Is Comfort Food Just for the Winter?

Photo: Kirsten Taylor, Wikimedia Commons

Nah. At least I don't think so. It's true, once the weather gets chilly people start firing up their slow cookers and digging out casserole dishes to make rich, dark, meaty stews with piles of creamy white mashed potato. And this is what many visualise when they think about 'comfort food'.

But can summer food be comforting too? Of course it can. I immediately think back to Dom from Belleau Kitchen's guest post of Roasted Vine Tomatoes. Hardly a winter dish - and with its sweet flavour and tang of balsamic vinegar it's positively Mediterranean in influence. But yet it's offered here as a comfort food. Salads: can crisp lettuce, caraway seeds and coral-coloured ribbons of smoked salmon be comforting? You bet it can. It's all in the textures, the flavours and in the memories of the person eating it.

Dom from Belleau Kitchen's Oven Roasted Tomatoes

For me, many of my own favourite comfort foods are rooted in my childhood. I’m not really a massive fan of vanilla ice cream – but plonk a scoopful in a glass of Coca Cola and I’m transported back to when I was nine years old and sitting on the porch of our house during the hot summer holidays. Memories are one of the key factors in what makes food comforting – their aroma, taste or appearance can spark off a memory of childhood, to the days when you didn’t have to pay the bills, do the shopping or be particularly organised (as long as you remembered your PE kit on Thursdays). You just got fed whenever you were hungry by someone you love.

Comfort food to me is one of the food areas where there isn’t really time for ‘haute cuisine’ or snobbishness. Uneven cakes, with cream or icing dribbling down one side seem to have more appeal than the perfect pale, aerated discs sold by supermarkets. Similarly, what is one person’s dream dish is another’s nightmare or disaster. For some reason, I find baked beans overcooked until they go a bit mushy completely irresistible. It’s how my Mum used to cook them. And one of my favourite comfort-food dinners is fishfingers, chips and beans. What is one person’s emergency quick fix supper is another’s special treat – to be shopped for specially and eaten slowly.


So I think that comfort food really doesn’t have so much to do with the seasons. It’s about personal memories, textures, colours and of course aromas and taste.

 
Do you consider any summer foods comforting? Why is that? Would love to hear your comments!

The Science Bit: Studies Reveal the Motivation Behind Eating Comfort Food

I was browsing on the internet when I discovered a study, by Professor Brian Wansink, which delves into the world of comfort foods and when we are most likely to eat them. Which got me thinking. What have studies shown us about comfort foods and why they are eaten? The results are very interesting.

Potato chips were the most popular comfort food
Brian Wansink surveyed over 1,000 Americans and found that potato chips came out on top as the most popular comfort food, while steak, pasta, salad and soup also rated highly.

Women were most likely to choose snacks for comfort
When men were asked to name their top comfort foods, they chose pizza and pasta, soup and ice cream. Brian Wansink interprets the fact that men chose more "meal-type" options because it makes them feel "spoiled and taken care of". Women, however, chose comfort foods readily and immediately available as snacks, including ice cream, chocolate and cookies. It's thought that women don't generally go for the meal-type foods because it reminds them of the work gone into making them.

Eating comfort foods when we are sad or depressed
Contrary to what many might think, 86% of respondents said that they eat comfort foods when they are in a happy mood. Only 36% admitted to comfort eating when they were depressed. This reinforces the idea that comfort foods are eaten as a reward. This article also cites an opposing study where secretaries were shown one of two movies - one had a happy theme and the other a depressing one. Those watching the depressing film ate 38% more buttery popcorn than the 'happy-film' group.

Food cravings linked to a 'desire' and not a 'need'

A French study by Lionel Lafay found that food cravings were linked to psychology rather than nutrition. He said "in our study, food craving was related to a 'desire' and not to a 'need' for a majority of subjects, which confirms the important role of psychological function".

We crave salty foods when we are hungry
The same French study also found that subjects craved salty foods when they were hungry and sweet foods when they weren't.

Eating 'junk food' comfort foods could reduce stress
An Australian study indicated that eating junk food could reduce stress levels - in rats. Researchers separated baby rats from their mothers, noted their stress levels and then fed one group of rats junk food. The rats that had been fed the comfort 'junk food' showed reduced stress levels than the other group.

Both men and women chose ice cream as a favourite comfort food (Photo credit: Lotus Head, Wikimedia Commons)

Comfort food choices stem from childhood

Ever wondered why you reach for a bowl of tinned tomato soup and plastic white, buttered bread when you're feeling ill? It might be down to your childhood. More research from Brian Wansink found that comfort food choices could be traced back to what was eaten in childhood, or associated with favourite meals of friends or family. 

What do you think? Why do you eat certain comfort foods over others? Do you eat them when you are happy or sad or do they remind you of what you ate as a child? Would love to read your comments!