Comfort Food Spotlight: Lentil soup is a nutritious meal that is packed with Vitamin C, fiber, zinc, iron, and protein. (Photo Credit: the kitchn)
By Dagmar Alayash
It’s this time of year again, and the Foodie Team at e-Management is asking how did we get here so soon? Many of us are reflecting on the past year, and with evenings drawing closer and cooler now, our thoughts turn to the holidays, family, and of course, an array of endless culinary delights.
Food that comforts us…
Speaking of amazing food, we’re taking a look at dishes that are considered comfort food and ask why they are comfort foods? Wikipedia says comfort foods are traditional staples that bring feelings of nostalgia. These foods usually have a “high carbohydrate level” and are simple to prepare. Think chili, soup, and stew dishes. Why do we love these foods so much? Well, the long slow cooking of these dishes intensifies the melding of ingredients, enhances the flavors, and makes for overall delicious satisfying meals.
Soups for the soul…
Becoming more popular are soups and dishes that include ingredients from the ‘Superfood’ category, resulting in not only nutritious, but also very tasty hearty meals. For example , , and . All of these soups are very flavorful and filling. Yes, it can be a lot of chopping, but they are so easy to create, and once you taste the foods, you’ll know it was worth every minute making them. The spinach soup is described as ‘restorative’ in the recipe, which is perhaps what we are looking for in comfort food, something that will give us a lift, make us feel good, and essentially help to restore our energy reserve, which around the holidays can feel depleted at times!
More comforting…
, a comfort food if there ever was one; and one of the best recipes that always receive rave reviews from the Food Network. Like one of the kings of comfort foods Macaroni cheese? Try this cholesterol-free and unimaginable tasty – described as luxurious, savory, mega satisfying and altogether dreamy. Do these words capture most of what we’re looking for when we seek out comfort foods? Sweets and desserts also count as essential in the comfort food arena. Hot chocolate comes to mind and warm cinnamon rolls with the must-have sweet and creamy icing…. the list of comfort sweets is endless.
Morning comfort…
Hearty breakfasts can also be a truly comforting way to start your day, especially at this time of the year. FoodNetwork.com recently listed ‘50 States 50 Breakfasts’, that includes an found in Boise Idaho, Red Feather Lounge, so popular that they frequently sell out within a couple of hours of opening – perhaps 2016 is the year of a foodie vacation planned around visiting Boise Idaho. 
Your favorite…
All of a sudden we are hungry. Why is that? Now, we invite you to join us with your own thoughts: (1) How do you define the meaning of comfort foods? (2) What are your favorite comfort foods? (3) What comfort foods will make it to your holiday dinners?
Tags: Dagmar Alayash, diet, , foodie, holidays, nutrition, Ola Sage, Thanksgiving
Thanks for pulling this blog posting together Dagmar. I look forward to it every Thanksgiving season. Here are my responses…
(1) How do you define the meaning of comfort foods? Any food that reminds me of my Caribbean background is a comfort food.
(2) What are your favorite comfort foods? Rice and peas (Caribbean rice and usually red beans), coconut rice, ackee (Jamaica’s national fruit), and foods seasoned with jerk spices and/or Caribbean curries.
(3) What comfort foods will make it to your holiday dinners? I don’t plan to cook…I plan to be a guest. So I have no clue.
Dennis, – the coconut rice and curries sound delicious! Rice with any dish is one of my favorite things to eat. Its interesting to learn about Jamaica’s national fruit too, I don’t know how ackee is cooked but baked apples just came to mind as another ‘comfort food’.
Almost anything that I consume is a comfort food. I struggle daily to eat enough calories.
I’m cooking tomorrow. I can’t wait to get a bite of everything. Turkey, dressing, ham, greens, KYs, mac n cheese, candied yams, slaw. I’ll be in a coma come 6pm.
Tmac, thanks for stopping by. I agree the holiday meal is really something to look forward to. I’m cooking part of a dinner tomorrow, and am getting quite excited at the thought of all the food combinations there will be. I think comfort foods are all around us on a daily basis, not just around the holidays, and its all about making choices and trying to get a good balance of different food groups, without being too tough on yourself. Enjoying comfort foods without the guilt is especially heart-warming and satisfying around the holidays!
Jamaicans are all about food, we love to cook it and eat it. There is something which I am not sure if I can define about Jamaican food that makes other cultures want the food and even some flee to the “homeland” to get a bit of some of the islands most scrumptious meals. As the holidays approaches I turn to my favorite Jamaican breakfast to feed that hungry need. My absolute favorite meal of all time is Ackee and Saltfish, which happens to be the international dish of the island. This meal while often eaten for breakfast can be eaten for lunch or dinner.
