Brain scans have revealed that olfactory memory cues – those associated with smell – activate the hippocampus and the amygdala. Childhood memories triggered by our sense of smell usually stem from our first ten years of life. This means we tend to eat with our minds as much as our stomachs. So here’s the science bit: food is so fundamental to our survival that we seem primed to form strong memories about it. A rush of warmth flowing through his veins, like a comforting hug. Or Anton Ego, the pompous restaurant critic from Pixar’s brilliant film Ratatouille who is transported back to his childhood summers by the smell and taste of Rémy’s dish. There’s that whole thing with Proust and his ‘petite Madeleine’ the French writer wrote long passages (and I’m talking LONG here) about vivid childhood memories evoked by the smell a tea-soaked bun. The thing about food is that it speaks to all five senses, especially the powerful memory triggers of smell and taste. The fact that the foods were often processed and packed with preservatives seems to get lost in nostalgic translation.

Remembering these meals and moments shared with our loved ones strengthens our feeling of belonging to a social group. These childhood memories always seem wholesome even when the food was the not-so-wholesome Banana flavoured Angel Delight, or a jam-topped Weetabix sitting on the kitchen floor or buttered Rich Tea biscuits because you tidied your room. There’s a beautiful phrase ‘sobremesa’ that describes that elusive feeling of sharing a meal with a group of friends or family, or a potential love interest when words flow, memories are shared, laughter reins and more memories made.

I don’t know about you but in times of crisis, I find a lousy gluten-free, svelte-spelt stick is utterly useless at mending a broken heart.Įating is a social act that helps us cement a connection to shared memories of special moments spent together around a table. The thick doorstop slices, hot from the oven messily spread with half an inch of salty, cholesterol-choked butter. Faced with an abundance of confusing choices, we often pine for the taste of granny’s soda bread or in my case Nana Collins’ currant cake. This warm, fuzzy feeling creates a well-stocked larder of positive emotions, which is the go-to place for any emotional eater when life gets tricky. Then the chicken sandwiches later, snuggled up by the fire watching Black Beauty on our two-channel telly. Childhood Sunday lunches of afternoon roast chicken dinners – soft white meat of the chicken bathed in ‘homemade’ Bisto with over cooked carrots followed by a dessert of tinned strawberries and HB Vanilla ice cream. His topic for discussion is ” Nostalgia – How important are nostalgic food memories in our innovative process and what happens to a generation where food nostalgia will be missing through lack of home cooking?”įood nostalgia floods us with such vivid, emotional memories of people and places in our past. But it does remind us that the wonderful feeling of freedom, creativity and fun from our childhood can still be experienced as we age.Ī Reddit user by the name of agentMICHAELscarnTLM posed a question to the online forum that dredged up countless memories and experiences that many had long forgotten.Alyn Williams will be speaking on the topic of Food Nostalgia at the upcoming Food On The Edge event. Nostalgia is fleeting and that's a good thing because it’s best not to live in the past. It’s wonderful to experience this type of nostalgia but it often leaves a bittersweet feeling because we know there are countless more sensations that may never come into our consciousness again. But on a rare occasion, we’ll come across them again and it's like a portion of our brain that’s been hidden for years expresses itself, creating a huge jolt of joy. There are certain pleasurable sights, smells, sounds and tastes that fade into the rear-view mirror as we grow from being children to adults.

Childhood nostalgia