The Food We Loved When We Were Young

Science has tried to explain this persistent draw. One straightforward answer offered by a team of food scientists writing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences credits comfort food’s appeal to its nutritional make up. Many dishes are high in fat or sugar, substances that the body can process into temporary stress relief.

Psychologists have explored a more complicated connection between food and individual memory, theorizing that well-loved dishes can evoke the same feelings of security or contentment they did when the diner was younger.