21 Truly Upsetting Vintage Recipes

21 Truly Upsetting Vintage Recipes

This is a nifty listicle. Though I must say that these images/recipes did not upset me. In fact, they may even have inspired me. Is there any interest out there in LTHland in a Truly [Not] Upsetting Vintage Recipe Cookoff and Potluck?

Let me hear you and we can move this right over to the Events Board.

--Rich

Really some of those are quite reasonable. I'm not fond of cold, jiggly meats, but a cream-cheese and ham "frosted" cake, or a liverwurst "pineapple" is just clever enough, and who doesn't like personal yorkshire puddings (can you still buy Atora-brand suet?). The "igloo" meatloaf (almost an inside-out shepherd's pie) if bite size wouldn't be out of place at Alinea.

I am really interested in making the meatloaf igloo and truth be told, I find #18 and # 19 kinda interesting too.

My grandma still busts out tuna and jello casserole and that banana candle is borderline NSFW.

RAB wrote:21 Truly Upsetting Vintage Recipes

This is a nifty listicle. Though I must say that these images/recipes did not upset me. In fact, they may even have inspired me. Is there any interest out there in LTHland in a Truly [Not] Upsetting Vintage Recipe Cookoff and Potluck?

Let me hear you and we can move this right over to the Events Board.

--Rich

Actually, some of us from the Dessert Exchange group have talked about doing some sort of vintage recipe dinner; something on the order of church or junior league cookbook recipes. I offered up my church basement as a venue for added atmosphere.

I'm not old enough to remember so I'll ask - did people really eat like that?
Do any of you remember serving of being served something like those?

Too funny, I just saw this yesterday too. Turkob, teresa and I were just talking about Scandinavian food and I was just marveling at the Smörgåstårta pictures I was finding on google searches, which led to Teresa linking me to this same buzzfeed.

I plan to try my hand at a Smörgåstårta soon, and would happily participate in a vintage recipe cookoff, with either a Smörgåstårta or something else.

http://s3-ec.buzzfed.com/static/2014-01 ... 9006-3.jpg

mmm.. ox kidney, wrapped in steak, wrapped in suet...

laikom wrote:Too funny, I just saw this yesterday too. Turkob, teresa and I were just talking about Scandinavian food and I was just marveling at the Smörgåstårta pictures I was finding on google searches, which led to Teresa linking me to this same buzzfeed.

I plan to try my hand at a Smörgåstårta soon, and would happily participate in a vintage recipe cookoff, with either a Smörgåstårta or something else.

I would eat the hell out of that Smörgåstårta.

Yeah some of them remind me of Smörgåstårta, and others remind me of other dishes I saw at formal Swedish dinners like calvsylt served at the julbord.

My favorites in there are the tomato refresher requesting both dehydrated and fresh green pepper, and the spam casserole in a tasty sauce of celery leaves and lard. The cream-cheese-and-mayo-slathered white bread sandwich rolls were definitely a thing in my early memory; there's a picture somewhere.

Agree that a lot of the cognitive dissonance stems from society moving past aspics and puddings; nothing wrong with either technique done well.

RAB wrote:21 Truly Upsetting Vintage Recipes

This is a nifty listicle. Though I must say that these images/recipes did not upset me. In fact, they may even have inspired me.

Yes, inspiring. Who knew Maida Heatter got her start carving hot dogs? (See #3; I think the blame goes to Woman's Day, not Betty Crocker.)

JoelF wrote:(can you still buy Atora-brand suet?)

Indeed, Atora suet is still available after 120 years. You can get it through Amazon.

AlekH wrote:My grandma still busts out tuna and jello casserole ...

You ought to make her #1: Tuna and Jell-O Pie. She'd probably be sooo proud of her grandson's cooking skills.

mgmcewen wrote:Yeah some of them remind me of Smörgåstårta, and others remind me of other dishes I saw at formal Swedish dinners like calvsylt served at the julbord.

Funny that Swedish food came up. Earlier today, after looking at #2, I had to look up Flygande Jakob to remind myself of the ingredients.

Rene G wrote:You ought to make her #1: Tuna and Jell-O Pie. She'd probably be sooo proud of her grandson's cooking skills.

She also happens to be Swedish and stuck in the 1950s...it's all coming together.

Thanks for sharing Rich . . . just when I thought I could eat anything! But this gave me an idea. Next must be having difficulty coming up with new menu ideas. May I suggest Next Loaf, Next Suzy Homemaker 1950s or even Next Aspic. Those would present real challenges!

BR wrote:Next Suzy Homemaker 1950s

Genius. Next Hotdish also. Guarantee these'd do better than Steakhouse. (And am secretly waiting for Next Next after about three more menus).

zoid wrote:I'm not old enough to remember so I'll ask - did people really eat like that?
Do any of you remember serving of being served something like those?

