Good food is a therapeutic thing. It is something soothing and calms the soul. Comfort food is more than food that just tastes good. It’s food that is often nostalgic and has a personal connection. The concept of comfort food was first envisioned in Part 2 Chapter 1 of the 1615 novel Don Quixote by Miguel De Cervantes; “They did not, however, omit to visit his niece and housekeeper, and charge them to be careful to treat him with attention, and give him comforting things to eat, and such as were good for the heart and the brain, whence, it was plain to see, all his misfortune proceeded.” This concept has evolved and today the need for food that brings us a sense of tranquillity has become an everyday necessity, with our sense of taste transporting us to a point of relief. Familiarity plays a part in food becoming comforting rather than taste alone.
Dishes from the past have re-emerged as trends today, with many seeking to sense nostalgic moments from their lives in the form of food. In the United Kingdom, school cake has become a trend in the past few of years courtesy of reaching viral status on social media as it is often served with school dinners. It is a dry vanilla sponge cake topped with icing and sprinkles, and is a popular item with bakeries and cake suppliers. Jacqui Passmore, marketing lead West EU & AMEAP at bakery supplier Dawn Foods, stated; “The school cakes internet sensation is certainly being driven by consumers’ desire for comfort and familiarity.” Retro trends such as school cake surges in popularity courtesy of nostalgia and it’s familiarity to those that consume them. School cake isn’t the only old-school food item that has made a comeback; during the credit crunch in 2008, the arctic roll became popular once again as consumers sought after cheaper desserts. Arctic rolls were discontinued by manufacturers Birds Eye ten years prior to their re-emergence as sales slumped during the 1990’s following a period of success in the previous decade. As the products were previously recalled, that meant arctic rolls would be made available once again for a discounted fee during a time of financial decline, reclaiming it’s popularity from once before and giving consumers a taste of their childhoods. Angel Delight is another product that has enjoyed a period of re-emergence having been out of favour for so long. In 2017, it’s manufacturers Premier Foods relaunched the product as a single-serve product instead of a powder mix as ready-to-eat products in order to modernise the brand and provide consumers with a more convenient dessert option. Following its revival, there are new product ranges of Angel Delight, such as new flavours (butterscotch & chocolate and chocolate & salted caramel), low calorie products and boba jelly pots. These revivals not only bring back memories for consumers, but also attract a new generation of consumers too.
Matriarch branding in food became common in the late 19th century as a selling point. Corporations back then struggled to gain the trust of consumers as they doubted the safety of factory-made products, so a motherly archetype was created in order to create a trustworthy and comforting brand that would appeal to potential customers. For many generations, mothers, grandmothers and aunts were often figures of domesticity, and that brought about the idea of a meal being made with love, as it was cooked by a beloved family member and romanticising the meal that was being served. One of the earliest examples of this method of food marketing was with the brand Aunt Jemima’s, a pancake mix product invented in 1889 that featured a matriarchal caricature, and then more significant examples emerged like Betty Crocker, whose early caricatures would educate a new generation of housewives. It created the illusion of a lovingly prepared home-cooked meal, therefore placing itself in the comfort food category, because there’s nothing more comforting to so many than home. However, there have been many arguments that these types of caricatures can be sexist, as many of them were invented during periods when women’s roles in the the wider world were restricted and were often created by male marketing executives. They also subconsciously suggested that women should reduce themselves to roles in their home kitchens and represents an unrealistic standard of domestic perfection. There have been other arguments that figures like Betty Crocker empowered women during a time of gender norms and help make cooking look like a skill instead of a chore. Many of these early caricatures evolved over time to give a more accurate representation of the modern family instead of unrealistic depictions like before, so the illusion of the home cooked meal can give its consumers the comfort they are looking for. Matriarch branding started to become common in restaurants, when immigrants who came to the USA during the 1930’s opened restaurants with mama’s in the name, once again creating the domestic illusion of a home cooked meal to it’s diners. Menu items would have a matriarchal title in the name to make the dish seem like a family recipe and even giving diners a sense of safety, as food psychologists argue that the word mama can give the consumer a sense of reassurance.
Comfort food has many forms, but usually comes from a place with meaning to it’s consumer. Nostalgia can play a big role in how something can go from being just a meal to a source of comfort. Throwback recipes like school cake achieved a high level of popularity due to it’s familiarity and the memories they help their consumers bring back. Home-cooked meals are often considered comfort food, prompting corporation to create matriarchal caricatures of domestic illusions, although their societal impacts became debatable in later years with many questioning how women have been depicted. Seemingly simple words like mama can have a big say on when a plate of food becomes comfort food, as it suggests that it’s a simple homemade dish that isn’t anything out of the ordinary and it’s exactly like how you remember it. A plate of food becoming comfort food can be determined by the brain instead of your tastebuds.
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