comfort food
UK /ˈkʌmfət ˌfuːd/ · US /ˈkʌmfɚt ˌfud/ noun
Forms comfort foods
- noun Simple, comforting home-cooked-style food associated with one's formative years, often a staple of diners and other informal restaurants.
- noun Food, often high in carbohydrates or sugar, consumed to feel comfort or alleviate stress rather than to receive nutrition. “After the relationship ended, she overindulged on comfort food every night.”
Etymology
From comfort + food. First use appears c. 1962 in the Independent (Pasadena, California).
Sources: Wiktionary — from the Wiktionary entry “comfort food”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details