Nowadays, you’ve often found a term ‘comfort food’ anywhere, used for mentioning foods providing nostalgic and sentimental values specific to an individual or a group of people–later becoming a culture. Nonetheless, the term has undergone many shifts in meaning since 1970. Not interpreted as it is now, an article on the history of comfort food in 2020 mentioned that ‘comfort food’ referred to bland meals of the young, elderly, and the ill, making potatoes the original comfort food at that time, yet simultaneously, many people preferred to bake theirs with sour cream, pepper, and butter; boiled with bacon, slices of hard-boiled eggs, and ripe tomatoes; or made it into mashed potatoes with butter and cream.

Now that something unflavored had become tangy, ‘comfort food’ changed into personal dishes you can enjoy alone at home. When the diet industry claimed the term, the scientists said the dangers of eating for emotional gratification, since our favorite food might be served at will without really considering its nutritional balance. Along with this, people started craving for something sweet, like ice cream, pudding, and chocolate for pleasure.

In the 1980s, in company with the appearance of restaurants, ‘comfort food’ was meals served to middle-classes. However, thanks to a food writer, Jane Stern; because of her published cookbook interpreting the term as something more than food–it’s heart strings and memories, we get the ‘comfort food’ meaning as it is these days. We can also understand it as feeling-related foods typically cooked with high sugar and carbs and associated with childhood or home cooking.

Enough for the term’s brief history, now, do you wonder what iconic comfort foods are around the globe? Here are some of them, together with their ingredients, preparation methods, brief stories, and where to find them:

The first iconic comfort food within this list is, of course, pizza because who doesn’t know this far-famed food? Born along the western coast of Italy, specifically Naples, pizza in the past was just flatbread with ordinary toppings, but then, it’s sold by some street vendors and topped with tomatoes, cheese, garlic, and anchovies, making it the most favorite dish of the working class. However, the popularity of pizza increased after immigrants from Naples landed in America and started cooking their most-liked dish in their new home. Pizza shops began sprouting up across the nation and became a part of American and the world’s food culture since then. Other countries serving the best pizza are Spain, Japan, China, France, Ireland, and many more.

One of the reasons why pizza became the favorite meal in Naples was its easy preparation. You basically just need to make the bread then top it with anything you fancy. All-purpose flour and dry yeast are 2 basic ingredients of the bread, while for the topping, you can add mushrooms–or any of your favorite veggies–mozzarella, and meats. If you have a house party/movie night with your friends, pizza will be the easiest dish to prepare and the perfect company for any occasion. Don’t forget to garnish your pizza with a sprinkle of some oreganos and red chillies.

The second well-known comfort food throughout the world is macaroni, a pasta shaped like narrow tubes originated in Italy. Similar to pizza, macaroni also has a long history to be one of the widely known foods nowadays. The first macaroni recipe was written in an Italian cookbook, then made its way to France and England. Called ‘makerouns’–a generic pasta with no specific shape, macaroni in England was a popular food among the aristocratic family that was also appropriated by the French, with the addition of cream and cheese. The tubular shape of macaroni as we’re familiar with today had its roots in America, where macaroni became a dish for celebrations, a handy comfort food, and a meal for poor families of the Black community–over years, this recipe is cooked in every household extensively. Besides the aforementioned countries, the best macaroni is also served in China and Australia.

To make a portion of macaroni, you don’t need lots of ingredients; just the pasta itself, tomato ketchup, bell pepper, onion, butter, cheese, and seasonings. Its effortless preparation makes it suitable for any occasion, like kitty/potluck parties, picnics, lunch buffet, or family dinner. Add more veggies for your more healthy macaroni.

Who can guess that ramen actually originated from China rather than Japan? Yes, you don’t misread it; it’s presented in Japan by a Chinese ambassador and became a popular meal for soldiers and civilians during the war because of its cheap and convenient preparation. Nowadays, it’s enjoyed not only in Japan, but also around the world, yet there are some distinctions between authentic and instant ramen, especially on their ingredients and preparation methods. Authentic ramen uses high-quality ingredients, such as wheat flour for the noodles and various meats along with vegetables for the broth and toppings, while lower-quality ingredients and preservatives are utilized for the instant ramen. Additionally, authentic ramen requires separate preparation for its broth and noodles, yet the pre-cooked and dehydrated noodles in a single-serving package is the instant one–this is what we often find in supermarkets. Surely, the top ramen is served throughout Japan, although you may also spot it in France and America.

Eggs have been consumed in China for thousands of years, but combining it with tomatoes is an influence from Western. During the early Republican era, Western restaurants selling cuisines with tomatoes spread widely in China; it made locals experiment with tomatoes in their cooking. Since then, home cooked stir-fried tomatoes and eggs were sold in many Chinese restaurants. As with other previous comfort foods, Chinese tomato and egg is easy to prepare. You just have to cook the eggs and tomatoes alternately, add some seasonings, stir-fry them until combined and fully cooked. Most Chinese restaurants across the globe would have this dish in their menus, or you want to try to prepare it yourself at home for breakfast on the go.

Spaghetti and meatballs are an innovation of Italian immigrants coming to America around 1880 to 1920. In Italy, meat was expensive, so eating meat became a rare occasion for these immigrants. Meanwhile, they began putting meat on the table more often when coming to America because this country sold more affordable meat. The tomato sauce or marinara originated in Naples and translates to the word “sailor” in English, since the local fishermen made this quick and simple sauce on board their fishing boats. It’s also the time when spaghetti was one of a few accessible ingredients, making it hugely popular at that time. Those three elements are, then, combined and enjoyed by lots of people.

