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Tuna waffles. Bananas with mayonnaise. Hot Dr. Pepper poured over slices of lemon. People can eat anything if they put their minds to it. Anything. Nothing proves this better than taking a gander at cooking recipes from the past that create spectacularly weird food combinations.
So we bring you [drum roll] adverts of strange foods from the not-so-distant past that will make you pity your parents, shout ‘Yuck!’, and have a whole new appreciation for living in the 21st century. It’s nice having the option of not eating Jell-O topped with mayonnaise and strawberries and—oh God, I think I’m gonna be sick—
Honestly, though, ham with bananas, as well as hotdogs in hot cheese soup both sound delicious. I’ll use these cooking ideas for my next soirée. So while I’m thinking of how to lose friends and deter people with my gastronomical genius (read: evil ways), scroll down and enjoy the weird foods from the 50s. Upvote your favorite disgusting food recipes and share this list with your foodie friends. And let us know in the comments which exotic foods you’d be willing to taste or if you’ve tried any of these things to eat before!
Bored Panda spoke to Professor Nathalie Cooke from McGill University to learn more about vintage foods. Scroll down for the full exclusive interview.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Seven-Up In Milk
RELATED:
#2
Banana Candle
#3
Ham And Bananas Hollandaise
According to Professor Cooke, vintage party food recipes from the 50s are “the result of food fashion—but not just of a food ‘fad.’”
“That is, the basic flavor combination is something that reaches across the decades. What you’re describing may seem very odd to us in the 21st century, but the taste combinations—savory and sweet (tuna waffles, ham and bananas) or sweet and sour (mayo with lime) are surely very familiar.”
The Professor continued: “There were ‘fads’ at mid-century: think of cookbooklets demonstrating how to decorate one’s ham with slices of canned pineapple, topped with the bedazzling red of a maraschino cherry, for example! And you don’t mention the jaw-dropping recipes incorporating marshmallows in main course dishes, recipes that were brain children of corporate marketing departments.”
#4
Terrine Of Garden Vegetables
Shull GaRett 5 years ago
This looks promising. I mean we do have this sort of thing in Europe but it comes with meat and egg as well. This one here should be classified as almost a salad...
#5
Almonds In A Haystack
#6
Igloo Meatloaf
“But if we were to create one of today’s favorites from scratch, say Pad Thai, we would start from the same basic taste combinations you describe in what at first glance seem like bizarre plate partners,” Professor Cooke explained how things haven’t changed as much as we believe.
“Cooking bitter tamarind with water, raw sugar and fish sauce will build the basic foundation (sour, salty and sweet). To that one would add the requisite green onions, bean sprouts, and noodles—and likely some additional flavor notes such as shallot, garlic, and perhaps dried turnip (salty and sweet) to deepen the flavor.”
Bored Panda was interested to hear the Professor’s thoughts about what foods future generations will find strange but that we seem to eat without any problem at all.
“Perhaps that we try to ‘eat’ food without any taste at all—in the form of vitamin pills? Or drink it—in the form of smoothies? That we replicate the animal kingdom and encourage children to consume it—as gummy bears, cracker fishes, dinosaur eggs in oatmeal? That we continue to be mystified by the miracle of bread and milk?”
#7
Cup Steak Puddings
Zenozenobee 5 years ago
When you know that we also taste with the eyes... https://www.huffpost.com/entry/does-the-way-we-see-food-affect-taste_b_1872204?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9zZWFyY2gubGlsby5vcmcv&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAADRfcw7nl5Sn8zjaNxNyyl7KhJojZBdvSeU5Ly9k7tnBD37TydCny2VT5jCv6dXIyPIbeiwMBx8cByT7MXfG1VdpLf4zpDLmPhHxgmuJwaiAyajDJUPx9rb1HB15CxiLQGKndvjFfrHrPbnqUq2KdIyYmkcAYdF5toXQWoetrsRR
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Marion Banks-wilkinson 5 years ago
Steak and Kidney puddings are a traditional British favorite. It's actually really lovely.
