Certain dishes stand the test of time and remain etched in everyone’s minds and palates. Even when you haven’t eaten them for quite a while, the flavors instantly transport you back to a golden era of your life.
This was a Reddit discussion a couple of months ago, where people shared delicacies they sorely miss. Some were popular decades ago but seemingly faded, yet they never fail to bring the same comfort, even through mere memory.
We’ve collected some of the top responses from the thread. Feel free to share your favorites in the comment boxes below!
This post may include affiliate links.
Fondue. I only had it a couple of times, but I could really go for a fondue party!
Indeed. Up here in the mountains it's a quite normal dish, common in most restaurants but easy to do at home as well. I have a fondue set in each of my holiday rental apartments. (And a raclette machine as well).
Load More Replies...come to german silvester.. seems like 30% make Fondue for it- or raclette
There's a place called The Melting Pot in Raleigh, NC, that is a fondue restaurant. Been there since 1975, and still does bang on business
Fondue is so comforting. It was everywhere, at every event when I was growing up
There’s a Swiss restaurant in Soho, London, and they have fondue on the menu there. I’ve not been for a while, but I really enjoyed myself there last time.
As an old person, I say bread. People buy it, but rarely make it. Which is a pity, because fresh bread is god d**n delicious.
I can't make bread at home. As soon as it's cool enough (but still warm) I slather it with butter and eat it and end up eating the whole loaf within 24 hours.
It’s a time-consuming process, even with a bread machine, and with all adults in a household having to work just to get by, and not enough hours in a day, there’s simply no one with the time to do it. Back in the day, when a family could live on one adult’s salary, at least one of the other adults in the household could stay home, so would have the time for cooking from scratch.
I'm 15, and I stay home all day. I love cooking in my spare time. It's a nice way I can help out around the house.
Load More Replies...I discovered how much I love baking bread last year. Its a fun hobby and I love gifting fresh bread to friends and family that appreciate it
Due to Covid where I live we're now all 'expert bakers' but I have to admit Banana Bread tops most peoples list
The loaves in the pic look like they were done in a Dutch oven which is a fairly easy method.
I've recently started making bread since finding out small batch recipes are a thing.
With fresh baked french bread available for $1 at the store it's just not worth it.
That large loaf in supermarket for $1 ( walmart) is NOT french bread. Maybe italian but even that is a stretch.
Load More Replies...my friends mom is a professional cook. she sends her to school everyday with sandwiches made with bread she made herself.
I make bread, not regularly but I make it, and not in a bread maker either, the good old fashioned way, by hand!
Baked Alaska! It's a giant cake with ice cream baked in it. I heard about it a lot in the 70's, but never actually had it until about 10-15 years ago. Very impressive presentation and super tasty!
This is deceptively easy to make if one uses italian meringue and a blowtorch.
My mom used to make one every month or so. Depending on how the 3 of us behaved. 3 of us. 6f 5f 3m Did it with no blowtorch. And still amazes me that there's frozen ice cream. She always tells me how it ease.
they still make it at Antoine's in New Orleans...and that is only one of the many reasons to go to New Orleans!
Once I heard of Frozen Hawaii. A block of deep-frozen ice cream, but in the center is placed some jam. You microwave it enough to turn the jam into lava but not long enough to melt the ice cream. I never tried to make it, so I don't know whether it's even possible, much less the details. I can't find a recipe online quickly.
As a joke, my husband requested this for his birthday dessert one year. God bless my parents, they actually made one for him!
My understanding is that it isnt cake at all, it is baked whipped egg-white
There's cake as a base, then ice cream. Then it's all covered with meringue. Its broiled for a few minutes to brown the egg whites or these days a blow torch is used.
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Pineapple upside down cake.
With neon red maraschino cherries in the pineapple holes?
Load More Replies...My son always gets it for his birthday, it's his favorite and he doesn't like frosting.
Or Pineapple Cake in Australia! Or if you’re a Pineapple, THE CAKE OF DEATH!!!!! I remember making this in Home Economics , in school.
This was my youngest kiddo's request for birthday cake last year
Stuffed peppers.
My mom made this. I really like it and still have it in our dinner rotations
So did my mom! And I recently was at a restaurant and they had stuffed pepper soup...my friend said that it was delicious
Load More Replies...We made Stuffed Peppers this weekend. Its easy to make and delicious.
I love these things! My wife makes them from time to time, but there's never enough...
I wasn't hungry five items ago. Now I need gourmet food for breakfast. Thanks BP!
Mr Auntriarch sadly developed an upset stomach for peppers, so these are off the menu now.
Try hollowing out a courgette and fill it with your stuffing of choice, and lots of cheese. Maybe Mr. Auntriachs tummy can manage that, and you can do the peppers for yourself.
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Angel food cake. That was my birthday wish when I was a kid. Loved it with fresh whipped cream and either bananas or strawberries. Store bought just doesn’t bring back the memories of mom’s homemade.
Not a popular choice at restaurants and cared either. I'm a bit tired of tiramisu or creme brulee, bring me a slice of angel food
Sally, King Arthur flour has a recipe for angel food cake in their first cookbook made with whole wheat flour and egg yolks. It's light and tasty.
