comfort food

American  

[kuhm-fert food] / ˈkʌm fərt ˌfud /

noun

1. simple, home-style food that brings comforting thoughts of home or childhood.

---

comfort food British  

noun

1. food that is enjoyable to eat and makes the eater feel better emotionally

---

Etymology

Origin of comfort food

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

If I’m in the cooking mood, I love making comfort food like chicken and rice with cabbage and mac and cheese.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

The comfort food was surprisingly good, the early March sunset beyond spectacular.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026

This is where Fabio Parasecoli, a professor of food studies and a native Roman, situates Italian comfort food not as indulgence, but as memory and necessity.

From Salon • Jan. 24, 2026

But there are other times when you crave a familiar scene, a traveler’s version of comfort food.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 26, 2025

I bet she’d like a box of cereal to munch on, too: comfort food for the ride.

From "Wintergirls" by Laurie Halse Anderson