Loki’s Lil Butter Knife 5 years ago
But these looks like some otherworldly and eldritch monstrosity that crawled out from the netherworld.
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Kharyss 5 years ago
Ok these don’t look great in the picture, but steak and kidney suet puddings are gorgeous! I have them at least once a month from the fish and chippy. Maybe it’s an English thing, but suet puddings are commonly available in all major supermarkets and takeaways.
Ray Heap 5 years ago
Steak and kidney puddings, mushy peas, chips with vinegar and gravy. Om nom nom nom!
Kharyss 5 years ago
I prefer the Manchester evening news. Specifically the sports section. Green ink tastes better.
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Master Markus 5 years ago
In that it's not there. Those definitely look painted. Way too smoothly painted.
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Loki’s Lil Butter Knife 5 years ago (edited)
But they look a lot more edible (hopefully) than these alien creatures.
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Sane Minotaur 5 years ago
Not a sweet pudding; 'pudding' used to mean something savoury, I believe.
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Avery S Alberico 4 years ago
"Here is the rotting flesh you ordered, and your Bloody Mary refill will be here shortly"
Nicky Cass 5 years ago
This one of the many reasons I didn’t go into intestinal surgery as a major. Imagine having to look at these things for a living!
John Braines 5 years ago
These do not look the best example, but steak and kidney suet pudding is the bees knees. My wife and I regularly go to a pub in Kent, England to eat their offering. When we last went I happened to notice that about half the patrons were eating them.
Rob Williams 5 years ago
If they’re like Holland’s steak & kidney puddings they’ll be gorgeous!
Amaranthim Talon 5 years ago
"The GOOD Beef Suet" - I know what suet is, and I can't grasp how good and suet can be in the same sentence, really.
Tina Nunya 5 years ago
Calling something "wonderfully.... digestible"... does not exactly have me tripping over myself to make this pig sphincter lookin' thing.
Rebecca McManus 5 years ago
They're just mini steak and kidney puddings without the kidney; I could go for that
Christina Nadine 5 years ago
In the U.S., suet is a big block of solidified cold fat that you hang outside in the winter time for the birds.
Baby Clanger 5 years ago
Ah! Rigsby would say..." Lives on suet pudding " ( Rising Damp Sitcom )
Master Markus 5 years ago
I think beef suet is just... gross no matter what, but I think the biggest problem with this ad is the picture, as the pastry bit looks ... fleshy.
#8
Lettuce Salad
#9
Lime Cheese Salad
Professor Cooke also revealed what vintage party food recipe she personally likes best. “Our gang is always delighted when we’re invited to a winter party where someone serves ‘weenies’—those little sausages that swim in sauce in a serving dish, and one fishes them out with toothpicks.
Every generation has its own fashions and quirks, whether we’re talking about food or clothes. When you’re surrounded by what’s supposedly normal and awesome, it’s hard to see that things are objectively weird and will change with the times.
I’m sure that future generations will think that we’ve been eating peculiar things as well. Like vegetable chips (crisps if you’re British) made from beetroots. Or burgers that have mushroom caps instead of buns. Or anything super healthy and vegan.
#10
Crown Roast Of Frankfurters
#11
Celery Victor
1 bunch celery
1 cup water
1 beef bouillon cube
1/4 cup low calorie Italian salad dressing
Pimiento strips
Trim root end off celery but do not separate stalks. Remove leaves and coarse outer stalks. Cut celery bunch crosswise once so bottom section is 5 inches long. Cut bottom section crosswise into quarter; tie quarters with string.
In skillet, heat water to boiling; dissolve bouillon cube in water. Add celery bundles. Cover; heat to boiling. Cook about 15 minutes. Drain celery; place in shallow glass dish. Pour salad dressing over celery. Refrigerate 3 hours, turning bundles twice.