Load More Replies...I remember our angel food cake pan. Wish Mother had saved it, I would still be using it!
my mom's favorite too...Trader Joes makes a lo-cal version she loved..
Chicken Kiev.
Homemade is best though and rarely seen on menus
Load More Replies...It came back in our butchers within a week of the invasion. With the proper spelling.
Load More Replies...Ooh! I haven't made that for a while. I should make that again!
Sadly this is a complete unknown in (this part of?) France. Used to have it a lot in the UK when I was younger.
Never heard about it (Rhône-Alpes), could someone please explain what it is?
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Grasshopper Pie with Creme de Menthe and Creme de Cocoa...Very '70's.
that generation could put alcohol in / base any food on a cocktail 😂 it’s a cool era of food
What most people don’t realize is the alcohol burns off during the cooking/baking, so really all you’re getting is flavor, not booze.
Load More Replies...I have been looking for a recipe with metric information for so long, but no luck.
Rarely hear about corn beef hash. And I love it. Especially with an egg on top.
I have a recipe where you take that add some flour and make patties. Served with sawmill gravy and sliced tomato.
My father used to stink up the house early in the morning on weekends—-when the rest of us wanted to sleep in—-and that stench would wake the dead. I have banned corn beef hash from my own house because of it. Try to make it in my kitchen and you die. Especially if you wake me up when I want to sleep in.
It makes your pee stink too. I used to have it before I went down the pub.
Load More Replies...A YouTube channel has a recipe to make it from scratch, the corned beef I mean. Otherwise buy a can of it, fry it with hash brown potatoes.
Oh, is it CORNED beef? Because I was wondering where the corn was in the pictures but it could have just been a wrong pic (as is common here ;-) )
Load More Replies...I make this all the time in winter. Tinned corned beef, diced spuds and tsp ish of Bovril. All day in the slow cooker then served in the biggest dishes with a cheese scone in the bottom.
Sloppy Joes with Manwich sauce were a weekly staple, haven’t disappeared completely but they’re way down.
From scratch Sloppy Joe's are miles apart from the manwich canned stuff. And very popular at potluck if you bring your crackpot to keep it hot From scratch its: red onion, chopped (must be a red onion), garlic, pepper, salt, vinegar, Worchestershire sauce, can of tomato sauce, ground beef. Serve hot on plain hamburger buns. Serve with extra napkins
Depends on how you make it. Though if you want to cut the salt taste down, take a page from many southern BBQ places. Put your cole slaw on the meat inside the bun. The sweetness and crunch are a nice off set to the salt of the meat. You can also do this with pulled pork.
Load More Replies...I had a love/hate with these as a kid. I loved them for the taste but I hated messy food lol
I never liked the Manwich brand. Delmonte makes a Sloppy Joe sauce that tastes exactly like they used to taste years ago. We have them about 2 - 3 times a month.
As a New Zealander who hit their teens in the 70s and went to a boys' school. The name sloppy joes makes me cringe. It meant something completely different there and then.
Stuffed Cabbage!
We call them "gołąbki" in Poland and it's still one of our popular and traditional dishes. Personally I definitely prefer them over pierogi (I know, I know... it's almost considered a heresy...)
I am of Polish heritage and make them exactly as my mother did. Friends always want me to make extra for them. Yum
Load More Replies...i found steaming the cabbage head a pain, so i make a casserole with all the ingredients for stuffed cabbage in a pan and it is delicious...and, so easy (and cheap) that i make it all the time...and it moves, baby!
You don’t need to steam the cabbage ahead. Just bake the whole thing longer, covered.
Load More Replies...My late husband made the best slow cooker stuffed cabbage. Wish he had written down his recipe.
My mom used to make brown bread with molasses. It was so good with real butter.
People in Massachusetts ate B&M brown bread in a can. I never did but lots of others did.
Beans and wienies. Campbell’s pork and beans and cut up hot dogs.
Reminds me of a Mexican recipe, "frijoles charros". It is soup like stew of pinto beans with onion, garlic, and bacon, and sometimes added with chili peppers, tomatoes, cilantro, ham, sausage, pork and chorizo. It is traditionally served in large parties late at night or to accompany grilled meat. Absolutely delicious.
Who stopped making this? My sons request this in the regular, with rice.
Anybody eat Cream of Wheat?
My mom bought Malt-o-Meal when I was a kid, but it's kind of the same concept: it's wheat farina and malted barley hot cereal. She used to make it for me pretty often for breakfast when I was a kid. I still like it.
I loved Cream of Wheat growing up. I don’t care for the glue-like consistency of oatmeal. But after menopause, I found out I can’t eat gluten anymore without getting sick, so goodbye Cream of Wheat. Luckily, Cream of Rice is just as good, so it’s now my go-to for hot cereal.
Waldorf Salad. I love it. Nobody else eats it.
Replace the blue cheese with fetta for me, not a fan.
Load More Replies...surprisingly good! The first time i ever tried it was when my husbands step mom was visiting and she prepared it for part of a dinner.
