Comfort food is a universal concept, whether it’s that unique family recipe or a favourite takeaway. We asked Sussex students to share their favourite comfort foods on Instagram, and you didn’t disappoint – your responses were as diverse as the student body itself. 

Your most popular comfort foods 

Unsurprisingly, pizza emerged as a favourite among Sussex students – it certainly helps that you can get it 24 hours a day from the on-campus pizza vending machine! Biryani, jollof rice, and mac and cheese also received multiple mentions, showcasing their popularity as hearty and satisfying comfort foods. Meanwhile, there may be an argument between those of you who think sausage and mash whould be served with peas and gravy and those who will only accept Heinz baked beans. 

Asian and South Asian Cuisine 

The diverse flavours of Asian and South Asian cuisine were well-represented in your suggestions. Indonesian favourites nasi goreng and tempe bongkrek were name-checked alongside Thai pad thai, Japanese ramen and Korean kimchi. We loved the idea of making scrambled eggs with soy sauce and our Asian feast was rounded out with suggestions for dosa, daal, and a selection of curries including palek paneer, chicken tikka masala (OK, that one might be more British than anything!) and beef rendang. 

Middle Eastern Cuisine 

Middle Eastern comfort foods represent a taste of home for many of you, with manageesh (a Lebanese flatbread, mandi (a traditional rice and meat dish), tabouleh, hummus, and Turkish manti (small dumplings filled with spiced meat) all getting mentions.  

European Cuisine 

A wide range of European dishes were also mentioned, whether that’s Romanian sarmale (cabbage rolls stuffed with minced meat and rice), tortilla española (a Spanish omlette), Polish pierogi (dumplings), Greek moussaka or Italian favourites lasagna and bolognese. Some of you have more of a sweet tooth when it comes to comfort, with ice cream, and French toast also getting mentions. 

North and South American cuisine 

North and South American comfort foods bring a diverse range of flavours and traditions to the table. From Venezuelan tequeños (heese-filled pastries) to the classic beef burger, by way of BBQ chicken, tacos, flautas (rolled tacos), and Jamaican chicken and rice. The meal we’d really love to try is the canja de galinha, a Brazilian chicken and rice soup, made by one student's mum. 

The comfort foods shared by Sussex students reflect the diversity of cultures within the University community. Not that your comfort food has to come from your home country (shout out to the Swedish student who loves palek paneer and the Indian student who is into ramen!) If you’re looking for a new comfort food, check out the vegan tagine recipe on your student blog. Or, like one of you suggests, you could always try that classic combination of fishfingers and custard (who knew the eleventh doctor from Dr Who was a student at Sussex?!)