1) According to a 2016 survey by market research firm Harris Interactive, pizza is the No. 1 comfort food in America, followed by chocolate, ice cream, mac & cheese, and chips.

2) 13% of Americans eat pizza on any given day. That’s more than the entire population of Texas.



3) Gender matters when it comes to comfort food. A Cornell University study showed that men tend to prefer foods that make them feel “taken care of” like pasta, soup, and pizza, while women tend to eschew foods that remind them of the labor of putting together a meal.



4) Japanese researchers believe chocolate may have more uses than just comfort. Antibacterial agents in the cocoa beans may be able to fight tooth decay.



5) German chocolate cake has nothing to do with Germany. The name comes from Sam German, who developed a baking chocolate that was used in the original recipe.

Food for Thought

A version of this article appeared in print on May 5, 2017 with the headline: Food for Thought

This article appears in May 5 • 2017.

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