We learned how to make it in Home Economics. I still haven't forgiven them for that atrocity.
Meatloaf.
But Tobias, you said you would do anything, for love!
Load More Replies...Well I fancied pork pie but couldn't be arsed with the pastry and jelly malarkey, so I just cooked the meat filling recipe in a loaf tin. Can recommend.
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Tuna noodle casserole with canned soup.
Was raised in a Catholic household back in the day when you didn't eat meat on Fridays, this was a staple dinner then.
Sound disgusting, but I'll probably never taste it , so by all means have at it.
It’s suspect actually not bad. I make tuna and pasta salad from time to time, or a version of casserole - but I wonder if adding soup or broth would enhance the flavour and also keep the pasta lighter, so to speak.
Load More Replies...My mother used to make this using campbell's cream of mushroom soup, but she'd also sprinkle crunched up potato chips and grated cheese on top before baking it. It doesn't sound like it would be good, but it's pretty good. I've never seen it at a funeral, though. Here's the recipe. Mom didn't usually put green peas in, but it's OK with them. https://www.campbells.com/recipes/tuna-noodle-casserole/
After preparing tuna noodle casserole using milk and flour and butter and chicken stock instead of condensed cream of whatever, I will never go back to the can of condensed soup.
Everytime I read an american book and there is a funeral people bring tuna casserole...is this really a thing you do?
Midwest here. Yes. This is a thing we do. Tuna noodle casserole. Chicken and rice. Tater tot casserole. Some kind of ham casserole. Someone dies, you are about to be flooded with casserole
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Ambrosia.
Ambrosia is the food of the goods. It is also a brand name in the UK that make tapioca pudding, creamed rice, and custard. What the hell is that?
In the US, this is ambrosia salad. One of that family of upper-Midwester 'salads what ain't salads'. But it is delicious.
Load More Replies...This was a staple in my house growing up.. the mandarin orange slices were my favorite part!
It is a staple in my dad’s family during holidays and other occasions for large gatherings!
I've only heard of this because it was mentioned in Edward Scissorhands.
Tapioca.
I used to eat the tapioca pudding at my grandparents house. All the other cousins would be sharing chocolate or what not and you got me over here head over heels getting to eat as much as I wanted because no one else wanted it XD
It became clear to me that I had to choose between my moustache and chocolate tapioca pudding. Out came the razor.
Also known as fish egg pudding. Wierd that this yummy dessert is made of the same thing as Boba tea pearls. Really any dish made out of cassava
We called it frogspawn. And I was allowed by my father to colour it blue while my mother was in hospital having my brother. I appreciated the indulgence.
Load More Replies...This song is stuck in my head from my childhood in the 1950s: "Oh, the big red letters stand for the Jell-O family. Oh, the big red letters stand for the Jell-O family. It's Jell-O! Jell-O pudding! Jell-O tapioca pudding, yessiree!"
Carrot raisin salad.
My mom used to make this for us all the time when I was a kid in the 80s. She had a Salad Shooter that she would use to slice up the carrots. That thing terrified me. I think she still has the same Salad Shooter and it's still perfectly functional XD I'm not as fond of raisins as I was when I was a kid, nowadays, so for me I'd prefer this without the raisins XD
I wish I had a salad shooter! It takes a long while to shred my carrots.
Load More Replies...In my country it's carrots and pineaple. Then there is cabbage with lingonberries, ratabaga with raisins and gabbage with pickled pumpkin. All but the last one are delicious!
I make it regularly, Claudia Roden's recipe with cinnamon, chilli, garlic and lemon. Pine nuts if I'm feeling flush
Chicken à la king.
This is confusing to my eyes, cos my dad made al a king for me alot as a kid and he’s a French chef and it’s not this. What is this 😂
Peep, I also was thinking this doesn't really look like chicken al a king.
Load More Replies...the picture is NOT chicken ala king, which is diced chicken, peas, carrots, celery, onions, and red pepper in chicken gravy...usually served over puff pastry...(like a giant voulevent)...essentially it is deconstructed chicken pot pie with red pepper added to make it "exotic"...
This is a bad American version of Chinese food. Was very popular in the 70’s and 80’s with the fried spaghetti like noodles
I thought it was served over a biscuit! This looks like a stroganoff.
Custard pie. I loved it when I was a kid and make it for myself now and then.
Still very common in British high street bakeries. Didn't know until just now that it's also a southern US thing, one of those rare occasions that it would appear to be almost the same on both sides of the pond. UK ones are often made in individual portions, as well as the flan sized ones.
I believe that the very pinnacle of the custard tart is the Portuguese pasteis de nata. Hopefully this admission will not result in me being stripped of my citizenship
Load More Replies...I haven't had this for years, since I'm coeliac now. Not sure if still available in supermarkets in Australia, but I assume so.
https://www.coeliacbydesign.com/gluten-free-custard-tarts/
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Goulash.
To be fair, goulash is not gulyas but what the Hungarians call Pörkölt.
