FOOD NEWS
Common Foods From The '50s That Nobody Eats Anymore
BY HAILLE GRISWOLD
Tomato Aspic
Tomato aspic, a savory jelly traditionally made by simmering animal bones to extract their natural gelatin, was all the rage in the 1950s.
Gelatin creates an airtight seal around meat, so food was prepared this way due to absence of refrigeration. Home cooks often used packaged goods or leftovers for this dish.
Tomato Soup Cake
Cake made with tomato soup was a popular dessert for mid-century Americans, which was created by Campbell Soup Company in the 1920s or '30s.
The main ingredient is Campbell's tomato soup, which adds moisture and tanginess, but the other ingredients are similar to a classic carrot cake. It's topped with cream cheese.
Spam Fiesta
Spam, a type of canned meat, was a household name following World War II. It was often a popular ingredient choice used to enhance other dishes and recipes.
A popular recipe incorporating the lunch meat was called Spam Fiesta, which included ground Spam mixed with oats, milk, ketchup, and mustard scooped into peach halves, and broiled.
Bologna Cake
A typical bologna cake consisted of bologna layered slice by slice with cream cheese in between. Some recipes left the sides exposed, showing layers of meat and cheese.
With the introduction of packaged and pre-sliced meats at supermarkets, and bologna being cheaper than other deli meats, it was popular in mid-century America.
Macaroni Loaf
A macaroni loaf called for making the cheese sauce, then mixing the ingredients and pouring them in a loaf pan before baking it in a pan of hot water.
A recipe from 1956 used elbow macaroni, Velveeta cheese, eggs, breadcrumbs, peppers, and onions. Processed cheeses like Velveeta were popular due to their longer shelf life.