To serve, place a bundle cut side down on each salad plate; remove string. Top with pimiento strips. 4 servings (30 calories each).
CELERY VICTOR II
Pour 1/4 cup low calorie Italian salad dressing over 2 cans (16 ounces each) celery hearts, drained, and 2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges, in shallow glass dish. Cover; refrigerate 2 hours. To serve, arrange vegetables on Bibb lettuce. 6 servings (25 calories each).
2WheelTravlr 5 years ago
With all that prep work the cook would literally be burning more calories making this dish than they would gain by eating it.
#12
Philadelphia Cream Cheese
To help you stay ahead of the culinary curve and keep on being a food fashion expert, here are some gastronomical tendencies to look out for in 2020, according to Forbes. Get ready to see lots of West African food on supermarket shelves, the continued rise of non-alcoholic drinks in bars, as well as healthier alternatives to the food that we usually give our kids.
Oh, and you’re about to see butter become a buzzword. From watermelon seed butter to chickpea butter, you’re going to see lots of alternatives to palm oils. All in the interests of protecting orangutans and tigers who suffer when palm oil is harvested, of course. In no way is this buttery niche temporary and meant to make profit by appealing to people’s sense of empathy for the planet and its ecosystem. Who would even think that?
Meanwhile, soy has been in the spotlight for far too long. It turns out that lots of people are allergic to soy, so some brands are moving away from it to ‘better’ alternatives like hempseed (it’s, like, everywhere now), avocado (no surprise there), and mung beans.
And for all of you fellow carnivores out there, you’re about to see more and more burger joints adding plants and mushrooms to their meat mix before cooking. Funnily enough, I’ve been doing that for years and it’s delicious.
#13
Ham In Aspic
#14
Ham ‘N’ Lima Bean Sadness Casserole
#15
Potato Fudge
#16
Tuna Mold
#17
Cranberry Candles
Toujin C'Thlu 5 years ago
At least this one doesn't use Miracle Whip. But I highly doubt you'd be asked to serve it 'again and again'
#18
Hostess Tree
#19
Frozen Cheese Salad
2 2/3 cups cottage cheese
8 ounces blue cheese
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons chives
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon barbecue spice
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 cups raw broccoli florets
Green pepper strips, to garnish
Let cheeses stand at room temperature for 30 min-utes. Place in blender container with buttermilk, chives, lemon peel, barbecue spice, and Worcester-shire, process at medium speed until mixture is smooth. Transfer to freezer tray. Freeze at least 3 hours. Remove from freezer 15 minutes before serv-ing. Unmold on serving platter. Surround with broc-coli florets. Garnish with green pepper strips. Divide evenly. Makes 8 luncheon servings.
#20
Party Sandwich
#21
Monterey Soufflé Salad
#22
Chilled Celery Log
Marky Mark And The Funky Bunch 5 years ago
My wife makes a similar dish called 'ants on a log' - its celery, stuffed with a cheese and with raisins or cranberries on the cheese. Its a nice, refreshing lunchtime snack.
#23
Perfection Salad
2 envelopes unflavored gelatine
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 can (12 oz) apple juice
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 cup shredded carrot 1 cup sliced celery
1 cup finely shredded cabbage
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 can (4 oz) chopped pimiento
1. In small saucepan, combine gelatine, sugar, and salt; mix well.
2. Add 1 cup water. Heat over low heat, stirring constantly, until sugar and gelatine are dissolved. Remove from heat.
3. Stir in apple juice, lemon juice, vinegar, and 1/4 cup cold water. Pour into medium bowl. Refrigerate 1 hour, or until mixture is consistency of unbeaten egg white.
4. Add carrot, celery, cabbage, green pepper, and pimiento; stir until well combined.
5. Turn into decorative, 1 1/2-quart mold. Refrigerate 4 hours,or until firm.
6. To unmold: Run small spatula around edge of mold; invert onto serving plate. Place hot dishcloth over mold; shake gently to release.