Load More Replies...That's what we call it in Eastern Canada. Hamburger meat ,macaroni and canned tomatoes. Add your favourite veggies and WOILA. Almost like a chili with pasta.
HAMBURGER MEAT??? You mean ground beef (or pork?)?? What you describe would be our version of bolognese (I know I know, no the original at all!) or just plain "Hackmatsche" or "Hacksoße" (Hackfleisch/Hack = ground meat, "Matsche" = ... uh.. sludge, I suppose?)
Load More Replies...Like half of the Europe consider it their national dish. From Hungary, Slovakia, Czech, Poland, Austria, Germany, Balkan countries.
Another Swiss mountain staple. A great, and relatively cheap. mountain restaurant lunch, especially in the erman speaking parts.
I don't think stew, in all it's various forms, will ever go out of fashion. I have never met a stew I didn't like.
Load More Replies...You'll find it all over Central Europe. Try traveling, US Americans...
To be fair, travelling between America and Europe is expensive. I don't expect it to be a very usual thing for just anybody... But reading about different cuisines is free and fun :)
Load More Replies...We used to have this when I was a kid, though years later found out it was just a soupy ground beef and canned tomatoes and macaroni. No paprika like real goulash
I make Salisbury steak a lot.
Very easy low carb food...
So what is it that distinguishes it from a hamburger? And can I have your recipe please 😋
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Havent had a sloppy joe since the 90s.
I live alone. One can of Manwich lasts for 3 or 4 meals.
Load More Replies...Remember this? There was a TV show in the 1960s "Family Affair", about a single man (Brian Keith) and his snotty butler (Sebastian Cabot) raising three children. The children loved Sloppy Joes, but the Butler thought the name was improper. He always called them "Untidy Josephs".
Delmonte brand Sloppy Joe mix tastes just like the ones form years ago. Much better than Manwich.
Liver and oinios.
Guilty pleasure of mine. Pro-tip: filet the liver and let them soak in milk overnight in the fridge. This way the liver will lose that tangy, iron-like flavor and taste almost like a steak.
As a kid I hated liver and refused to eat it. Later, when I found out what those livers had been doing, I congratulated myself.
My mama would make this once a week growing up and I hated it every single time! I haven't eaten it since 1994! YUCK!
Haven't had it cooked well for me yet. Had a whole drama at dinner table when I was a kid, taking turns with siblings to "go to the bathroom" in order to sneak liver away from the plate and into the toilet.
Liver when you are a kid tastes rank. Your palate changes as you get older. Several things like that.
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Salmon croquettes.
Where has croquettes gone out of fashion? My cats want to know, as their food is called croquettes here in France, and they are now worried about cats in other countries:)
Load More Replies...Husband and I do a different theme every Gluttony Week (the week between Christmas and New Year), and a few years back was the 1970s. We had lots of stuff on this list, but his turkey croquettes were the clear standout! Delicious!
Porcupine meatballs.
Rice. You roll the meatballs in raw rice, and they absorb the cooking liquid to soften - made with tinned tomato soup, IIRC.
Load More Replies...I just made these! Got a nostalgic craving. They're just as good as I remembered.
OMG this was in heavy rotation when I first moved to SF in 1989 w/ my now ex-husband. He made them at least once a week. He'd grown up with it. I liked it at first but got sick of them after awhile.
Olive loaf lunch meat sandwich.
If you are not allergic to nuts, up your game to good mortadella. It tastes like what I remember all olive loaf tasting like back in the day. It's delish!
Spouse craves this periodically. It's got to be fresh-cut from the deli now, though, since the last few times she's had the pre-packaged Ekrich stuff it's been not quite right.
Veal parmesan, which was my favorite food growing up. Now, it's a very rare restaurant that serves it, and none of my local grocery stores carry the veal patties we used to get to make it at how.
It’s hard to find veal and lamb in grocery stores anymore. But then again, considering the horrible farming practices that provided it, I’m not too upset it’s not sold in national or regional chains anymore.
Veal wasn't always a horrible farming practice, it was a sensible way to deal with having more baby boy cows than you wanted on a dairy farm. If you just leave the calves with their mother for thirty days, then butcher, it's no less ethical than any other type of meat. But a bunch of idiots decided if you locked the male calves in little stalls, where they couldn't move, the meat would be slightly more tender - and yeah that was pretty cruel. That has been banned, but the real reason that veal is hard to get these days is that now you can inseminate your cows with the gender of preferred outcome...
Load More Replies...I know some butchers have veal, along with game. I just switch chicken breast, butterflied and flattened, coated and fried, to substitute for the veal patty
Grew up w/ this but somewhere along the line I stopped liking the taste of veal, so my parents switched to chicken cutlets parm which I love.
Several old-school Italian-American restaurants near me still sell veal parmesan. The problem is that few of them actually make it in-house anymore; it's usually frozen breaded veal patties instead of fresh meat.
Where does the OP live? Veal Parm is still a staple food around my neck of the woods. (Greater Boston) But about every other restaurant is Italian, so there is that...
Watergate salad.
The chef comes out and says "I am not a cook."
