Comfort food

[Chufi]

I´ve been thinking about the therm comfort food, mostly because I´ve been trying to find a translation (into Dutch) that satisfies me. The literal translation would be ´troost eten´, food that comforts you. But for some reason this feels like a description that is too narrow, in the sense that it means ´food to eat when you are in need of comfort´(ie when you´re sad or down or depressed).

I always understood the English term comfort food as something with a broader meaning: food that makes you feel good, food that´s homely and simple and not too challenging on the taste buds. It makes you feel good, but does not require that you felt bad when you started eating.

Am I wrong about this English meaning?

Edited April 9, 2009 by Chufi (log)

[christine007]

I´ve been thinking about the therm comfort food, mostly because I´ve trying to find a translation (into Dutch) that satisfies me. The literal translation would be ´troost eten´, food that comforts you. But for some reason this feels like a description that is too narrow, in the sense that it means ´food to eat when you are in need of comfort´(ie when you´re sad or down or depressed).

I always understood the English term comfort food as something with a broader meaning: food that makes you feel good, food that´s homely and simple and not too challenging on the taste buds. It makes you feel good, but does not require that you felt bad when you started eating.

Am I wrong about this English meaning?

←

No you are not wrong, I personally take it as both meanings, i.e., food you eat after something bad happens, and also food that evokes fond memories from days gone by, like something your grandparent made just for you.

It seems to have more than one meaning.

Sorry to muddy the water! but I really think of comfort food two different ways.

[KateinChicago]

I´ve been thinking about the therm comfort food, mostly because I´ve trying to find a translation (into Dutch) that satisfies me. The literal translation would be ´troost eten´, food that comforts you. But for some reason this feels like a description that is too narrow, in the sense that it means ´food to eat when you are in need of comfort´(ie when you´re sad or down or depressed).

I always understood the English term comfort food as something with a broader meaning: food that makes you feel good, food that´s homely and simple and not too challenging on the taste buds. It makes you feel good, but does not require that you felt bad when you started eating.

Am I wrong about this English meaning?

←

Your later definition is more accurate. It's food that makes you feel as if your mother or grandmother is taking care of you just because that's what they *do*.

Kate

[BonVivant]

^^ exactly.

rookworst with boerenkool and stamppot funnily for me [in NL only] nothing is above good old herring by the tail with chopped onions and nothing else.

i can't imagine eating 'comfort food' when one's depressed is comforting

[Chufi]

interesting.. I guess that means there is no Dutch translation then.

I´ll have to ask some native Dutch speakers about this!

[Chefb28]

Hey everyone! I want to kinow what is your favorite comfort food? What kind of foods are comforting to you?

[Chefb28]

Also what are restaurants lacking in comfort food?

[Argol]

Paté, raw and baked oysters, boiled crawfish.

[thirtyoneknots]

Red beans and rice, Sausages of most kinds, stewed/braised dishes of most varieties. Jambalaya. Fried chicken.

To me, comfort food should almost by definition be high in those two items that the pre-agricultural Homo sapiens craved (and still do): salt and fat. It's comforting because there's a hardwired reaction to those things in your mouth that signals a chance at survival (I think a recent Daily Gullet feature touched on this). If you've got a fair (but not ott) amount of those two things it's going to strike a chord for most people I think. Few things are more comforting than survival.

Edited March 11, 2010 by thirtyoneknots (log)

[ScoopKW]

1) From scratch multi-cheese mac and cheese, with a garlic bread crumb topping.

2) Any other mac and cheese, so long as it doesn't involve cooking with a microwave.

3) Beef marrow and fresh-baked bread.

4) Escargot and fresh-baked bread.

5) Any roasted poultry that has a lot of thyme and a little rosemary, with stuffing made from fresh-baked bread.

6) Fresh-baked bread with really, really good butter on it. Like that stuff they make with from the byproducts of parmesan cheese making. (What's the brand of that stuff, anyway? I buy mine for like $10/pound at Whole Foods. The way it's wrapped, it looks like it belongs with the chocolate in the baking aisle.)

Ahhh, here it is, from "Fork and Bottle."

Delitia Parmigiano Reggiano Butter

Butter made from the cream left over from Parmigiano Reggiano production. Really balanced and really great. Make sure your source is fresh as it's a delicate butter.