Repeat, if necessary. Lift off mold. refrigerate until ready to serve. Makes 8 servings.
Crystal galvan mendez 5 years ago
I'm trying to figure out why most of these recipes involve throwing a bunch of meat and vegetables in gelatin and calling it salad.
#24
Jellied Tomato Refresher
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
3 cups tomato juice
2 tablespoons dehydrated green pepper flakes
Artificial sweetener to equal 2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 packet instant beef broth and seasoning mix or 1 beef bouillon cube
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 medium green pepper, cut in rings (optional)
Sprinkle gelatin over cold water to soften. Combine tomato juice. green pepper flakes, sweetener, lemon juice, broth mix, Worcestershire, garlic salt, and cloves in saucepan. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat. Add softened gelatin; stir to dissolve. Pour into bowl. Refrigerate until set. Just before serving. beat lightly with fork. Spoon mixture, evenly divided, into 4 dessert dishes. Garnish with green pepper rings, if desired. Makes 4 servings.
#25
Salad Loaf
#26
Sweet And Sour Fish
INGREDIENTS:-
One fish (about 1 1/2 lb; use either yellow fish or garoupa)
2 tbsps oil
Oil for deep frying
Seasoning for fish:-
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. glutamate
1 tbsp. cornflour
1 1/2 tbsps. dry sherry
Sweet and sour sauce:-
1/3 cup white vinegar
3 tbsps. tomato sauce
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup diced onions
1 big red pepper (diced)
1 tbsp. cornflour
1 tbsp. oil
METHOD:-
1) Wash fish and dry thoroughly with clean cloth
2) Cult slanting slits along the fish.
3) Marinate fish with seasoning.
4) Deep fry fish in hot oil until golden brown. Remove from pan, cool for a few seconds. Fry again for 5-6 minutes (to ensure crispness).
5) While the fish is still deep frying, heat 2 tbsps oil in another pan; add in the diced vegetables and saute for a few seconds. Pour in the sweet and sour sauce mixture; thicken the sauce with cornflour and stir in 1 tbsp oil.
6) Dish out the ready-fried fish and drain off the excess fat. Place on a heated dish and pour sauce over it. Serve hot.
#27
Prawn Stuffed Apples
Preparation time: 10 mins.
Main cooking utensils:
bowl, wooden toothpicks
For 6 people you need:
6 red-skinned eating apples lemon juice
Filling: 3 tablespoons thick mayonnaise
1 teaspoon tomato paste
dash Tabasco sauce
2 pickled cucumbers, finely sliced
4 stuffed olives, chopped
2/3 cup peeled prawns or shrimp
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Garnish:
6 whole prawns or shrimp
6 stuffed olives
1. Cut off the tops of the apples, and scoop out the insides to hollow them.
2. Remove all core and pips and dice remaining flesh.
3. Sprinkle the apples with lemon juice to prevent discoloration.
4. Mix the chopped apple with all the other filling ingredients.
5. Just before serving, pile into the apple cases.
6. Decorate with prawn and a stuffed olive on a wooden toothpick.
TO SERVE: With a green salad.
TO VARY: Use same filling with addition of chopped celery or omit the olives and add extra chopped gherkins and a few capers instead.
#28
Piquant Herring Salad
Preparation time: 15 mins.
Main utensil: sharp knife
For 4 people you need:
4 pickled herrings
1 small onion
1 eating apple
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 pint soured cream (or 1/4 pint single cream and 1 dessertspoon lemon juice)
salt
white pepper
To pick 6 herrings:
Brine: 2 oz. salt
1 pint water
Spiced vinegar:
1 pint vinegar, preferably white
1 tablespoon pickling spices
Fillet 6 large herrings, soak in the brine for 2 hours. Roll herrings, cover with cold spiced vinegar made by boiling vinegar and spices. Put into screw top jars with sliced onion, bay leaf. Leave 5-6 days.
