Oedipal Food: Between Love and Hate

Have you ever felt a little bit guilty when you taste something your mother made for you? That's what we call an "oedipal food".

An oedipal dish is one that, when eaten, makes us feel both a bit reassured and guilty. It’s one that our mothers used to make, a simple dish and usually not expensive to prepare. We usually feel some kind of love/hate ambivalence about the dish, just as we often do about our family relationships.

1. In the very first place, the Proustian madeleines, celebrated in his In Search of Lost Time.
2. The only thing that managed to please the severe and much-feared food critic, Antoine Ego, in the film by the same name...Ratatouille!
3. The personal "maternal" food according to Ferran Adrià: potato frittata
4. And doughnuts? Fatty, high in cholesterol and Homer Simpson's favourite treat, along with pork ribs.
5. Despite her healthy eating platform, Michelle Obama admits she still loves peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
6. Giuseppe Verdi’s oedipal dish was cooked shoulder from San Secondo. It’s a type of cold cut which is only produced in a specific region of the Parma countryside.

What are your food-mother-memories?