Etymology

Ratatouille moment

Today it means: 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. Full definition →

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The story

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.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.