- The theme food has 23 symbols in the dream dictionary.
- The most searched symbols of the theme are sugar, eggs, food.
- Every symbol is read three ways: folk dream books, psychology and sleep research.
- The details of the dream, the colour, the behaviour and how you felt, change the reading.
- Dream interpretation is a tradition of reading symbols; it does not predict events.
What food mean in a dream
In the 20th century psychology joined the tradition. Sigmund Freud read dreams as the expression of repressed wishes, Carl Gustav Jung as the psyche’s attempt to restore balance. Modern sleep research shows that the content of dreams is shaped largely by the day’s impressions and by sensations in the sleeping body.
If you cannot find the exact word, start from a theme. Inside each theme the symbols are grouped and compared with one another.
Most searched dreams about food
SugarFoodA dream about sugar is traditionally read in two directions: sweetness and pleasure coming, or, in Miller's stern reading, a dreamer hard to please and worries that tax the temper. Psychology reads sugar as the craving for comfort, and research links food dreams to appetite and to the body's night.EggsFoodA dream about eggs is traditionally read as wealth, fertility and new beginnings, with broken or rotten eggs turning the reading to loss. Psychology reads the egg as potential not yet hatched, and research places eggs among the everyday foods that enter dreams from the kitchen.FoodFoodA dream about food is traditionally read as your share of life’s goods: plenty means comfort, spoiled food means trouble, and hunger means want. Psychology treats food as a stand-in for what you take in, and research finds eating a common but modest theme in dreams.BeansFoodA dream about beans is traditionally read as a warning: Miller calls it a bad dream of worry and illness, while other folk books read beans as small money and small quarrels. Psychology treats beans as potential in a humble shell, and research sees food as ordinary dream material.MangoFoodA dream about mangoes is traditionally read as sweetness, fertility and reward, with a rotten or unripe fruit reversing the sign. Psychology treats the mango as pleasure and abundance, and research shows fruit appears in dreams according to what the dreamer eats and sees by day.OrangesFoodA dream about oranges is traditionally read two ways: healthy trees full of fruit mean prosperity, but eating oranges, in Miller’s book, means sickness and worry. Psychology treats the fruit as vitality and pleasure, and research shows fruit enters dreams according to what the dreamer eats and sees.CheeseFoodA dream about cheese is read in older dream books as a bad omen, though modern readings treat it as a plain image of appetite, richness and comfort. The popular idea that cheese causes strange dreams is a folk belief rather than an established finding.AvocadoFoodA dream about an avocado is a modern, food-based image, usually read as nourishment, self-care and richness that needs the right moment, since an avocado is ripe only briefly. Psychology reads it as a wish for health, patience and what is good for you.FruitFoodA dream about fruit is traditionally read by ripeness: ripe fruit on the branch for a prosperous future, green fruit for hasty action. Psychology reads fruit as the result of effort or as desire, and research finds food a common but modest dream theme.
All symbols: food
AppleA dream about apples is traditionally good news when the fruit is red, ripe and on the tree, and a warning when it is decayed or on the ground. Psychology reads the apple as desire, knowledge and reward, and research links food dreams to appetite and the day.AvocadoA dream about an avocado is a modern, food-based image, usually read as nourishment, self-care and richness that needs the right moment, since an avocado is ripe only briefly. Psychology reads it as a wish for health, patience and what is good for you.BananaA dream about bananas is read by Miller as an uninteresting partnership or a tiresome business, yet later folk readers take it as abundance, health and playfulness. Psychology reads the banana as a food symbol with obvious bodily associations, and research ties food dreams to hunger.BeansA dream about beans is traditionally read as a warning: Miller calls it a bad dream of worry and illness, while other folk books read beans as small money and small quarrels. Psychology treats beans as potential in a humble shell, and research sees food as ordinary dream material.BreadA dream about bread is traditionally read as a sign of sustenance, daily needs met and the work that feeds a household. Psychology reads bread as basic security and care, with mouldy or missing bread pointing to worry about provision.CakeA dream about cake is traditionally read as pleasure, gain and celebration: eating it is good fortune, baking it less so, and a wedding cake is the one unlucky cake. Psychology reads cake as reward and indulgence, and research shows food dreams are less common than hunger would predict.CheeseA dream about cheese is read in older dream books as a bad omen, though modern readings treat it as a plain image of appetite, richness and comfort. The popular idea that cheese causes strange dreams is a folk belief rather than an established finding.CherriesA