20 Unusual Foods People Had To Eat During The Great Depression
As the world was plunged into darkness during the Great Depression, Americans had to get crafty with their meals. With scarce money and resources, they were forced to come up with some truly outrageous dishes! From prune pudding and vinegar pie, to dandelion salad – you can only imagine what wild concoctions came out of those 10 dark years!
If you’d like a glimpse into how creative people could be in times of hardship, then read on for more details about these peculiar foods from the past. Would you try any of these dishes?
Pizza With No Toppings
Pizza is one of the most common foods in the United States today, but the version from the Great Depression is unrecognizable. Resources were extremely limited, so people had to make do with what was available. This allowed them to come up with a dish called plain pizza.
It simply consisted of a piece of pizza dough that was rolled out and baked in the oven. Most people didn’t have any toppings, so it was usually covered with some butter.
The "Poor Man’s Meal"
A "poor man’s meal" was a way for people to get a cheap yet hearty meal. Most Americans were out of work, so they needed to find inexpensive ways to feed themselves and their families.
A poor man’s meal would usually include fried potatoes, onions, and hotdogs. Those who were lucky enough would top it with tomato sauce. The Dr. Pepper Museum believes that the invention of this dish during the Great Depression led to the creation of the iconic Chicago Dog (a hot dog with mustard, relish, onions, tomatoes, pickle spears, sport peppers, celery salt, and lettuce).
Nutritional Cereal
Home economics experts at Cornell University were influencing American nutritional habits during the Great Depression. According to the Cornell University Library, a team led by Flora Rose developed a cereal with tons of vitamins and minerals, called Milkorno. It also went by the names Milkoato and Milkwheato.
The mixture included powdered milk, salt, and cornmeal and was one of the most tasteless meals to come out of the Great Depression. One of the benefits of Milkorno was that it provided families with much-needed calcium, protein, and carbohydrates.
Garbage Plates – A Little Bit Of Everything!
A garbage plate may seem like a fitting name for a food dish from the Great Depression, but this one wasn’t made from actual garbage. Common ingredients found in a garbage plate included macaroni salad, home fries, baked beans, sausage, cheeseburger, beef chili, white onions, mustard, ketchup, and hot sauce.
Garbage plates are still a dish in restaurants today, including a diner in Rochester, New York. Updated versions have included fish fry, grilled cheese, veggie burgers, mozzarella sticks, chicken tenders, and hot dogs.
Kraft Mac And Cheese
Kraft macaroni and cheese is still widely popular across America. This boxed pasta was invented in 1937 when a salesman for the Tenderoni macaroni company started selling noodles he made with packets of Kraft grated cheese attached. The concept was a hit, with people buying a box for 19 cents.
This was a steal because each box contained four servings, which could easily feed a family of four. Within its first year on the market, Kraft sold over eight million boxes. Not only was it inexpensive, but was one of the simplest meals to prepare.
Bologna Casserole
Some may think of bologna as a lunch meat for sandwiches, but during the Great Depression people needed to get creative with their limited ingredients. Bologna was readily available, so it was made into a casserole.
Typical ingredients in a bologna casserole were cheddar cheese, beans, canned chili, onions, garlic, peppers, bacon, canned pork, and bologna. Those who ate it thought it was one of the most flavorful dishes of the era, which was rare to find.
Mulligan Stew, Aka “Community Stew”
This photo shows the origin of Mulligan stew. It began in American hobo camps around the time of the Great Depression. It was referred to as a “community stew” because the hobos in the camps would usually contribute random ingredients that were available to them and combine them into a stew.
These ingredients can be anything from potatoes, vegetables, beans, and various meats. The meats are a little more uncommon with sources such as squirrels or possums. Food author Geri Clouston says that there were times the hobos would add lint for flavor.
Red Velvet Cake Because Chocolate Was A Luxury
Red velvet cake may seem like a normal dessert option today, but it was something most had never seen before during the Great Depression. During the era, it was called “a cousin of chocolate cake” because it was meant to taste similar.
The red color came from the combination of vinegar or vegetable oil and buttermilk with a small hint of cocoa powder.
Hoover Stew Was Inspired By Herbert Hoover
Those familiar with the time period of the Great Depression will remember a term called “Hoovervilles.” These were poor areas on the outskirts of town where people would gather and live together. A popular dish served in these shanty towns was Hoover stew.
According to The List, the stew was inspired by Herbert Hoover. It was made in large quantities at soup kitchens and included ingredients such as stewed tomatoes, canned corn, hot dogs, and macaroni.
Vinegar Pie, Also Known As “Desperation Pie”
NPR notes that some pies during the Great Depression were called “desperation pies.” People were forced to use other ingredients to substitute for ones that weren’t available or were too expensive. A vinegar pie was the “desperation” version of a lemon meringue pie.