1. Drain herrings. Cut in half lengthways; cut each half into 4 strips.
2. Arrange on serving dish.
3. Slice onion. Cover with boiling water, drain after 1 minute.
4. Core and slice apple, sprinkle slices with lemon juice. Reserve a few apple slices for garnish.
5. Blend rest of apple, onion rings, cream and 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice. Season well.
TO SERVE: Spoon dressing over herring pieces, garnish with apple slices – watercress may be used if desired.
TO VARY: Use yoghourt instead of soured cream, add a few capers and finely chopped gherkin to the mixture.
Pickled herring and beetroot salad: Mix chopped herrings with diced cooked potato, diced cooked beetroot, diced apples. Toss in mayonnaise.
TO STORE: Cover lightly with foil and keep in a cool place.
Lauren Misek 5 years ago
I'd actually eat this but my grandma was 100% Norwegian so that's how I was raised
#29
Baked Bologna Jubilee
Add New Image
What do you think ?
DemPugs 5 years ago
Gelatine salads/everything was such a huge fad in the 60's. Some of them make me want to gag. GELATINE SALAD!
Ceredwyn Ealanta 5 years ago
My parents had these cookbooks. The answer is: It was basically very cheap and it could trick you into being full more. Jellied meats have been around for centuries, and preserving things in jelly was very common. A lot of this stuff is pretty gross, but from memory, you could overcome the gross once you were hungry enough. And that's basically it - you've got to suddenly work out a way to feed guests on nothing. Out comes the gelatin.
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Merty Robinson 5 years ago
Part of me really wants to make these for when my in laws come visiting at Christmas.
Liam Walsh 5 years ago
They probably had this food as children - might make them nostalgic and then they may NEVER leave!!
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April Simnel 5 years ago
Half the problem is that the photos are so luridly colored. I mean, the food is mostly gross anyway, but the pictures make these, uh, “dishes” look so much worse.
Gipsy Kings fan 5 years ago
You're right -- the color printing methods used were primitive compared to today's methods. Also, the profession of Food Stylist as it exists today must have been in its infancy then, if it existed at all. Food Stylists employ all kinds of artificial methods and materials to make food look more appetizing in photos, e.g. white glue instead of milk on cereal. https://www.theartcareerproject.com/careers/food-styling/
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Gipsy Kings fan 5 years ago
I was a kid in the U.S.A. in the '60s. These hideous recipes / photos made up by food companies to advertise their products are good for a laugh now, but are NOT an accurate representation of the way people really cooked and ate in those days. My Mom used some of the convenience food products but in a normal way, e.g. pan-fried chicken with gravy made with Campbell's Golden Mushroom Soup; Rice-A-Roni as a side dish. Other typical dinner items were meat loaf, hamburgers, mashed potatoes, spaghetti with tomato/meat sauce, macaroni & cheese, vegetables, green salads. She made one molded gelatin dessert that was beautiful as well as delicious, a purple marbleized confection made with lemon Jello, blueberry pie filling, and real whipped cream.
Liam Walsh 5 years ago
That last one you mention sounds a LOT nicer than the other molded gelatin desserts featured above!
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chi-wei shen 5 years ago
I had to stop after 26 items because I couldn't stomach this anymore.
Toujin C'Thlu 5 years ago
Some of this stuff doesn't sound bad. But the photography and over-the-top presentations make it look less than appetizing.
Random Panda 5 years ago
There is too much gelatin in these. And how is anything covered in it a salad?!
Jim Ellington 5 years ago
I heard that someone once actually came up with a recipe that involved putting pineapples on pizza!
E A M 5 years ago
So. Much. Gelatin. They left off my favorite recipe... It's sounds horrific, but tastes really good... Tuna Casserole. 1 box Kraft Mac & Cheese, 1 can Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup, 1 can of Tuna. Prepare the mac & cheese as per instructions, add soup & tuna. Spread buttered bread crumbs over the top and bake until the bread crumbs are golden brown.