You can prepare this comfort food within 45 minutes only. All you need is meatloaf, cheese, egg, basil, parsley, oregano, salt, pepper, and garlic for the meatballs; mix them all, roll the mixture into golf ball-sized meatballs, bake it, then put it in your marinara. It’s even easier to prepare the spaghetti that just needs to be boiled in well-salted water. Alternatively, you can just stop by your favorite Italian restaurants and get your spaghetti and meatballs there.

Originated in Vietnam in the early 20th century, Pho is a flavourful soup made from rice noodles, beef/chicken broth, and various fresh herbs and spices. This dish was firstly cooked in Nam Dinh province, a region known for its quality beef. The locals usually used leftover beef bones to make this soup; and during the war, this was also the soldiers’ favorite, but now, you’ll find this dish served in many restaurants across the world. Not only is it an iconic comfort food in Vietnam, Pho also represents Vietnamese diversity as well as culinary and cultural symbol. It’s shown in the variety of Pho spread in each region throughout the country. Pho Bo, popular in northern Vietnam, is the most famous type of Pho made by simmering beef bones, oxtails, and spices; then strained and served with rice noodles, thin beef slices, and fresh herbs. Meanwhile, in southern Vietnam, Pho Ga is more favorable. Different from Pho Bo, Pho Ga features chicken bones and meats as the broth and topping. No matter what type of pho you fancy, go get a bowl of it available all over the country–the best pho is offered in Ho Chi Minh.

Also called Cantonese barbecue, siu mei originated from the province of Guangdong, China. When roast meats were popular during the Qing dynasty, the first siu mei shop was found in Guangdong in the late 1800s. Nevertheless, the fame of siu mei began as Cantonese people came to Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, Australia, and North America, bringing along their hometown’s recipe. Several well-known types of siu mei are barbecue pork, white-cut chicken, and roasted pork belly. The first favorite is made up of soy sauce, fermented soy beans, garlic, and hoisin sauce, yet sometimes, the restaurants add their own secret ingredients to improve the fragrance and tenderness of the dish. The second, white-cut chicken is prepared by poaching/steaming a chicken whole in a salt marinade, served with a side of spring onion and ginger dip. Lastly, to get the best roasted pork belly, it should have a nice layer of fat, achieving the crispness of the skin. Make sure to marinate it in salt and vinegar before roasted, then you can serve other sauces, like soy, hoisin, or spicy mustard. The leading restaurants offering siu mei are mostly in Hong Kong and Macau.

Khichdi, an Indian comfort food and food staple occupying an essential role in the country’s culinary culture, is a dish of rice and lentils. This food had been so popular since 2000 years ago, that it’s served to the royals. However, khichdi has stood the test of time, proven from its ancient roots and numerous variations that are still enjoyed by people globally nowadays. With rice and moong lentils as main ingredients, a bland khichdi was a dish for babies and ill people, but now, everyone prefers to make it tasty by adding butter, cumin seeds, ginger, and asafoetida. People also like to put some veggies, like carrot, potato, peas, and beans together with the rice and other seasonings (onions and green chilies) in the pan until it gets mushy in texture. When you go on a trip to Mumbai, you’ll know that this area serves the top khichdi in the town!

When Arab immigrants went to Greece and Turkey, they introduced a dish called moussaka, an eggplant stew with no popular layered version. The layered one with bechamel sauce was invented by a famous Greek chef and recipe writer, Nikolaus Tselementes. There are some variations of moussaka, yet the Greek version is the original. All you need is to prepare potatoes, beef, aubergines, onions, garlic, tomatoes, bay leaves, and olive oils. This dish consists of three layers prepared separately that are then topped with bechamel sauce, made of butter, eggs, and milk; and cheese. If you find it hard to imagine what moussaka looks like, we can say that its texture and appearance are quite similar to lasagna. Besides Greece, you can get this dish in Singapore, Sydney, Budapest, and America.

The last comfort food to introduce in the list is chilaquiles, a traditional Mexican dish dating back centuries to the early Aztecs. Derived from Azstecs’s ancient word meaning ‘chillies and greens’, chilaquiles is a common meal for Mexican families, although it’d existed since hundreds of years ago. At the time, people prepared chilaquiles with minimal ingredients, like leftover tortillas and salsas (condiments for Mexican foods) as substitutes of meats, but nowadays, beef, chicken, eggs, and queso fresco (white cheese) are added to it. To get it ready, the crunchy fried corn tortilla with salsas is simmered until the tortilla starts softening to absorb the sauce, but this isn’t the only way to cook chilaquiles; you can vary the recipe by adding other ingredients, salsas, or flavors. On the other hand, you can just stop by some Mexican restaurants nearby, or take a trip to Mexico for the authentic taste of chilaquiles.
These are 10 popular comfort foods in some countries, but we can be quite sure that each country has their comfort food because food occupies a crucial part in human’s life from fulfilling basic needs to representing cultural identity, so whether you want to get cultural experience via food or just crave for something different from your hometown’s taste, culinary tour to some destinations known for their lively food culture has always been the best way. Book your flights now on Traveloka–you can also reserve tables in some countries’ popular restaurants there!