Macaroni and cheese is comfort food in Canada

Food is comforting. When it's comfort food, it's all the more satisfying.

While we use the term 'comfort food' for a whole lot of things, what does it really mean?

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, comfort food is "food that is satisfying because it is prepared in a simple or traditional way and reminds you of home, family, or friends".

I think it's food that relaxes you. On asking a few people, I found out that their tastes vary quite widely. A friend who was raised by Taiwanese parents said that her comfort food is beef hot pot made by her mother.

Another friend who's on the eccentric side said it was chips with chocolate pudding. My husband, who's a very simple eater, said his comfort food was sliced apples and cheese.

It made me think what was popular comfort food for all Canadians. According to a 2011 article in the Huffington Post, the Top 3 comfort items were macaroni and cheese, poutine, and pancakes with maple syrup.

But what's interesting is in the States, the two most popular comfort foods were grilled cheese sandwiches and mashed potatoes. Macaroni and cheese ranked third.

Pizza was Number 5 for Americans and Canadians. While we had curry and rice as Number 6, the Americans had dumplings on the Huffington Post list. Grilled cheese sandwiches came in at Number 10 in Canada. 

On researching other countries, I discovered that shepherd's pie and custard ranked high with the Brits. For the French, it's paté and croque-monsieur—the French always show their sophistication.

According to an article in the Atlantic, people with positive family relationships are more likely to reach for comfort food in times of sadness, which is interesting to note.