Ratatouille moment

English Etymology From Ratatouille + moment. Coined in reference to a scene from the Pixar animated film Ratatouille (2007), in which the fictional food critic Anton Ego has a powerful emotional reaction when tasting ratatouille, a dish that evokes a nostalgic memory from his childhood. Pronunciation en LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-Ratatouille moment.wav GA Noun en informal figurative A sudden, vivid emotional or sensory memory, typically triggered by a smell, taste, sound, or experience, that powerfully recalls a past time or feeling, often from childhood. en 2013-09-25 Lesley Suter Lesley Suter’s Ratatouille Moment Bravo (American TV network) Bravo TV https://www.bravotv.com/top-chef-masters/season-5/blogs/lesley-suter/lesley-suters-ratatouille-moment I carry on waiting for dishes that snap me out of the food-writing fog. I like to say that these meals “make the room go quiet,” or gave me that Ratatouille moment. You know, when the mean critic takes a bite of Remy’s dish and is whooshed out of the present back to his happy childhood? https://web.archive.org/web/20251023163631/https://www.bravotv.com/top-chef-masters/season-5/blogs/lesley-suter/lesley-suters-ratatouille-moment 23 October 2025 en 2023-02-21 Austin chef Gareth Deakes channels Ratatouille in the kitchen w:Austin American-Statesman https://www.statesman.com/story/entertainment/dining/2023/02/21/austin-texas-private-chef-gareth-deakes-disney-ratatouille/69879114007/ Such attention to detail helped Deakes achieve his very own Ratatouille moment with a client at a corporate dining facility. He'd made her a Fictional universe of Harry Potter#Butterbeer butterbeer latte, as in the flavor from Harry Potter. https://web.archive.org/web/20251026172824/https://www.statesman.com/story/entertainment/dining/2023/02/21/austin-texas-private-chef-gareth-deakes-disney-ratatouille/69879114007/ 26 October 2025 en 2024 Food, Nostalgia, and the “Ratatouille Moment” Science on Screen https://scienceonscreen.org/programs/2024/food-nostalgia-and-the-ratatouille-moment Her research is centered around what she describes as the "Ratatouille Moment," recalling the moment in the film when the food critic has an experience of food-related nostalgia that transports him back to his childhood. https://web.archive.org/web/20250929023947/https://scienceonscreen.org/programs/2024/food-nostalgia-and-the-ratatouille-moment 29 September 2025 Usage notes Often used in pop culture, food writing, and online discourse to describe a powerful nostalgic reaction to food or other sensory stimuli. The phrase is typically used humorously or sentimentally. See also en flashback madeleine nostalgia Proustian moment sensory recall Further reading Doshi, Hetvi. “Food Nostalgia and the ‘Ratatouille’ Moment.” Science on Screen, Cornell Cinema, 21 November 2024. scienceonscreen.org en idioms en Disney Internet memes Memory Nostalgia