[1] and may be characterized by its high
caloric nature associated with childhood or home cooking.[2] The nostalgia may be specific to an individual or it may apply to a specific
culture.[3]
Definition and history
The term comfort food has been traced back at least to 1966, when the Palm Beach Post used it in a story: "Adults, when under severe emotional stress, turn to what could be called 'comfort food'—food associated with the security of childhood, like mother's
poached egg or famous
chicken soup."[4] According to research by April White at
JSTOR, it might have been
Liza Minnelli who used the term for the first time in its modern meaning in an interview, admitting to craving a
hamburger.[5]
When the term first appeared, newspapers used it in quotation marks. In the 1970s, the most popular comfort food in the United States were various
potato dishes and
chicken soup, but even at the time, the definition varied from person to person. During the next decades, the nature of comfort food changed in the USA, shifting from savory dishes to sweet ones, while comfort food themed cookbooks started to spread and restaurants started to offer items labelled as such, when originally the term was used for food items consumed "home alone". Worldwide diet trends, emerging in the 1990s, like the
low fat or the
low-carb diet were unable to end the cravings for comfort food. According to White, the
COVID-19 pandemic that hit the world in 2020 further strengthened people's need for comfort food that evokes nostalgia and the feeling of belonging.[5]
Psychological studies
Consuming energy-dense, high calorie, high fat, salt or sugar foods, such as
ice cream or
french fries, may trigger the reward system in the human brain, which gives a distinctive pleasure or temporary sense of emotional elevation and relaxation.[6][7] These feelings can also be induced by
psychoactive ingredients found in other foods, such as
coffee and
chocolate.[8] When psychological conditions are present, people often use comfort food to treat themselves. Those with
negative emotions tend to eat unhealthy food in an effort to experience the instant gratification that comes with it, even if only short-lived.[9]
One study divided college-students' comfort-food identifications into four categories (nostalgic foods, indulgence foods,
convenience foods, and physical comfort foods) with a special emphasis on the deliberate selection of particular foods to modify mood or affect, and indications that the medical-therapeutic use of particular foods may ultimately be a matter of mood-alteration.[10]
The identification of particular items as comfort food may be idiosyncratic, though patterns are detectable. In one study of American preferences, "males preferred warm, hearty, meal-related comfort foods (such as
steak, casseroles, and soup) while females instead preferred comfort foods that were more
snack related (such as chocolate and ice cream). In addition, younger people preferred more snack-related comfort foods compared to those over 55 years of age." The study also revealed strong connections between consumption of comfort foods and feelings of
guilt.[11]
Comfort food consumption is seen as a response to
emotional stress and, consequently, as a key contributor to the epidemic of
obesity in the United States.[12] The provocation of specific hormonal responses leading selectively to increases in abdominal fat is seen as a form of
self-medication.[13]
Further studies suggest that consumption of comfort food is triggered in men by positive emotions, and by negative ones in women.[14] The stress effect is particularly pronounced among college-aged women, with only 33% reporting
healthy eating choices during times of emotional stress.[15] For women specifically, these psychological patterns may be maladaptive.[16]
A therapeutic use of these findings includes offering comfort foods or "
happy hour" beverages to
anorecticgeriatric patients whose health and
quality of life otherwise decreases with reduced oral intake.[17]
By region
A partial list by region of comfort foods around the world.
Some popular
Indonesian foods are considered to be comfort food, usually served hot or warm, and either soupy or with a soft texture. Most of them are high in
carbs or fat, such as congee, fried rice, and noodles which are high in carbs; while meatballs and grilled skewered meats contain fair amounts of fat and salt. Comfort foods often are the kind of food that provides nostalgic sentiments, as they often called masakan rumahan (home cooking) or masakan ibu (mother's dishes). In Indonesia, the warm and soft texture of
bubur ayam is believed to help people to recover during
convalescence.[76] Sayur sop or sup ayam is Indonesian chicken soup that often sought during
flu. The warm soup contains chunk of chicken, bits of potato, carrot, and common
green bean served in chicken stock.[77]
Some Indonesian comfort foods are traditional Indonesian food and some are derived from
Chinese influences.
Bakmi or
mie ayam – noodles (mi) with pork (bak) or chicken (ayam)[78]
For some Indonesians, especially those who are abroad, comfort food may include a favourite brand or type of Indonesian
instant noodles, such as
Indomie Mi goreng mentioned already.[82]
Traditional Swiss cuisine is characterized by its simplicity and extensive use of dairy products like cheese, cream and butter. Fruits (often apple compote) are also used in many (main) dishes,[143] notably
Älplermagronen and
Maluns.