Liam Walsh 5 years ago
Never had boxed Macaroni Cheese... When using macaroni and actual cheese is so easy (even I can do this one) what steps are shortened/removed in a boxed version and is it as good as freshly made? Wondering if I'm just wasting my time making it from scratch rather than using a box of the stuff! Also, how do you make breadcrumbs from bread that is buttered? Doesn't it just clump together? I'm no genius in the kitchen, obviously..!
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Phoebe Bean 5 years ago
Ha, ha, ha! Good ideas to "surprise" my guests this Thanksgiving or even Christmas!
Zelda Blue 5 years ago
Its no wonder that they all drank and smoked so much during that era. For the love of all that is holy the only way to force most of those dishes down would be to do it totally tanked. BLECH!!!!
Mark Fuller 5 years ago
This was laugh out loud funny. Seriously, I didn't know whether to eat half or these or attack them! So love the more unique and original posts like this!
D. Pitbull 5 years ago
So... "back in the day" - it was all gelatin and Miracle Whip... and just like today, Asian dishes are found to be "strange"... Right. - organ meat and pig's feet, y'all, it's still good and sweet 'n' sour is still going on today...
Niffler_13 5 years ago
my grandmother still makes Gelatin salads for every holiday. Usually lime ones with celery. All the kids bet each other to take a bite. So gross lol
CrunChewy McSandybutt 5 years ago
Ah, the 70s: where everyone was colorblind and jello came in meat flavor.
Kel Gal 5 years ago
Just add a little gelatin and Miracle Whip and call it dinner!
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Mauro Bellati 4 years ago
I am wondering if most Americans don't realize the current recipes are quite questionable in the same way. Creamy, cheesy, bacony. Processed food mixing all possible ingredients. Colorful sugarish horrible cakes. The list is long.
Mauro Bellati 4 years ago
I think most Americans don't realize the current recipes are quite questionable in the same way. Creamy, cheesy, bacony processed food... Or colorful sugarish horrible cakes, mixing all the possible ingredients. The list in quite long
Billie Helms Hillier 5 years ago
While strange I love looking at these recipes. I created a site just for these type of vintage goodness (and not so good) at https://vintagerecipeproject.com
Ella Blackwood 5 years ago
I would be emaciated if I had to eat that kind of sickening food on a regular basis. I'd rather starve to death.
Pseudo Puppy 5 years ago
"the combination of "sweet and sour" eg mayo and lime...." um.... mayo is not *meant* to be sweet. Only americanised mayo has sugar added, or worse yet, corn fructose syrup. :(
Christine M Quigley 5 years ago
I think there's too many weird colors, too much processed meat, too much Miracle Whip (which is not a miracle in any stretch of the imagination), and too much gelatin. Just weird recipes that needed to go away.
Brandy Grote 5 years ago
Aspics and jellies became popular at the end of the 19th century among the wealthy. Then, with the advent of refrigerators, middle class people could make these dishes with gelatin that set in cold. So in essence, being able to successfully make and serve one of these dishes meant you had a refrigerator. You were now rich enough to mimic what the upper classes had been eating. As more people got refrigerators through the century, these abominable recipes spread like black mold.
John Baker 5 years ago
Funny, I don't remember these things being common in the '60s and '70s. I remember seeing the recipes on Jell-O boxes and in magazines, but I don't recall very many people actually making them. Gelatin with fruit, yes, but not the rest.
Koalamonster 5 years ago
If you're curious about stuff like this check out Emmymadeinjapan on YouTube. In her "you made what?" series she did dragonball weird aspic/gelatin things. Including one with spaghettios.
Jane Alexander 5 years ago
Great new weight-loss diet here! Just look at these pictures and you won't want anything to eat.
Cindy Snow 5 years ago
Some of these are gross( many abuses of bananas!) But the meat puddings and igloo look good .and salmon salad is similar to crab dip. I like jellied souse but i admit im weird.
Eric Allen 5 years ago
I think that prior to serving most of these dishes I would have to yell, "Behold God's mistake!"