dream about cherries is traditionally read as a pleasant sign: popularity, a much-desired object and good fortune near. Psychology reads cherries as the small, bright pleasures of life, and sometimes as innocence or desire.CoffeeA dream about coffee is traditionally read as talk and company: Miller ties drinking coffee to friends who disapprove and to quarrels at home. Psychology reads it as a wish for alertness and warmth, and research shows daily rituals pass into dreams almost unchanged.EggsA dream about eggs is traditionally read as wealth, fertility and new beginnings, with broken or rotten eggs turning the reading to loss. Psychology reads the egg as potential not yet hatched, and research places eggs among the everyday foods that enter dreams from the kitchen.FoodA dream about food is traditionally read as your share of life’s goods: plenty means comfort, spoiled food means trouble, and hunger means want. Psychology treats food as a stand-in for what you take in, and research finds eating a common but modest theme in dreams.FruitA dream about fruit is traditionally read by ripeness: ripe fruit on the branch for a prosperous future, green fruit for hasty action. Psychology reads fruit as the result of effort or as desire, and research finds food a common but modest dream theme.GrapesA dream about grapes is traditionally one of promise: seeing them hang in profusion is read as rising position and the power to bring happiness to others, while eating them brings cares. Psychology reads grapes as abundance and appetite.HoneyA dream about honey is among the kindest food images in dream tradition: sweetness, comfort, prosperity and love. Psychology reads it as reward and nourishment, with a quiet caution about too much of a good thing.MangoA dream about mangoes is traditionally read as sweetness, fertility and reward, with a rotten or unripe fruit reversing the sign. Psychology treats the mango as pleasure and abundance, and research shows fruit appears in dreams according to what the dreamer eats and sees by day.MeatA dream about meat is traditionally read by its state: raw or bloody meat as illness, quarrels or strong passions, cooked meat as plenty and good company. Psychology reads it as appetite, vitality and instinct, and research ties food dreams to hunger.MilkA dream about milk is traditionally read as nourishment and plenty: fresh milk brings health and good fortune, spilt or sour milk brings small losses. Psychology reads milk as the earliest care we received, and research notes that food and drink appear in dreams far less often than hunger would suggest.OrangesA dream about oranges is traditionally read two ways: healthy trees full of fruit mean prosperity, but eating oranges, in Miller’s book, means sickness and worry. Psychology treats the fruit as vitality and pleasure, and research shows fruit enters dreams according to what the dreamer eats and sees.PotatoesA dream about potatoes is traditionally read as a good, plain sign: substance, steady gain and honest work. Psychology reads the potato as basic nourishment and what grows quietly underground.SaltA dream about salt is traditionally read as a sign of discord, tears or sharpness, but also of preservation and value. Psychology reads salt as what gives life flavour and what hurts when poured on a wound.StrawberriesA dream about strawberries is traditionally read as a pleasant sign: a long-wished-for object, requited love and small joys. Psychology reads the red fruit as desire, tenderness and the pleasure of ripeness.SugarA dream about sugar is traditionally read in two directions: sweetness and pleasure coming, or, in Miller's stern reading, a dreamer hard to please and worries that tax the temper. Psychology reads sugar as the craving for comfort, and research links food dreams to appetite and to the body's night.WineA dream about wine is traditionally read as joy and friendship when you drink it, and as excess when bottles break. Psychology reads wine as celebration, relaxation and appetite, and research ties drink dreams to thirst and the day.
Questions people ask
What does it mean to dream about food?
It depends on the symbol and the details. Folk dream books give each symbol a fixed reading, psychology asks what this image means to you, and sleep research reminds that dreams rework the day. Open a symbol for all three.
Does the same symbol always mean the same thing?
In dream books, mostly yes. In psychology, no: the same image can mean different things to different people, and your feeling in the dream is the key.
What if my symbol is not here?
Use the search. If nothing comes up, describe the dream in a few words on the search page; the editor reviews suggestions and adds the symbols that people ask for.
Sources
- Miller G. H. Ten Thousand Dreams Interpreted, 1901.
- Freud S. The Interpretation of Dreams, 1899.
- Jung C. G. Man and His Symbols, 1964.
- Artemidorus. Oneirocritica, 2nd century.
- Hall C. S., Van de Castle R. L. The Content Analysis of Dreams, 1966.
- Schredl M. Dream research: an introduction, in various editions.
How this page is made
Each symbol page sets three readings side by side and names where each comes from. A symbol is published only when its page has a full description with sources. Search volumes decide which symbols are written first.