Load More Replies...Right up there with ambrosia for fantastic side dishes at shared dinners
It's definitely not for everyone but I loved this as a kid! I could see it being a textural nightmare for some including my wife.
It’s yuck. Pistachio Jello pudding mix, Cool Whip, canned diced pineapple, chopped nuts, and mini marshmallows, whipped together and then topped with whipped cream and a maraschino cherry.
My grandmother always had this, and I always make it at Christmas. My son loves it. Crushed pineapple, pistachio pudding mix, Cool Whip and mini marshmallows. I leave out the pecans. Top with a few cherries.
There is a healthier version and its very good. Just Google low-fat Watergate salad.
My mother made oxtail soup two or three times in the winter , now I have to go to the local Jamaican place. It’s no longer a cheap product and my wife won’t eat it. She also cooked beef tongue in a pot of salted water then sliced it for sandwiches. I have to go to Mexican restaurants that serve lengua tacaquitos, which is actually a good thing.
Story from my ex's family - youngest child complained about oxtail soup, but loved bovine appendage soup.
ONCE I bought a cows tongue and made sandwiches. NOT A FAN. I'd eat it if I was starving but otherwise it's a part of the cow I'm okay with passing on.
I've tried it a few times/way, I like the idea of using less desirable parts of the animal. It's so tough though, I did not enjoy it either.
Load More Replies...I always get the tail when my son gets a home k**l beast. I've got the tongue the couple of years too, one of my favourite cold meats.
My mom used to bring home a whole cow's tongue and boil it until it was soft, then sliced for sandwiches. I love it, but not practical and the only deli that carries it is 50 miles away.
Yeah, I've only enjoyed ox tails at Jamaican restaurants, but they are d a m n good! Especially with rice and peas
S**t on a shingle. Used to have it weekly as a kid.
Wrong picture BP. That's just brown sausage gravy on toast. Different dish entirely.
Right Yanks, we'll have no more complaints about the looks of British food, thank you very much. That looks like a particularly loose stool dumped on a half-brick!
That's not sos, Idk what that is. My dad used to eat sos in the service and he loved it so we had it at home sometimes. I really liked it and now I make it for my husband. It's basically chipped beef and bechamel sauce over toast. That photo looks more like ground beef in brown gravy on toast or something.
Load More Replies...That doesn't look like the SOS I know. It's a Depression-era dish made with dried beef straps, cooked with gravy, to put onto plain white bread or white toast. I guess you could make it like the photo, with ground beef
My dad was in the Air Force in the 70s and fought in Vietnam... he didn't like talking about his experiences, but he DID tell us kids all about all the "sh!t on a shingle" he ate! XD He enjoyed it. He promised he'd make it for us and tell us about the war when we got older, but he had an accident when I was 18. I'll have to try to make it myself someday :)
Load More Replies...To 'authentic' SOS should be made with dried sliced beef. Problem is, dried beef has got damned expensive these days so hamburger is used instead
Nah, most of us switched as soon as we grew up and left home because that nasty stuff in a jar tastes like s**t
Load More Replies...My Dad loved hamburger gravy on mashed potatoes when he was in high school. My stepmom always made sure we ate very healthy meals, so when she'd go visit her parents I'd make it for him. Oh, and he ate it with Pillsbury Crescent Rolls.
Jell-o salads of every kind.
My mom served her lime, pineapple, cream cheese jello "salad" with a dollop of... Miracle Whip!
I will still get a craving for this out of nowhere! Kid of the '70's and this was always a favorite of mine if anyone was serving.
Load More Replies...Its to keep the jello from sticking to the plate.
Load More Replies...The unholy eldritch abominations my grandmother made in the 80's belong in the past...or on the plate of anyone who thinks all women should be trad wives.
Lime jello with pineapple chunks is yummy! I don't know what that mess in the pic is on top of lettuce.
My parents LOVED to make and eat a jello salad with orange jello, carrots, celery, and sliced green olives (maybe green onions too?). My sister and I despised it and always made fun of them for eating it. We called it garbage disposal jello. They would go crazy for the stuff. Yuck!
My mom made a variation of this with cherry jello I think, cranberry juice, walnuts, shredded raw carrots, celery (no olives or green onions) and layered cottage cheese between two layers of jello…my sister and I thought it was so gross and my mom to this day thinks it was awesome.
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Watermelon rind pickles.
I had this once as a kid. It's a quick pickle. They actually taste really good. The rind has a really great crunch to it
Load More Replies...I LOVE watermelon rind. If given a slice of watermelon, I'll eat the rind all the way down to the skin. My family looks at me like I'm psychotic, but I really love the white rind. It's got such a lovely texture. My mom just cuts out the pink meat and throws the rest away. It's a travesty. They're even better pickled, but you can't beat the texture and crunch when they're fresh.
Just make a pickle brine from a recipe and use the white part of the rind. Place in a jar with warm brine. Lightly tighten jar and let come to room temperature. Then burp the jar and tighten . Put in fridge. Can eat after 24 hours. Better after 2-3 days.
OH, yeah! Made like sweet pickles, they're delicious. I love baby green tomato pickles made that way too.