“If you want a lemon meringue pie, but you have no lemons, the vinegar gets the tartness like the lemon,” said food author Joanne Raetz Stuttgen. The pie would be made with very few ingredients including butter, flour, sugar, and vinegar.
Peanut Butter And Mayo??
Peanut butter sandwiches are a classic American meal that’s frequently associated with kids’ school lunches. While they are usually served with jelly, there were some peculiar peanut butter sandwich combinations during the Great Depression. The first was peanut butter and pickle sandwiches, which were cheap and easy to make.
The second option was peanut butter and mayonnaise sandwiches. Most households had these ingredients and the sandwiches provided families with some much-needed nutrients. While it seems highly unlikely, there are still some people who eat these sandwich combinations today.
Dandelion Salad From The Garden
Salads from foraged greens had been used centuries before the Great Depression. However, they became popular during this time because they were free to make. All people would have to do is forage around their yard or other grassy areas to find the leaves.
Most of the foods during the Great Depression were relatively bland, but the dandelion salad added some vitamins to people’s diets. The leaves could be made into salads or cooked with other vegetables. It’s important to note that people didn’t eat the actual dandelion flower.
Creamed Chipped Beef On Toast
People who lived during the Great Depression had to get used to foods that lacked flavor, which was especially true for creamed chipped beef on toast.
Creamed chipped beef on toast is made with dried beef mixed with a sauce made out of milk, flour, and a lot of butter. The mixture is scooped onto a piece of toast or crackers and can be topped with pepper or parsley.
Navy Bean Soup Has A Lot Of Nutrients
Navy beans, also known as white beans, have been a staple food item in the United States Navy since the Great Depression era. The beans are relatively inexpensive and provide a lot of nutrients including iron, minerals, B vitamins, and protein.
Spare A Dime states that navy beans are also fat-free, high in fiber, low in cholesterol, and can improve digestion. A typical navy bean soup recipe includes onions, carrots, garlic, ham, and navy beans.
Peanut Butter-Stuffed Onions Were Readily Available
The Bureau of Home Economics would promote foods to help the economy during the Great Depression. One of the most peculiar foods they chose to promote was peanut butter-stuffed onions. These only required two ingredients, which were readily available to the poor.
In order to make the dish, people would bake the onions, cut out a piece of it, and fill it with peanut butter. Although this was a popular meal or snack during the era, it wasn’t favored by many people.
Rabbit Stew And Dumplings
During the Great Depression, people didn’t always have a choice about what was available for them to eat. Many people had to turn to alternative food sources. One of the common alternatives included rabbits. Typically, people would consume whatever they could of the rabbit.
Then, people would stir-fry the leftover rabbit meat and make it into a stew. According to Wessels Living History Farm, the stew would include rabbit meat, dumplings, carrots, onions, and gravy. Making the rabbit meat into several meals was important because people needed to stretch their ingredients into as many days as they could.
Prune Pudding
Prunes were one of the most inexpensive fruits during the Great Depression. Prune pudding, or prune whip, was one of the most common desserts of the decade, which was made with sugar, corn starch, and boiled or dried prunes.
According to the Boston Globe, this dessert is a symbol of this time period because Eleanor Roosevelt made sure it was served in the White House. She did this to show solidarity with those who were struggling to survive in their day-to-day lives. Most only had small servings of the dish because it was very efficient at colon cleansing.
Everyone Was Eating Loaves
Those who lived during the Great Depression needed meals that would last a long time. This is why "loaves" became so popular. Loaves could be made with anything, ranging from liver loaf to peanut loaf, meatloaf, lima bean loaf, and more. Some have noted that lima bean loaf had a similar taste to falafel.
In order to make these loaves last longer, people would pair them with bread, crackers, quick-cooking oats, tapioca breakfast cereals, and powdered sauce mixes. Loaves could feed large families, with most feeling satisfied that they got enough to eat.
A Twist On Spaghetti
Spaghetti with boiled carrots and white sauce was promoted by Eleanor Roosevelt and the Bureau of Home Economics across schools and colleges. It required few ingredients and was relatively easy to make.
The spaghetti was supposed to be cooked for 25 minutes, so it would have a mushy texture. Then, it was mixed with equally mushy boiled carrots. Next, a white sauce was made with milk, flour, salt, butter, and pepper. Finally, the spaghetti, carrots, and white sauce were poured into a tray and baked into a casserole.
Amish Cold Milk Soup Is Still Eaten Today
According to So Yummy, cold milk soup has been a staple in Amish households since the Great Depression. This dish is very simple and is made by pouring milk into a bowl and adding bananas and sugar. Those who’ve tried it say it tastes like cereal without actual cereal.
Amish cold milk soup was eaten a lot during the Great Depression because it was economical. Milk was one of the most easily accessible items during this time, so people found recipes that revolved around it.
