Weird Foods People Ate to Get Through the Great Depression

Summary

During the Great Depression, Americans turned to creative and often peculiar recipes to stretch their food budgets. The era saw the rise of dishes like peanut butter stuffed baked onions, prune whip, and mock apple pie made with Ritz crackers. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt promoted home economics, advocating for simple meals like spaghetti mush and Milkorno. Despite the hardships, the period also birthed modern culinary staples like Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.

Takeaways

• 📉 The 1929 stock market crash led to a worldwide economic depression, affecting the American diet.
• 🍲 The rise of refrigeration and need for inexpensive meals led to the creation of strange recipes during the Great Depression.
• 🌶 First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt supported the home economics movement, promoting inexpensive and nutritious meals.
• 🥔 Simple and denture-friendly foods like mashed potatoes and bean stew were common at the White House during the Depression.
• 🍮 Desserts often substituted fresh fruit with prunes, a cheap and available ingredient.
• 🥜 Peanut butter stuffed baked onion was an unusual dish promoted by the Bureau of Home Economics.
• 🍪 Ritz mock apple pie, made with crackers instead of apples, was a Depression-era favorite and remains a requested recipe.
• 🍝 Eleanor Roosevelt's spaghetti casserole was an example of the strange dishes of the era, combining overcooked pasta with carrots and white sauce.
• 🍎 Vinegar-based desserts, like vinegar cobbler, were a creative substitute for fruit-based desserts during the Depression.
• 🥫 Mulligan stew, a mix of scavenged foods, was a form of community food for those struggling during the Depression.
• 🧀 Milk-based products like Milkorno were developed to help stretch food budgets and were even served at the White House.

Q & A

What significant event occurred in 1929 that had a global impact?

In 1929, a massive stock market crash occurred, ushering in a nearly decade-long worldwide economic depression.

How did the Great Depression affect the American diet?

The Great Depression led to a drastic change in the American diet due to the rise of refrigeration, changes in the food supply chain, and the increased need for inexpensive meals.

What was Eleanor Roosevelt's role in promoting home economics during the Great Depression?

Eleanor Roosevelt, as an early supporter of the home economics movement, planned inexpensive and nutritious meals from Cornell's Home Economics department to help Americans.

What was a typical White House meal during the Great Depression?

Typical White House meals during the Great Depression included denture-friendly fare such as deviled eggs, tomato sauce with mashed potatoes, and bean in tomato stew.

What was a common dessert substitute during the Depression?

Prunes and other dried fruits were common substitutes for fresh fruit during the Depression, often used in desserts like prune whip.

What is a peanut butter stuffed baked onion?

Peanut butter stuffed baked onion was a surreal concoction from the Great Depression cookbook, promoted by the Bureau of Home Economics as an inexpensive dish.

What is Ritz mock apple pie?

Ritz mock apple pie is a Depression-era favorite made with Ritz Crackers as its filling, combined with lemon juice to simulate the taste of a real apple pie.

What was the unusual casserole recipe promoted by Eleanor Roosevelt during the Depression?

Eleanor Roosevelt promoted a casserole made from spaghetti, boiled carrots, and white sauce, which required cooking the spaghetti for a full 25 minutes until it turned into a mush.

What is vinegar-based dessert and how did it make a comeback during the Depression?

Vinegar-based desserts, also known as desperation pies, made a comeback during the Depression by mixing staple ingredients with a vinegar substitute for fresh fruit, creating an acidic flavor similar to an apple cobbler.

What was Mulligan stew and how was it related to the Great Depression?

Mulligan stew was a community food made from whatever foods could be scavenged, often cooked with stolen onions, corn, potatoes, foraged greens, and occasional meat bits, and was associated with hobo food during the Great Depression.

How did Kraft Macaroni and Cheese dinner emerge during the Great Depression?

Kraft Macaroni and Cheese dinner emerged in 1937 when a salesman for the St. Louis-based Tenderoni Macaroni Company began selling noodles with packets of Kraft grated cheese attached, which caught on as an inexpensive meal.