Vintage recipes...the vomitrocious world of foods people actually used to eat

[Aphro]

I remember, back when I was a kid, Saturday night was the night you could watch the Disney movie special. Stuff like The Incredible Journey and Old Yeller.

The movie was always sponsored by Kraft Fine Foods, and halfway through, there was a little "intermission" where you were treated to some fancy recipes for foods that always seemed to include Kraft miniature marshmallows, lime Jell-O, and some of that squeezable cheese that came in a little sausage and had a plastic spigot thing on the side. Yum-o!

Well, turns out that those were just the tip of the iceburg of deviant foods offered in the 60's and 70's. Do you feel sad you missed out on Tuna Jell-O Pie? What about Ham and Bananas Hollandaise? Perhaps I can tempt you with a little slice of Liver Sausage Pinapple? Mmmmmmm....

21 Truly Upsetting Vintage Recipes

If you were on a diet back in the day, you could always trust Weight Watchers to provide some tasty, low cal treats.

Weight Watchers recipe cards circa 1974

The Melon Mousse looks...divine. I know why people lost weight on this diet...nothing was remotely edible. Much of it looks like horror movie props.

The comments are hilarious!

 

[Queersetti]

This is why America needs immigrants.

 

[Aphro]

It's the Caucasian meat, isn't it?

http://www.candyboots.com/wwcards/cardscans/caucasianshash.jpg

 

[RedAllan]

I might have got bored of my mothers un-adventurous cooking, but seeing this makes me grateful for her lack of imagination.

 

[oggbashan]

My staple food in the early 1960s - Dried curry by Vesta Foods. No matter how carefully I prepared it, it still tasted nothing like curry, and more like Army ration packs.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_fxqV6zgSY3M/Sgi1SzHSlQI/AAAAAAAAAMs/E4vje9hWjTk/s200/vesta+curry.jpg

 

[JohnnySavage]

I like instant mashed potatoes.

 

[oggbashan]

I like instant mashed potatoes.

They are much better than they used to be in the 1960s. Technology has moved on.

 

[Laurel]

One of my favorite sites is
http://badjellyblog.com/
in which the they actually make these vintage recipes and show you the results, which are generally hilariously awful.

 

[oggbashan]

Wartime Ration Book Cooking - Woolton Pie

Woolton Pie was one of the meat-free dishes that I remember with loathing.

Woolton Pie

Tins of Spam were rare in the UK and there were many recipes for using it.

Dried Powdered Egg from the USA was very welcome but nothing like real eggs.

http://www.lavenderandlovage.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Powdered-Egg.jpg

From Wikipedia:

UK Standard rationing during World War II

The standard rations during World War II are as follows. Quantities are per week unless otherwise stated.
Food rations
Item Maximum level Minimum level Rations (April 1945)
Bacon and Ham 8 oz (227 g) 4 oz (113 g) 4 oz (113 g)
Sugar 16 oz (454 g) 8 oz (227 g) 8 oz (227 g)
Loose Tea 4 oz (113 g) 2 oz (57 g) 2 oz (57 g)
Meat 1 s. 2d. 1s 1s. 2d.
Cheese 8 oz (227 g) 1 oz (28 g) 2 oz (57 g)

Vegetarians were allowed an extra 3 oz (85 g) cheese[19]
Preserves 1 lb (0.45 kg) per month
2 lb (0.91 kg) marmalade 8 oz (227 g) per month 2 lb (0.91 kg) marmalade
or 1 lb (0.45 kg) preserve
or 1 lb (0.45 kg) sugar
Butter 8 oz (227 g) 2 oz (57 g) 2 oz (57 g)
Margarine 12 oz (340 g) 4 oz (113 g) 4 oz (113 g)
Lard 3 oz (85 g) 2 oz (57 g) 2 oz (57 g)
Sweets 16 oz (454 g) per month 8 oz (227 g) per month 12 oz (340 g) per month



1s 2d bought about 1 lb 3 oz (540 g) of meat. Offal and sausages were only rationed from 1942 to 1944. When sausages were not rationed, the meat needed to make them was so scarce that they often contained a high proportion of bread. Eggs were rationed and "allocated to ordinary consumers as available"; in 1944 thirty allocations of one egg each were made. Children and some invalids were allowed three a week; expectant mothers two on each allocation.