^Preedy, Victor R.; Watson, Ronald Ross; Martin, Colin R. Martin (2011).
Handbook of Behavior, Food and Nutrition. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 618.
ISBN9780387922713. Chocolate is a recognized comfort food, i.e. eating chocolate can alleviate stress, reduce negative emotional states, and even increase tolerance to pain. These effects may be the result of activation of brain pathways known to combat stress, process pain, and to regulate emotions.
^Locher, Julie L.; Yoels, William C.; Maurer, Donna; Van Ells, Jillian (2005). "Comfort Foods: An Exploratory Journey into the Social and Emotional Significance of Food". Food and Foodways. 13 (4): 273–97.
doi:
10.1080/07409710500334509.
S2CID145287055.
^Dallman, Mary F.; Pecoraro, Norman C.; La Fleur, Susanne E. (2005). "Chronic stress and comfort foods: Self-medication and abdominal obesity". Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. 19 (4): 275–80.
doi:
10.1016/j.bbi.2004.11.004.
PMID15944067.
S2CID13915063.
^Joe, Melinda; Marx, W. David; Wee, Darryl; Janette, Misha (12 July 2017).
"40 Japanese foods we can't live without". CNN. Cable News Network. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
^
abcdefg"Japanese Comfort Food". Japan Deluxe Tours. Japan Deluxe Tours, Inc. 30 August 2017. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
^
abcJaffrey, Madhur; Tom Kitchin, Nigel Slater, Tomos Parry, and Clare Smyth (6 October 2015).
"20 best comfort food recipes: part 2". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 September 2017.{{
cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link)
^Kerridge, Tom; April Bloomfield, Simon Hopkinson, Tim Hughes, Sam and Sam Clark (24 February 2014).
"20 best comfort food recipes: part 1". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 July 2015.{{
cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link)
^(Journalist), Dent, Karen (2016). The North Yorkshire Cook Book : a celebration of the amazing food & drink on our doorstep, featuring over 40 stunning recipes. Green, Tim (Photographer). Sheffield.
ISBN978-1910863121.
OCLC964356602.{{
cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link)
Comfort food is food that provides a
nostalgic or sentimental value to someone[1] and may be characterized by its high
caloric nature associated with childhood or home cooking.[2] The nostalgia may be specific to an individual or it may apply to a specific
culture.[3]
Definition and history
The term comfort food has been traced back at least to 1966, when the Palm Beach Post used it in a story: "Adults, when under severe emotional stress, turn to what could be called 'comfort food'—food associated with the security of childhood, like mother's
poached egg or famous
chicken soup."[4] According to research by April White at
JSTOR, it might have been
Liza Minnelli who used the term for the first time in its modern meaning in an interview, admitting to craving a
hamburger.[5]
When the term first appeared, newspapers used it in quotation marks. In the 1970s, the most popular comfort food in the United States were various
potato dishes and
chicken soup, but even at the time, the definition varied from person to person. During the next decades, the nature of comfort food changed in the USA, shifting from savory dishes to sweet ones, while comfort food themed cookbooks started to spread and restaurants started to offer items labelled as such, when originally the term was used for food items consumed "home alone". Worldwide diet trends, emerging in the 1990s, like the
low fat or the
low-carb diet were unable to end the cravings for comfort food. According to White, the
COVID-19 pandemic that hit the world in 2020 further strengthened people's need for comfort food that evokes nostalgia and the feeling of belonging.[5]
Psychological studies
Consuming energy-dense, high calorie, high fat, salt or sugar foods, such as
ice cream or
french fries, may trigger the reward system in the human brain, which gives a distinctive pleasure or temporary sense of emotional elevation and relaxation.[6][7] These feelings can also be induced by
psychoactive ingredients found in other foods, such as
coffee and
chocolate.[8] When psychological conditions are present, people often use comfort food to treat themselves. Those with
negative emotions tend to eat unhealthy food in an effort to experience the instant gratification that comes with it, even if only short-lived.[9]
One study divided college-students' comfort-food identifications into four categories (nostalgic foods, indulgence foods,
convenience foods, and physical comfort foods) with a special emphasis on the deliberate selection of particular foods to modify mood or affect, and indications that the medical-therapeutic use of particular foods may ultimately be a matter of mood-alteration.[10]
The identification of particular items as comfort food may be idiosyncratic, though patterns are detectable. In one study of American preferences, "males preferred warm, hearty, meal-related comfort foods (such as
steak, casseroles, and soup) while females instead preferred comfort foods that were more
snack related (such as chocolate and ice cream). In addition, younger people preferred more snack-related comfort foods compared to those over 55 years of age." The study also revealed strong connections between consumption of comfort foods and feelings of
guilt.[11]
Comfort food consumption is seen as a response to
emotional stress and, consequently, as a key contributor to the epidemic of
obesity in the United States.[12] The provocation of specific hormonal responses leading selectively to increases in abdominal fat is seen as a form of
self-medication.[13]
Further studies suggest that consumption of comfort food is triggered in men by positive emotions, and by negative ones in women.[14] The stress effect is particularly pronounced among college-aged women, with only 33% reporting
healthy eating choices during times of emotional stress.[15] For women specifically, these psychological patterns may be maladaptive.[16]
A therapeutic use of these findings includes offering comfort foods or "
happy hour" beverages to
anorecticgeriatric patients whose health and
quality of life otherwise decreases with reduced oral intake.[17]
By region
A partial list by region of comfort foods around the world.