They are barely distinguishable from cucumbers. Usually crisper.
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Tomato Soup Cake. Don't forget the cream cheese frosting.
Not really, it's entirely its own thing. And it's delicious; it somehow comes out almost tasting like chocolate, which makes no sense at all, but it works.
Load More Replies...I think there are enough types of cake in the world, there was no need for someone to invent this.
Load More Replies...IIRC it's like a spice cake with tomato soup as the moisture/acid element. I've also seen tomato soup added to chocolate cakes.
The tomato soups adds moisture, acidity ans sweetness to chocolate cake.
Load More Replies...My Aunt C, a wonderful cook, used to make this. Doesn’t taste of tomatoes at all! It’s a spice cake and the tomato soup makes it very moist.
Really impressed by this one - the soup adds a lot of moisture without the fat. Took a long time to bake, but kids loved making it and it went down well! Thank you B Dylan Hollis for the vintage baking comedy!
My great grandmother used to make this. I have the hand written recipe and she called Unusual Cake. It was created around the second world war I believe, due to shortages of supply ladies had to turn to science to make everyday items. I have a list of things I want to try from around the 1920s to the 1940s. I think some of these foods don't get made anymore because the science of cooking/baking is lost to trends, fads, and other "hacks".
Turkey tetrazzini. Was that a thing anywhere but school cafeterias?
ETA: TIL turkey tetrazzini lives!
My mom made this the day after Thanksgiving with leftover turkey every year growing up. Loved it!
Turkey tetrazzini is a beloved member of the casserole family. My love will not fade.
My family makes chicken tetrazzini. But that photo looks gross with the green peas. We use bell peppers.
Egg Creams.
It’s kind of like an extra creamy milkshake. Without eggs. Or cream.
Load More Replies...I never understood why these are/were so popular. Basically soda water and ice cream. I'd rather make a root beer float.
I have a couple of squeeze bottles of Fox's U-Bet, for just this purpose.
Sort of. It's ice cream and soda water with chocolate syrup.
Load More Replies...Swiss Steak. A staple here, but i never hear of anyone else making it.
Interesting. I've never heard of it, but it sounds good
Load More Replies...Swiss steak is a way to prepare a cheap / tough cut of meat. Many of the things on this thread/list are relics of times when food was more scarce. Ways to stretch hamburger, ways to use less desirable cuts of meat, cheap deserts like jello + (whatever), casseroles and concoctions.
40 years ago my Grandmother would make a hard licorice candy. We would break it like glass and it could cut you just as easily.
That picture is turkish pepper candy from Danmark, and black, salty licorice never went out of fashion, it is the best candy in existence.
Seen it on TV. Everyone but the Danes hates it, it would seem.
Load More Replies...I went to a demonstration once on flint knapping ( making stone tools ) and the woman doing it said the guy who taught her sometimes used this candy, because it looks just like obsidian. He'd make an arrowhead, slice a piece of paper to show how sharp it was, and then pop it in his mouth -- to gasps from the audience. Then he'd tell them what it really was.
Ask the Dutch about Black licorice candies. They have several types. Soft and hard and everything in-between. Also do not forget the Finnish fresh soft version.
My mother loved horehound candy. Maybe a similar texture, but different taste.
Whatever happened to chateau briand on the menu? As a teen, that was my go-to when the family ate out at something more upscale than the cafeteria/steakhouses.
D**n those were good!
Are parsnips on the menu anywhere either? Haven't seen/had some in ages.
I love honey glazed roast parsnips. I do them every time I make a Sunday Roast.
Parsnips are popular again thanks to air fryers. Quite a few brands sell frozen prepared parsnips.
I make roasted parsnips regularly. They go well with potatoes (ie cook for the same length of time).
Don't see parsnips much except Sunday roasts, or a really poncey restaurant in the pudding
You still see Chateau Briand on the special Valentine's Day menu at some restaurants.
Lobster Newburg.
"Lobster Newburg is rich and delicious with chunks of lobster in a buttery sherry cream sauce. Serve over slices of buttered toast."
Load More Replies...Tuna noodle casserole. Not my favorite. I do miss chicken a la king. You can still get it in Amish country, under different names. I also never see chicken cacciatore.
Mincemeat pie! A fall and winter favorite of mine. It's not at all meaty, mostly just dried fruits, and SO delicious.
Is this the same as a mince pie in the UK? If so, they never went out of fashion here. They're all over the place and everyone eats them towards the end of the year. (Except me, blegh raisins!)
i looove mince pies it feels illegal to eat them when its not Christmas
Mr Auntriarch eats them whenever he can. My mother spoils him by freezing mince pies and giving them to him out of season...
Load More Replies...I feel like it is another victim of industrialization. I've had a good mince meat pie before. But I've also had versions that tasted "commercial". Like a company was figuring out how to use cheaper ingredients to increase profits. I'm in the US - the better stuff might be more available in the UK.
My husband's family likes it, but not me. Just buy a couple of jars, dump into piecrust and bake.
