How comfort foods trigger pleasure in our brains
Poorhouse Pies, a bakery in Underhill, Vermont, is home to 50 different types of pie, each one somebody's favorite comfort food. The owner, Suzanne Tomlinson, has been quoted as saying that if comfort food were an Olympic sport, she'd be a contender. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'd get a gold medal," she said. "I love to envision different varieties of comfort foods and then make them into pies."
From classic apple, to maple cream, a key ingredient is nostalgia, says Tomlinson. Take the chicken pot pie: "Chicken pot pie is one of my very favorite comfort foods, and it's probably because my mom used to make it with me. And I still remember her, and I remember the smell of her kitchen and her hands making it, and it connects me to her."
So, what defines a dish as a comfort food? "I think something that gives you that warm-and-fuzzy feeling, like, 'Oh, my stress is going to be relieved, and I'm going to remember a time when I felt safe and loved,'" Tomlinson said.
RECIPE: Chicken Pot Pie, from Poorhouse Pies
