People Are Sharing The "Nostalgia Meals" That Immediately Rocket Them To Childhood
Smell and memory are so closely intertwined. If you think about home, chances are there is one meal you can still imagine as if you're still sitting in your childhood kitchen and smelling it today. So Redditor u/chrisrvatx asked, "What's your 'smells like home' meal?". Here's what people said, including some members of the BuzzFeed Community.
1."I remember the smell of my dad's tomato sauce with meatballs on Sundays. There was something about that savory smell filling the whole house, coming into your bedroom and waking you up on a late morning."
2."Bacon and coffee. When I was little, and my dad's parents were still alive, we'd make every effort to visit for one of the holidays. Most of their extended family did family reunions of a sort. My tiny, elderly grandmother, mid-70s at the time, would get up very early, put on the coffee, start the bacon, and begin slicing potatoes and onions. I'd awaken to that aroma, make my way into her kitchen, and she'd give me a glass of cold milk with a dash of coffee in it because I was such a 'fine young man..."
"...By the time the grownups arose, hot potatoes and onions fried in bacon fat would be ready, served with bacon, coffee, eggs as desired, and fresh biscuits. I never could figure out how she made them without me seeing it happen. And gravy, I almost forgot, a large ceramic gravy boat full of peppered cream gravy. An hour later, maybe around 7:30, she'd shoo everyone out of her kitchen, not a bit of food left over, and she'd begin cleaning up, no help wanted, and preparing for lunch. Bacon and coffee and, darn it, those onions she's cutting up are now blurring my vision. RIP, grandma."
3."I'm from Hawaii, so Spam-anything is my comfort food. I eat it a few times a week. Spam, eggs and rice, Spam musubi, fried noodles with Spam, a Spam sandwich, I could go on and on."
4."Fried bologna sandwich on white bread. It’s trash, but my dad made the best version of this meal. He’s been gone since 1992, but it always brings him back to me."
5."Toasted and warm pita with labneh and olive oil. Tastes like home."
6."When the sofrito hits the oil, followed by the packet of Sazón. Whatever I'm making, the base smells like home and like my mom."
7."Apple cobbler. The smell reminds me of fall in New England, going apple picking as a kid, and having my dad bake an apple pie or cobbler. I smell it and feel like I'm eight years old again."
8."'Nap roast,' aptly named because my Dad insists it won't come out right if you don't nap while it cooks. It's pork roast with carrots, celery, onions, chicken broth, spices, and most importantly, a packet of French onion soup mix. When the wind was right, we could smell it getting off the bus several houses down the street."
9."Chicken soup. My mom would make two huge pots before major Jewish holidays, and I'd wake up to the smell. I can still smell it sometimes and she's been gone for 22 years."
10."When my grandmother made chicken and andouille sausage gumbo, the roux and the okra smell wafted through the house all day. Or her Cajun dirty rice with red beans and sausage. The smell of Tony's and garlic...it takes me right back to childhood and happier times."
11."Borscht. Once the dill goes in, I'm back in my grandparents' kitchen."
12."Just simple onions and garlic cooking in olive oil, the basis of all Italian-American food."
13."Okinawa taco rice, which is a weird American-Mexican-Japanese monstrosity that many who grew up in Japan secretly adore but are ashamed to admit."
14."Southern cornbread dressing baking makes me think of my mom staying up all night cooking holiday dinners."
15."I made my mom's spaghetti sauce tonight. It's a three-hour simmer affair she picked up from an Italian woman in her neighborhood growing up, and she made it for us at least once a week for years. The way the smell fills the entire house all day and night — nothing takes me back quite like that."
16."I have a summer birthday, and my parents are frugal about air conditioning, so my mom would bake my favorite Texas sheet cake the night before. Coming home as an adult to that distinctive cinnamon chocolate smell is the definition of family and love."
17."Rosemary bread. For me, the smell of it gives me a sense of comfort and nostalgia, like being wrapped in your favorite old sweatshirt."
18."Whenever it rained, my mom would make homemade bread and a big pot of ham hock beans (or chili beans). She would time it so that as each wave of kids came home, a loaf would come out of the oven. Warm bread and butter with a couple of scoops of beans…we all knew we were home. Food was one of mom's love languages, and we really benefited from that!"
19."Albóndigas. It's a Mexican soup with meatballs and veggies. My grandma lived with us when I was growing up and would make it almost every rainy day. The smell of the broth would go throughout the house. It was always incredibly cozy and warm to those cloudy days."
20."Apple cider. Growing up in upstate New York, apples were a staple in my house. We'd pick them every fall, get fresh cider and fresh cider donuts at the orchard, and then take all our apples home, make pies and apple sauce, and eat tons of apples."
21."The Filipino trinity: oil, garlic, onion, and ginger. Sometimes tomato. And usually backed by the smell of some fish or seafood."
What meal instantly reminds you of home when you smell it (or even when you simply imagine smelling it)? Tell us in the comments below.
Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