1 egg per week or 1 packet (makes 12 "eggs") of egg powder per month (vegetarians were allowed two eggs)
plus, 24 "points" for four weeks for tinned and dried food.

Arrangements were made for vegetarians so that their rations of meat were substituted by other goods.

Milk was supplied at 3 imp pt (1.7 l) each week with priority for expectant mothers and children under 5; 3.5 imp pt (2.0 l) for those under 18; children unable to attend school 5 imp pt (2.8 l), certain invalids up to 14 imp pt (8.0 l). Each consumer got one tin of milk powder (equivalent to 8 imperial pints or 4.5 litres) every eight weeks.

 

[JohnnySavage]

There is a series of books called "Foxfire" that describes how I grew up and what I ate. Basically, anything that didn't make you puke was fair game for dinner.

 

[RedAllan]

My staple food in the early 1960s - Dried curry by Vesta Foods. No matter how carefully I prepared it, it still tasted nothing like curry, and more like Army ration packs.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_fxqV6zgSY3M/Sgi1SzHSlQI/AAAAAAAAAMs/E4vje9hWjTk/s200/vesta+curry.jpg

I remember Vesta curry & chow mein, always tasted of powder.

 

[Wrong Element]

I've seen the Weight Watchers thing before. I'm pretty sure my mom had recipe cards from that general era, if not that exact set.

Those of us who grew up in the '70s deserve some kind of medal, preferably with a little tassel made of green shag carpet.

 

[Aphro]

I've seen the Weight Watchers thing before. I'm pretty sure my mom had recipe cards from that general era, if not that exact set.

Those of us who grew up in the '70s deserve some kind of medal, preferably with a little tassel made of green shag carpet.

And a piece of flock wallpaper. We had this green, flock wall paper, with fuzzy green paisley patterns on it. That came right after my mother's "Spanish" period, where we had blood red wall paper, and a dining set with black wrought iron curlicues up the back of the chairs, with red and black vinyl padding. I am not sure, but we may have had a black velvet bullfighter picture, too.

 

[Fata Morgana]

I like instant mashed potatoes.

I used to love Smash as a kid and when I requested it gotten beaten around the face and neck by my mother with the spud masher.

Old school Irish don't do instant spuds. Blasphemy.

 

[Lorilei]

Oh, lordy. Banana Candle.

http://badjellyblog.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/photo-44.jpg?w=325&h=448

 

[bill-pix-trade]

she can really cook

http://oldcatman-xxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/BIG-BOOB-CHEF.jpg

 

[Aphro]

Oh, lordy. Banana Candle.

http://badjellyblog.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/photo-44.jpg?w=325&h=448

LOL, I saw that...would be great for a bachelorette party, huh?

 

[Lorilei]

LOL, I saw that...would be great for a bachelorette party, huh?

It would!

 

[Mischka]

One of my favorite sites is
http://badjellyblog.com/
in which the they actually make these vintage recipes and show you the results, which are generally hilariously awful.

LOL, I saw that...would be great for a bachelorette party, huh?

I'm tempted to host a dinner party entirely so that I can decorate the table with Banana Candles.

 

[gotsnowgotslush]

Suddenly, someone banned the molded jello "salad." Red jello, green jello, with fruit inside. wobble wobble

Red # death, was not a color that was nice to living beings. It was pretty. Tie dye with jello ?

 

[warrior queen]

I was born in 68, so I grew up in the 70's when all the convenience foods were starting to be popular.
How I envied my schoolmates their white sliced bread sandwiches and margarine, with store-bought jam.... their crackers and 'plastic' cheese..... their crisps.
When all I had was home-made rye bread with slices of home-made pastrami and blocks of blue cheese and home-pickled onions and cucumbers. With fresh fruit from the garden as a snack.

 

[bill-pix-trade]

When all I had was home-made rye bread with slices of home-made pastrami and blocks of blue cheese and home-pickled onions and cucumbers. With fresh fruit from the garden as a snack.

Now I am hungry. Thanks.

Home made pastrami? The thought of it makes me salivate.

 

[smallgirl]

When my mother in law was going thru cancer, she craved weird stuff. One time I went in and she was making "Old Time Soup."
It was boiled onions and potatoes, with milk poured in and tomato juice added, salt and pepper.
It looked NASTY as hell..and they were all gobbling it up like it was gold. Oh god it looked gross.

It looked like lumpy pink puke.