Some popular
Indonesian foods are considered to be comfort food, usually served hot or warm, and either soupy or with a soft texture. Most of them are high in
carbs or fat, such as congee, fried rice, and noodles which are high in carbs; while meatballs and grilled skewered meats contain fair amounts of fat and salt. Comfort foods often are the kind of food that provides nostalgic sentiments, as they often called masakan rumahan (home cooking) or masakan ibu (mother's dishes). In Indonesia, the warm and soft texture of
bubur ayam is believed to help people to recover during
convalescence.[76] Sayur sop or sup ayam is Indonesian chicken soup that often sought during
flu. The warm soup contains chunk of chicken, bits of potato, carrot, and common
green bean served in chicken stock.[77]
Some Indonesian comfort foods are traditional Indonesian food and some are derived from
Chinese influences.
Bakmi or
mie ayam – noodles (mi) with pork (bak) or chicken (ayam)[78]
For some Indonesians, especially those who are abroad, comfort food may include a favourite brand or type of Indonesian
instant noodles, such as
Indomie Mi goreng mentioned already.[82]
Traditional Swiss cuisine is characterized by its simplicity and extensive use of dairy products like cheese, cream and butter. Fruits (often apple compote) are also used in many (main) dishes,[143] notably
Älplermagronen and
Maluns.
^Preedy, Victor R.; Watson, Ronald Ross; Martin, Colin R. Martin (2011).
Handbook of Behavior, Food and Nutrition. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 618.
ISBN9780387922713. Chocolate is a recognized comfort food, i.e. eating chocolate can alleviate stress, reduce negative emotional states, and even increase tolerance to pain. These effects may be the result of activation of brain pathways known to combat stress, process pain, and to regulate emotions.
^Locher, Julie L.; Yoels, William C.; Maurer, Donna; Van Ells, Jillian (2005). "Comfort Foods: An Exploratory Journey into the Social and Emotional Significance of Food". Food and Foodways. 13 (4): 273–97.
doi:
10.1080/07409710500334509.
S2CID145287055.
^Dallman, Mary F.; Pecoraro, Norman C.; La Fleur, Susanne E. (2005). "Chronic stress and comfort foods: Self-medication and abdominal obesity". Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. 19 (4): 275–80.
doi:
10.1016/j.bbi.2004.11.004.
PMID15944067.
S2CID13915063.
^Joe, Melinda; Marx, W. David; Wee, Darryl; Janette, Misha (12 July 2017).
"40 Japanese foods we can't live without". CNN. Cable News Network. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
^
abcdefg"Japanese Comfort Food". Japan Deluxe Tours. Japan Deluxe Tours, Inc. 30 August 2017. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
^
abcJaffrey, Madhur; Tom Kitchin, Nigel Slater, Tomos Parry, and Clare Smyth (6 October 2015).
"20 best comfort food recipes: part 2". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 September 2017.{{
cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link)
^Kerridge, Tom; April Bloomfield, Simon Hopkinson, Tim Hughes, Sam and Sam Clark (24 February 2014).
"20 best comfort food recipes: part 1". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 July 2015.{{
cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link)
^(Journalist), Dent, Karen (2016). The North Yorkshire Cook Book : a celebration of the amazing food & drink on our doorstep, featuring over 40 stunning recipes. Green, Tim (Photographer). Sheffield.
ISBN978-1910863121.
OCLC964356602.{{
cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link)