Kjorn 5 years ago
Mayonnaise and Gelatine… the 60's and 70,s dish. how could they still be alive
Loki’s Lil Butter Knife 5 years ago (edited)
Mmmm, I can’t wait to make me a trifle with alternating layers of Miracle whip, pineapple, and beef-flavored aspic! Maybe I’ll throw some prawn heads in there for good measure.
DemPugs 5 years ago
Gelatine salads/everything was such a huge fad in the 60's. Some of them make me want to gag. GELATINE SALAD!
Ceredwyn Ealanta 5 years ago
My parents had these cookbooks. The answer is: It was basically very cheap and it could trick you into being full more. Jellied meats have been around for centuries, and preserving things in jelly was very common. A lot of this stuff is pretty gross, but from memory, you could overcome the gross once you were hungry enough. And that's basically it - you've got to suddenly work out a way to feed guests on nothing. Out comes the gelatin.
Load More Replies... Merty Robinson 5 years ago
Part of me really wants to make these for when my in laws come visiting at Christmas.
Liam Walsh 5 years ago
They probably had this food as children - might make them nostalgic and then they may NEVER leave!!
Load More Replies... April Simnel 5 years ago
Half the problem is that the photos are so luridly colored. I mean, the food is mostly gross anyway, but the pictures make these, uh, “dishes” look so much worse.
Gipsy Kings fan 5 years ago
You're right -- the color printing methods used were primitive compared to today's methods. Also, the profession of Food Stylist as it exists today must have been in its infancy then, if it existed at all. Food Stylists employ all kinds of artificial methods and materials to make food look more appetizing in photos, e.g. white glue instead of milk on cereal. https://www.theartcareerproject.com/careers/food-styling/
Load More Replies... Gipsy Kings fan 5 years ago
I was a kid in the U.S.A. in the '60s. These hideous recipes / photos made up by food companies to advertise their products are good for a laugh now, but are NOT an accurate representation of the way people really cooked and ate in those days. My Mom used some of the convenience food products but in a normal way, e.g. pan-fried chicken with gravy made with Campbell's Golden Mushroom Soup; Rice-A-Roni as a side dish. Other typical dinner items were meat loaf, hamburgers, mashed potatoes, spaghetti with tomato/meat sauce, macaroni & cheese, vegetables, green salads. She made one molded gelatin dessert that was beautiful as well as delicious, a purple marbleized confection made with lemon Jello, blueberry pie filling, and real whipped cream.
Liam Walsh 5 years ago
That last one you mention sounds a LOT nicer than the other molded gelatin desserts featured above!
Load More Replies... chi-wei shen 5 years ago
I had to stop after 26 items because I couldn't stomach this anymore.
Toujin C'Thlu 5 years ago
Some of this stuff doesn't sound bad. But the photography and over-the-top presentations make it look less than appetizing.
Random Panda 5 years ago
There is too much gelatin in these. And how is anything covered in it a salad?!
Jim Ellington 5 years ago
I heard that someone once actually came up with a recipe that involved putting pineapples on pizza!
E A M 5 years ago
So. Much. Gelatin. They left off my favorite recipe... It's sounds horrific, but tastes really good... Tuna Casserole. 1 box Kraft Mac & Cheese, 1 can Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup, 1 can of Tuna. Prepare the mac & cheese as per instructions, add soup & tuna. Spread buttered bread crumbs over the top and bake until the bread crumbs are golden brown.
Liam Walsh 5 years ago
Never had boxed Macaroni Cheese... When using macaroni and actual cheese is so easy (even I can do this one) what steps are shortened/removed in a boxed version and is it as good as freshly made? Wondering if I'm just wasting my time making it from scratch rather than using a box of the stuff! Also, how do you make breadcrumbs from bread that is buttered? Doesn't it just clump together? I'm no genius in the kitchen, obviously..!