I still make a mincemeat pie every year, either at Christmas or Thanksgiving, and it can't have gone completely away because I still see the jars of mincemeat every holiday season in the grocery stores. Now, the tradition of making it with venison and beef has definitely shifted, it's all apple now
They still sell mincemeat (canned). Premade pie crusts should work.
Fruit cake.
I kinda like fruit cake. I would really like to try one of those super lux cakes with big pieces of fruit and nuts, but $75 is way too much for a fruitcake!
Pork chops and sauerkraut, with chocolate cake.
You still can buy pork chops and chocolate cake or make chocolate cake. Also sauerkraut but I don't like sauerkraut.
LOL at the chocolate cake add on. I like GOOD sauerkraut. Used to think I didn't like it. Then I tried home made. My step father's sisters used to make a huge crock of it each year and then divide it amongst the family. I don't have access to that any more but I've learned that some commercial sauerkraut is much better than others.
Chops yes, sauerkraut no. Chocolate cake depends on how rich and sweet it is and only a small slice.
I make this a lot, although I usually slow cook it and use pork ribs and kielbasa .
Mock apple pie.
"Hey, you call that a crust? My grandpa's underwèar looks more appetizing! And how hung over was the baker that did your lattice work? Hah, you sùck!"
I hear the same thing when I wear a mock turtleneck sweater.
Load More Replies...We used to make "apple" tart with unripe pawpaw. It was ok, but not apple tart.
We were poor going up and food was usually bad, but one time mom canned a ton of apple slices soaked in apple sauce and spices and did an amazing job. The jars were perfect for making a desert. I just needed some margarine, flour, oats, and sugar to make a crumble topping. I could whip up a decadent dessert even when supper was just plain hotdogs on stale bread
Never heard of it. Looked up recipe and wouldn't waste the time or ingredients on it I want APPLES in my apple pie.
With Ritz crackers, right? I loved that as a kid. I haven't thought of it for decades. 😋
I have made it with zucchini and choko. I can't eat apples so they are a good substitute.
Interesting - we call choko "chayote" where I live (America.) They are a staple of Mexican cuisine, so I had them quite often growing up. I haven't considered trying to use one as an apple substitute - will give it a try!
Load More Replies...Welsh rarebit.
Haven't had this for years. I can't remember if it's a kind of cheese sauce on toast, or something else. We called it rabbit but there's no rabbit in it
It is. Beer-based sauce thickened with a roux. Cheese, mustard, Worcestershire sauce.
Load More Replies...
Lime jello with pears suspended in it. (or was that a weird thing only my family did?).
Lime Jello with cut up apple bits, celery and walnuts. Then when you eat it, you need the spray can Jiffy Whip. Very delicious.
My grandmother used to 'can' her own pears. She put a few wedges of mandarin oranges in with them. I really liked them.
Chili mac. So good.
I still see in the frozen section of the markets.
Pickled crab apples.
The decorative crab apples work just as well. I haven't had pickled crab apples in decades! And Husband would leave home if I tried making them now.
What is that? I used to have spiced (cloves and nutmeg and cinnamon) crab apples when I was a kid, some relative made it. Crab apples are not easy to find, and alot of people don't grow the trees. Same with quinces and gooseberries
I grow two different varietals of gooseberry in my backyard for that very reason - because I rarely see them for sale in grocery stores/farmers' markets. I miss crab apples and quinces as well :(
Load More Replies...Indian pudding, London Broil , bread pudding. Double Dutch potato. Carrot casserole.
Indian Pudding is cornmeal, milk, molasses and cinnamon baked into a warm custardy dish. YUM! Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream.
They now sell that cut of meat " for grilling". Ugh. Unless you marinade the heck out if it, it is not a cut if meat you should grill.
London broil is a dish, not a cut of meat. It's traditionally made of flank.
Load More Replies...Haven't had bread Pudding since my nan died. Bread and butter pudding however, gets made as often as Mr Auntriarch can persuade me
Scrapple, perfection salad, oatmeal pie, tamale pie, scalloped oysters, Watergate salad, checkerboard sandwiches, Sunbonnet Baby salad, candle salad, Welsh rarebit, English muffin pizza, just about any low calorie recipe using saccharine, just about any recipe involving canned bean sprouts.
English Muffin halves, spoon some red sauce on each, sprinkle on some mozzarella, bake in toaster oven... English Muffin pizzas!
Load More Replies...I live in the scrapple capital of the US! We even have a festival here!
I made English muffin pizzas with kids at my work yesterday! A pizza sub is also great.
American chop suey.
I wonder how this differs from Australian chop suey/chow mien, if at all. It was very common when I was a kid because it's so cheap to make.
My mom used to make this. It was Chun King and came in a can. God awful.
I'm going to learn how to make labneh.
I love labneh. So much cheaper than goat cheese, and with more of a tang... spread on rye crackers and sprinkled with salt flakes. Divine.
Labneh is fairly easy to make after you get the hang of it. Very versatile and healthy. A staple in my household. Add some zata’ar for a bit of extra flavor. Perfection!
Let me just slice some cucumber to go with that...