So why do I love this meal so much, I think it’s because it reminds me of home, I grew up on this meal, so naturally it brings memories of my family, my grandmother specially cooking this meal for me on so many occasions. For me, Ackee and Saltfish when combined with fry dumplings hits the spot each time. Eating these two combinations simply makes me shake my head and stomp my feet—I think that food that brings a smile to your face really does say something about the food.
The meal is so amazing that the National Geographic ranks it as the second among the world’s best national dishes. Don’t believe me check it out her http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/top-10/national-food-dishes/
In fact, Ackee and Saltfish, is the national dish of Jamaica, which only makes me want to eat it more.
Vinette, just reading your description of Ackee and Saltfish makes me want to try it! It sounds delicious especially with the fried dumplings. I can imagine food this good would have anyone shaking their head and stomping their feet
I think you hit the nail on the head with the description of ‘food that brings a smile to your face’ it’s really what comfort food is all about.
I looked at the link with the world’s best national dishes and was happy to see a dish that always brings a smile to my face; ‘Roast Beef & Yorkshire Pudding’ a British staple, that includes horseradish sauce as a condiment that gives the dish a spicy kick. The meal includes a variety of freshly cooked vegetables, including roast potatoes and the centerpiece Yorkshire Pudding which is very similar to ‘Popovers’ in the U.S. Well cooked Yorkshire puddings expand into a light, airy, crispy and delicious savory pudding. Lets keep smiling…
I’ve always been one to eat any and everything I want. That’s one reason why I became a cook as my first profession. I love good food, so I’ll taste anything once. I just may try this….well, I will.
Comfort Foods and the holiday….I was flying back to DC from a quick trip to my hometown to check on family. While at the airport, I wanted something light to be my late lunch/early dinner while traveling. My eyes gravitated to the GRILLED CHEESE on the “kids menu” and I combined it with a bowl of turkey chili….YUM YUM…comfort/ flashback to my youth of cream of tomato soup and fritos and grilled cheese…warmth, love and comfort.
Oh, I’m making a sweet potato pie that’ll make Patty sing “oh if I only i knew, how much I do, I do need you”..about my pie. LOL
All I can say is I don’t know what I was thinking when I planned a trip to PR the week following Thanksgiving. That sweet potato casserole is the work of the devil and why the heck did my nephew fry the turkey? I now have to dig out my moomoo for the beach.
Ralph, thanks for stopping by. I try different foods whenever I can, and enjoy experimenting with recreations of dishes I’ve eaten. My latest dish was a Greek appetizer with Feta cheese, oregano, chilli and tomato, baked in the oven, I think it can be called a comfort food as it was really good. Enjoy the Ackee and Saltfish dish!
Michael I can imagine grilled cheese together with the turkey chili is a wonderful comfort food! Its sometime the very simple, uncomplicated foods that taste the best. I never thought to order an item from the child’s menu, but can see how it would be a good way to combine different dishes and know you can finish everything. My staple at airports before flying is pasta, I’ve no idea why, but its comforting, fills me up and I often skip dinner on the plane and just sleep after eating this. Enjoy making the sweet potato pie, definitely on top of the dessert comfort food list!
Derek, thanks for your comments. I agree its way too much food around the holidays and if its sweet and fried, its just so good and we eat and continue eating! I try to enjoy the foods though and remind myself about the exercise regime I’m planning to go on, right after the holidays of course.
Hearty & healthy are a double yum ! Reading your blog Dagmar has tantalised my taste buds! Lots of such tasty treats are what constitutes comfort & are Soul food. I made a mixed lentil dall for dinner today. Quick & easy after work & perfect for this wet windy UK weather. Thank you for your suggestions.
Fauzia, thank you for your comments. I use lentils in a lot of dishes, my favorite is a lentil soup, its hard to believe that something so basic and easy to put together tastes so good. My very basic lentil soup consists of sautéing onions, carrots and celery and a bay leaf, adding lentils, broth, salt pepper & cumin and then simmering for 30 minutes until cooked.
Imagine a chilly, rainy afternoon that is becoming overwhelmed by a darkening sky. You are indoors, and you are home for good. This is where comfort food takes on a more appealing significance. Then with the right ingredients, there is no end to the possibilities as long as your creative juices flow. I love the appeal of the foods presented here as they are attractive to both the carnivores and the plant eaters…..Dagmar, I am not sure if there is a book called ‘Rainy Days Comfort Foods’ but maybe you could write a book. You may be onto something. Each dish could be illustrated with a scene that depicts an atmosphere of nostalgia. The lights should be soft and playful and inviting.
Comfort food indeed! I loved reading this!