There are many answers to the definition of comfort foods. There are as many variations to the answer as there are individuals who are asked the question. What makes something a comfort food while others are not? Is it related to diet or type of recipe? Is it related to ingredients?

Marie was a waitress at a French restaurant. She was asked what she thought of when I asked her what comfort foods were. After she put down a plate of garlic roasted Italian bread, parmesan cheese, and olive oil, she volunteered that oven-roasted chicken came to mind. That is what her grandmother served every Sunday evening when Susie was a child. Grandmother's Sunday chicken is what Susie thought of as a comfort food.

Familiarity is a word that is used to describe one's comfort level. This also applies to things that one eats. Foods that one recognizes, things that bring memories of family and home, are important characteristics of comfort foods. It is not the ingredients per se. It is the setting in which the food item is served. Family meals often are cited as part of the answer to the question of what are comfort foods.

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