[Pierogi]

Braised short ribs of any ilk...as a stew, shredded into a ragu over pasta, you name it. Braises of any sort in general, really. With good mashed potatoes, really good mashed potatoes and rustic bread. A nice glass of pinot and that's my idea of heaven.

Meatloaf and gravy with the aforementioned really good mashed potatoes.

Or a really messy, really drippy, really greasy hamburger or patty melt, with onion rings.

Depends on what kind of hurt I'm comforting.

[therippa]

My mom's beef stroganoff...

cube and brown 1lb of sirloin steak

in a dutch oven mix together:

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

1 3/4 cans worth of milk

1 pack Lipton beef onion soup mix

1 can drained mushrooms

add meat and bake 350 for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, serve over egg noodles

Thomas Keller fondly mentions a recipe like this in ad hoc.

[emmalish]

As mentioned above, made from scratch baked mac & cheese would top my list. Also baked ziti, freshly baked bread or scone with some homemade preserves, or a big pile of buttermilk mashed potatoes (and whatever else is required to make a meal of them).

[Beebs]

Good bread and cheese.

Steak and a big gin martini.

Chinese steamer pork dumplings, the ones with lots of tasty broth inside.

Steaming bowl of noodles & soup - ramen, pho, beef noodles....

Apple pie and vanilla ice cream.

Oh, there are so many!

Is there anyone that considers fruit or veg comfort food? Other than potatoes or cooked fruit desserts like apple pie, I can't think of any that are particularly comforting to me. At first I thought hot spinach dip, but really it's the creamy cheesy goodness that is comforting, not so much the spinach.

[Special K]

Delitia Parmigiano Reggiano Butter

Butter made from the cream left over from Parmigiano Reggiano production.

Oh, man! As soon as I get my hands on some, this butter is gonna be my favorite comfort food!

[judiu]

Mac and cheese, as mentioned up-thread; peanut butter toast with hot cocoa, Chinese dumplings of virtually any type, bread pudding with whiskey sauce, and BOURBON! I'm sure I could think of more, but time is limited.

[Porthos]

Home-made potato-corn chowder.

[greenmountain]

I'd say chicken and biscuits, chowder or chili with fresh bread/oyster crackers, mashed potatoes with any meat-roast, ham, steak, a chicken- bowl of beef pho, my step-mother's blueberry buckle and pizelles on Christmas morning, or any time for that matter

[Holly Moore]

Chicken Fried anything. Creamed scalloped potatoes and ham. Chicken and dumplings. Banana pudding.

[emmalish]

Oooh, scalloped potatoes. How could I forget? Potatoes AND cheese, together.

[ray goud]

Macaroni and cheese, with ham and mushrooms, a la Pierre Franey.

Ray

[Lilija]

A fat cheeseburger, on a good kaiser roll. Not fast food. Not grilled, but from a good griddle, with lots of browning on the outside, and reddish in the center, fat and juices soaking the bun. No condiments, except cheese, and for comfort purposes, American cheese only. Lots of salt and pepper, nothing else. Maybe a pickle wedge on the side. French fries not necessary. For real comfort, this would have a cup of some sort of beany heavy soup alongside. Cheeseburgers have seen me through many woes.

My other comfort food is beans. Beans and rice, dal, bean soups, bean salads. Heavy and filling without being rich and cloying. When I get sick, I crave spicy lentils, more than just about anything.

[ScoopKW]

Delitia Parmigiano Reggiano Butter

Butter made from the cream left over from Parmigiano Reggiano production.

Oh, man! As soon as I get my hands on some, this butter is gonna be my favorite comfort food!

It tastes JUST like spreadable parm but milder, and more buttery. It's right up there with "beer" and "cheese" on my "favorite things created by mankind" list.

[KitchenMom]

Any kind of warm starch and cheese combo - macaroni and cheese, risotto, potatos au gratin, etc.

Soups and stews that are meaty, rich and savory - chicken soup with matzo balls, beef stew, etc.

Chicken pot pie.

Pho.

Warm bread pudding.

[hsm]

Spaghetti and meatballs. In a thick, Sicilian-style gravy. Noodle kugel, Not the sweet kind. Plain bagel (bought at a real bagel place) with a big shmear of smoked salmon cream cheese.

I'm feeling comforted already.