Load More Replies... Phoebe Bean 5 years ago
Ha, ha, ha! Good ideas to "surprise" my guests this Thanksgiving or even Christmas!
Zelda Blue 5 years ago
Its no wonder that they all drank and smoked so much during that era. For the love of all that is holy the only way to force most of those dishes down would be to do it totally tanked. BLECH!!!!
Mark Fuller 5 years ago
This was laugh out loud funny. Seriously, I didn't know whether to eat half or these or attack them! So love the more unique and original posts like this!
D. Pitbull 5 years ago
So... "back in the day" - it was all gelatin and Miracle Whip... and just like today, Asian dishes are found to be "strange"... Right. - organ meat and pig's feet, y'all, it's still good and sweet 'n' sour is still going on today...
Niffler_13 5 years ago
my grandmother still makes Gelatin salads for every holiday. Usually lime ones with celery. All the kids bet each other to take a bite. So gross lol
CrunChewy McSandybutt 5 years ago
Ah, the 70s: where everyone was colorblind and jello came in meat flavor.
Kel Gal 5 years ago
Just add a little gelatin and Miracle Whip and call it dinner!
Load More Replies... Mauro Bellati 4 years ago
I am wondering if most Americans don't realize the current recipes are quite questionable in the same way. Creamy, cheesy, bacony. Processed food mixing all possible ingredients. Colorful sugarish horrible cakes. The list is long.
Mauro Bellati 4 years ago
I think most Americans don't realize the current recipes are quite questionable in the same way. Creamy, cheesy, bacony processed food... Or colorful sugarish horrible cakes, mixing all the possible ingredients. The list in quite long
Billie Helms Hillier 5 years ago
While strange I love looking at these recipes. I created a site just for these type of vintage goodness (and not so good) at https://vintagerecipeproject.com
Ella Blackwood 5 years ago
I would be emaciated if I had to eat that kind of sickening food on a regular basis. I'd rather starve to death.
Pseudo Puppy 5 years ago
"the combination of "sweet and sour" eg mayo and lime...." um.... mayo is not *meant* to be sweet. Only americanised mayo has sugar added, or worse yet, corn fructose syrup. :(
Christine M Quigley 5 years ago
I think there's too many weird colors, too much processed meat, too much Miracle Whip (which is not a miracle in any stretch of the imagination), and too much gelatin. Just weird recipes that needed to go away.
Brandy Grote 5 years ago
Aspics and jellies became popular at the end of the 19th century among the wealthy. Then, with the advent of refrigerators, middle class people could make these dishes with gelatin that set in cold. So in essence, being able to successfully make and serve one of these dishes meant you had a refrigerator. You were now rich enough to mimic what the upper classes had been eating. As more people got refrigerators through the century, these abominable recipes spread like black mold.
John Baker 5 years ago
Funny, I don't remember these things being common in the '60s and '70s. I remember seeing the recipes on Jell-O boxes and in magazines, but I don't recall very many people actually making them. Gelatin with fruit, yes, but not the rest.
Koalamonster 5 years ago
If you're curious about stuff like this check out Emmymadeinjapan on YouTube. In her "you made what?" series she did dragonball weird aspic/gelatin things. Including one with spaghettios.
Jane Alexander 5 years ago
Great new weight-loss diet here! Just look at these pictures and you won't want anything to eat.
Cindy Snow 5 years ago
Some of these are gross( many abuses of bananas!) But the meat puddings and igloo look good .and salmon salad is similar to crab dip. I like jellied souse but i admit im weird.
Eric Allen 5 years ago
I think that prior to serving most of these dishes I would have to yell, "Behold God's mistake!"
Kjorn 5 years ago
Mayonnaise and Gelatine… the 60's and 70,s dish. how could they still be alive
Loki’s Lil Butter Knife 5 years ago (edited)
Mmmm, I can’t wait to make me a trifle with alternating layers of Miracle whip, pineapple, and beef-flavored aspic! Maybe I’ll throw some prawn heads in there for good measure.
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