When the term first appeared, newspapers used borscht soup recipe jamie oliver 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. 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.

The identification of particular items as comfort food may be idiosyncratic, though patterns are detectable. 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. Further studies suggest that consumption of comfort food is triggered in men by positive emotions, and by negative ones in women. A therapeutic use of these findings includes offering comfort foods or “happy hour” beverages to anorectic geriatric patients whose health and quality of life otherwise decreases with reduced oral intake. A partial list by region of comfort foods around the world.

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. A plate of classic poutine at a Montreal restaurant. Bangers and mash is a British comfort food. Ful medames served with hard-boiled eggs, a staple in Egypt. A madeleine de Proust is a French expression specifically referring to Marcel Proust’s description of comfort food in In Search of Lost Time. Some popular Indonesian foods are considered to be comfort food, usually served hot or warm, and either soupy or with a soft texture.

Some Indonesian comfort foods are traditional Indonesian food and some are derived from Chinese influences. A salt and vinegar marinated meat stew, with a large amount of local and regional variations. A thick, savory rice porridge, often served as breakfast, on rainy days, or when sick. A noodle soup with a variety of meats.

Dinuguan – A pork blood and offal stew. A cold, crushed ice dessert dish of mixed sweets in fruits, with milk and topped with ice cream and leche flan. A stew of ox tripe and oxtail in a peanut sauce. It is regarded as a local variant of Indian curry. Fried or fresh spring rolls with vegetable or meat filling.

A hot noodle soup with distinctly thick egg noodles. A class of noodles, almost always fried or stir-fried, and often served during birthday celebrations. A classification of sour soups with different configurations of meats, vegetables, and souring agents. Hot chocolate drink made with cacao, served with or without milk.

Traditional Swiss cuisine is characterized by its simplicity and extensive use of dairy products like cheese, cream and butter. Macaroni and cheese is an American comfort food. Chowders: Clam chowder, Shrimp chowder, Corn chowder, etc. How comfort foods work like Prozac”.

A Brief History of Comfort Food”. 5 Reasons Why We Crave Comfort Foods”. Handbook of Behavior, Food and Nutrition. The Science behind Comfort Food – Desert Hope”. Comfort Foods: An Exploratory Journey into the Social and Emotional Significance of Food”.

Exploring comfort food preferences across age and gender”. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Chronic stress and comfort foods: Self-medication and abdominal obesity”. Affect asymmetry and comfort food consumption”. Stress influences appetite and comfort food preferences in college women”. Weakened biological signals: Highly-developed eating schemas amongst women are associated with maladaptive patterns of comfort food consumption”. Feeding the anorectic client: Comfort foods and happy hour”.