The notion that some foods provide comfort is probably as old as the adult child of the first cook, who, having a bad day, prepared some dish remembered vividly from childhood. It’s likely that the dish was high in fat and carbohydrates, filling and satisfying.
What that dish might actually be, of course, may depend on your gender — women tend to prefer sweets and snacks, while men prefer hearty, meaty dishes such as casseroles and stews. Or so say the scientists who study such things.
It will also depend on your culture — the dumplings of China, Armenia and Poland may provide scant comfort to the Latino who’s looking for Puerto Rico’s arroz con gandules, rice with pigeon peas, or to the Indonesian for whom nasi goreng, fried rice with a variety of garnishes, speaks of home.
Most of us here in the States would recognize macaroni and cheese as a comfort food; so, too, mashed potatoes and pot roast and chicken pot pie and meatloaf and even birthday cake.