Ribbon loaf, also known as "sandwich loaf" was a staple of many ladies luncheons in my mother's era. In my time, it was on the Morton Arboretum's cafe menu into the early 2000s and was featured during the DuPage County Historical Museum's volunteer lunch until about that same time.

RAB wrote:Is there any interest out there in LTHland in a Truly [Not] Upsetting Vintage Recipe Cookoff and Potluck? Let me hear you and we can move this right over to the Events Board.

Yes! Maybe you were joking but I am not!

My late mother used to love the "sandwich loaf" at what she called "the old peoples' home." At least as of last October, it was served there on a semi-regular basis. Fear not, it won't be served at my house.

Jello and mayo seem to be to blame for most of these abominations. Coming from Minnesota, I have certainly sampled my share of jello salads, including some with cheese. (But tuna? No way.) It's important to remember that in the 20's, when jello came on the scene, fresh produce was just not as available as it is today. My Mom, raised middle-class in the 30's & 40's in Kansas, told me that, except during the summer, when the garden was producing cucumbers and tomatoes, her mother made coleslaw every day as a salad. Special occasions involved canned asparagus topped with a dollop of mayo or a canned peach or pear half filled with cottage cheese. My Mom had never eaten a green salad until she married my Dad.

Still, I'm gonna claim the frosted "sandwich loaf" as a WASP heritage dish. My sister-in-law served it at a ladies' luncheon as recently as the 1990's. I guess the ladies' luncheon is just as anachronistic as some of these dishes, but I think that the impulse behind these dishes still operates. One has only to watch an episode of Sandra Lee to see that for some, cooking equals elementary school art project.

I'd love to be part of any LTH vintage food fest if the dates work for me - that was the spirit of the Grape Cake I brought to the picnic - not meant to be horrifying, though. Warning: at a past 1950's dinner with friends I brought my aunt's sour cream-frosted jello.

Hi,

Jello as a convenient way to obtain a gelatin is relatively recent. Gelatins have been documented since the 1400's. Henry VIII had a very memorable banquet where all sorts of jelly's were served. Some were towering replications of buildings.

From my Science and Cooking class, there is this interesting lecture:



Regards,

Josephine wrote:Still, I'm gonna claim the frosted "sandwich loaf" as a WASP heritage dish. My sister-in-law served it at a ladies' luncheon as recently as the 1990's. I guess the ladies' luncheon is just as anachronistic as some of these dishes, but I think that the impulse behind these dishes still operates. One has only to watch an episode of Sandra Lee to see that for some, cooking equals elementary school art project.

I went to an 80+ birthday party where there were two frosted sandwich loaves from Don's Supermarket (now closed) in Lake Forest. It was a very elegant and rather tasty.

My Mom made one for a bridal shower. Her first mistake was ordering bread dyed green as the platform.

Regards,

In the spirit of #5 on the list:



Cream cheese sandwich loaf, filled with watercress, carrot salad and egg salad, frosted with parsley puree tinted cream cheese, adapted from the Philadelphia Brand Cream Cheese cookbook. Made as recently as 2007 for a home party. http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=10534&p=128560#p128560.

By the way, never answered Rich's original post really, but I'd be very interested in a vintage food exchange. I haven't been able to stop thinking about the idea since this post. Hoping it happens.

BR wrote:By the way, never answered Rich's original post really, but I'd be very interested in a vintage food exchange. I haven't been able to stop thinking about the idea since this post. Hoping it happens.

trixie-pea wrote:Yes! Maybe you were joking but I am not!

I was absolutely not joking. Les do dis. But it seems like with all of the aspics and frosted sandwich loaves and such, this might be more of a warm weather event, no?

If this happens, please nobody make "Perfection Salad." It looks positively revolting.

--Rich

RAB wrote:

BR wrote:By the way, never answered Rich's original post really, but I'd be very interested in a vintage food exchange. I haven't been able to stop thinking about the idea since this post. Hoping it happens.

trixie-pea wrote:Yes! Maybe you were joking but I am not!

I was absolutely not joking. Les do dis. But it seems like with all of the aspics and frosted sandwich loaves and such, this might be more of a warm weather event, no?

If this happens, please nobody make "Perfection Salad." It looks positively revolting.

--Rich

I'm still willing to host this in my church's basement. Perhaps in late spring? Are people adverse to coming out to the westerns suburbs?

I have at least my mum's BH& G dessert cookbook from a similar time frame( pics look like several in the linked piece) so I'm in.

If we do it, I have dibs on this!

I'd be willing but I'd like some parameters---like a bracket of years. Maybe post war to 1960?

Diannie wrote:I'd be willing but I'd like some parameters---like a bracket of years. Maybe post war to 1960?

We can work on the parameters, but for now, as a starting point, I'm thinking:
(1) laikom makes Smörgåstårta;
(2) abe_froeman does not make Fiesta Peach-Spam Loaf; and
(3) banana candle.

--Rich

If this happens, I'd be happy to contribute some sort of 50's abomination.