Load More Replies...Eggs goldenrod. Actually, now I’m feeling a little nostalgic for it!
Just looked this up. Goldenrod eggs combine hard-cooked eggs in a creamy white béchamel sauce served over slices of toast. Sounds pretty good.
In my family it's a traditional to eat this Christmas morning
Load More Replies...Fatback.
Streak-o-lean sandwiches. Had those when I lived in North Carolina. Made right, by someone who knows what they’re doing, they’re scrumptious.
My grandma used to fry some up for breakfast when we visited her in Virginia - it was the only time we had it. Delicious! Better than bacon!
Tripe isnt very popular now.
Yes it is. It's very common in Mexican restaurants and alot of taco stands too. Served mostly in a soup, but I've seen it as a meat option for tacos
Yep. I live in Southern California and even the "normal" grocery stores (as in, non-ethnic markets) will sometimes carry tripe. I was raised in a Mexican family and menudo was a weekly tradition. My mom wasn't as fond of the "tripas" as she was of the hominy, so she'd load me up with her tripe and I'd get a double helping XD But yes, they can also be used in a number of dishes, not just menudo.
Load More Replies...We used to feed our dogs on white and green tripe. The smell is totally off-putting.
I worked in a restaurant and you always knew when they made tripe - the smell was horrible
Load More Replies...Tomato aspic.
Hardtack with fresh honey.
Don't hear of many people eating brains these days.
There has been no observed case of a pig having a naturally caused case of BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy) which causes prions. Which makes sense when you consider, pigs aren't cows. Cow brains can cause prions, not pigs.
Load More Replies...clearly this post was written by a zombie thought we wouldnt notice but we did
In Mexico you can get them all the time. They are delicious, buttery and spicy. And also quite safe to eat, as they are cooked for a long time with garlic, cilantro and chili peppe. We eat them in tacos or quesadillas.
I'm adopted and my family is Mexican. We ate brains pretty often. We called it "seso". My favorite preparation of it when I was a kid was brain taquitos, but one of my aunties made pretty dang good brain tacos, too.
Load More Replies...Pork brains are fine, since they don't get that disease.
Load More Replies...Pork brains in eggs is still quite common to eat in the Southern US.
Rumaki, frog legs, oysters Rockefeller, chicken cordon Bleu, Salisbury steak.
My granddaddy used to hunt frogs in Oklahoma, and they'd fry up the legs and we'd all stand around eating delicious frog legs.
What’s grosser than gross? Cow tongue.
My grandma used to make it. We raised cattle. When a cow went to the butcher, nothing was wasted.
Delicious as lunch meat. I've seen many Mexican restaurants offer tongue as a meat option
Tongue is very much a part of Mexican cuisine. I had it quite often growing up. I miss a lot of the old dishes that my long-gone relatives used to make :(
Load More Replies...A restaurant owner I know offered me some beef tongue to try after I said the idea of eating tongue was disgusting. I gave it a try and discovered it to be like roast beef that just melted in your mouth. It was delicious
yes it is like the tenderest roast beef you will ever eat.
Load More Replies...Chitlings.
a town in South Carolina held a chitlin strut (festival) for over 50 years. Just ended a couple of years ago.
Personal favorite way to cook them is fried crispy, breaded with a mix of corn meal and flour.
Sea Lamprey Pie.
I didn't know this one and googled it. What kind of monstrosity is this!?
Never had it but I dare all fish n seafood so long as it’s fresh made no processed s**t ty I,ll try it 👌dunno if it’s a thing here in uk I had to google it 😂
I wish they explained what half of these things were as I have never heard of half of them.
I know, I'm going to have to spend some time googling
Load More Replies...Prawn cocktail and then Steak Diane. I know that they are still available but they are rather looked upon as passe nowadays. My family had restaurants through the 60's, 70's and 80' and my uncle would flambe the sauce in front of the customers for a variety of steaks. Probably a banana split or profiteroles for sweet. God I'm old!
I live in the southern US and a lot of these foods are pretty common.
Half of this stuff can be found in other BP lists like “Disgusting Vintage Recipes“.
Wow! I have old-fashioned tastes, I guess. I really enjoyed reading this!
Entire comment section: 1. I still make that! 2. Obligatory “America is bad” comments. 3. Fight over origins of dish, even though everyone already said it’s disgusting American food.
I wish they explained what half of these things were as I have never heard of half of them.
I know, I'm going to have to spend some time googling
Load More Replies...Prawn cocktail and then Steak Diane. I know that they are still available but they are rather looked upon as passe nowadays. My family had restaurants through the 60's, 70's and 80' and my uncle would flambe the sauce in front of the customers for a variety of steaks. Probably a banana split or profiteroles for sweet. God I'm old!
I live in the southern US and a lot of these foods are pretty common.
Half of this stuff can be found in other BP lists like “Disgusting Vintage Recipes“.
Wow! I have old-fashioned tastes, I guess. I really enjoyed reading this!
Entire comment section: 1. I still make that! 2. Obligatory “America is bad” comments. 3. Fight over origins of dish, even though everyone already said it’s disgusting American food.
