Top 5 comfort foods

Travel is all about culture, traditions, history and taking ourselves away from our comfort zone. Travel is also very much about cuisine as we broaden our knowledge of an area and the people, through food.

Through food, there are strong associations with smells, memories and emotions. Long after we return home from our travels the smell and sight of some foods take us straight back to where it first tantalised our tastebuds.

Then there is comfort food, you know the one, the minute you get a whiff or catch a glimpse of it you are taken straight back to the comfort of home. Comfort foods are usually simple to prepare, high in carbs and consumed to lift our spirits. We’ve all heard of chicken soup for the soul right?  Whether it be Nanna’s rice pudding or Mum’s Sunday night roast, comfort foods are usually a food attached to a time, a place or a person.

When it comes to comfort food Men prefer to tuck into full flavoured hearty meals like casseroles or soups whilst women tend to prefer to pique their emotions with soothing chocolates or ice cream.

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All this food talk comes from an invitation from Pooja at A Bit of this and a lot of that to join the 3 Girls and a #BlogAlong linkup. I was asked what makes me drool and my heart skip just thinking about it? What is the food that makes me feel alive?

So get ready to be hungry as we share our Top 5 comfort foods.

Having a cold spell in the weather at home at the moment we are loving the flavours and variety of many different homemade soups. I make Potato, Cauliflower or Pumpkin soup mostly and do a really good Pea and Ham soup. But I have to say, one of my all time comfort foods is the good ol’ Big Red Tomato soup. Soup is something we often have when travelling in a cooler climate and find it very comforting putting some warmth in our bellies and soothing our soul with a bowl of soup.

What are the top 5 comfort foods that makes me feel alive? #travel https://t.co/z9f95FJrkb

— aholeinmyshoe (@a_holeinmyshoe) December 31, 2016

Who doesn’t like pasta? We do and we know our love of pasta is the reason we said goodbye to our waistline. It is quick, easy and always tastes so good. Doesn’t matter if we are home or abroad we can always manage to get a good Ragu, Spaghetti Bolognese, Fettucine, Lasagne or my favourite, Tortellini. Whether a tasty, hearty tomato based sauce or a delicate creamy mushroom, I enjoy them all.

Pizza is another favourite that is easy to find just about anywhere. Who would have thought when we arrived in Paris one of the first quick meals we would have, would be Pizza. Steve is a pretty dab hand at making his own dough and we often make pizza at home and experiment with toppings. One of our favourites is roast pumpkin, camembert and chicken and of course who can refuse a slice or two of meat lovers?

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Another tasty, quick and readily available snack is a toastie, grilled cheese, jaffle or croque monsieur. It doesn’t matter where you are, or what you call it, a few slices of bread, cheese and ham cooked up make this tasty snack one of the top comfort foods. When in Bali last year and wanting a bit of comfort food we settled into a local warung and had jaffles for dinner.

Last but not least, of course we couldn’t forget dessert. Whether a gooey, chocolate brownie, a little pie of flakey pastry filled with nuts, fruits and cream or a pannacotta, a waffle with vanilla bean ice cream or crème brulee, I can always find space for the perfect end for a meal. I love cracking into the caramel shell on the crème brulee, the sound excites before I even have a taste of the smooth velvet cream.

Lastly, although it’s not a food, and I already have listed my top 5 comfort foods, something we crave to start our day or complete any meal is a good cup of coffee. Not speaking any language besides English we have had some funny experiences abroad just trying to purchase a good cup of coffee.

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But for this post I was asked to write about what makes my heart skip and makes me feel alive and for me that is not the food, but the company. You might notice all my pictures are food for two and that is where I find my comfort, sharing a meal with the one I love, my husband and my perfect travel partner.

We enjoy many a meal out with friends at home and when travelling abroad. Whilst you can have the most amazing food, for us it is certainly each other’s company that completes the experience and makes the meal more pleasurable.

Do you enjoy these foods too? Do you have a list of top 5 comfort foods?

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