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What Food Lovers Ate Through the Decades
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Apr 1, 2025
Weird History Food is taking you through the decades to examine some popular foods and dishes. From one decade to the next, the country experienced rapidly changing food trends, from the tasty to the healthy to the bizarre. The well-off usually decided what was fashionable - on plates and otherwise - for better or worse.
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The dishes we eat are greatly traditional
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Once you find a favorite, you rarely order anything else off the menu. But since the dawn of the 20th century
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Americans have been exposed to all kinds of new cuisines, giving the nation's foodies
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rapidly changing food trends to chase from one decade to the next
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So today we're going to take a look at what foodies ate in every decade since the turn of the 20th century
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Okay, time to get decadent on decades. Thanks to both its filling nature and its growing reputation as a manly dish
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American diets during the first half of the 20th century were heavy on meat
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And we're not talking about microwave cheeseburgers here. We're talking serious, varsity-level meats like bear and caribou
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Both were popular choices at trendy restaurants, although they were cheaper in the Midwest
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where the animals were easier to find. Heck, a few of them were probably bussing tables before their last shift
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Chicken pudding, which was a chicken-filled pastry similar to a quiche, was another hearty choice and had been part of the American table since the 18th century
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It sounds delicious. Sugar was already big business by the 1900s, with the average person consuming around 60 pounds of the stuff annually
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Along those lines, one of the most beloved and decadent desserts at New York restaurants was known as the ice cream bomb
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It was a layered treat with a core of ice cream designed to look like a cannonball
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Raise your hand if you wouldn't mind diffusing that off. The 1910s saw the peak of an oyster craze that permeated American food culture for years
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And anytime there's a craze around muddy rocks you dredge out of the ocean, you know it's going to be good
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You see, in the early 20th century, oyster prices were half the price of beef
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So whether they ate them raw, baked, cooked, or boiled in a stew, oysters were part of many people's breakfast, lunch, and dinner
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Many oyster-centric restaurants also opened their doors, including New York's trendy Grand Central Oyster Bar
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Rising prices and the closure of oyster bars during Prohibition quickly curbed the craze in the 20s, however
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Apparently, not even Big Oyster was safe from the 18th Amendment. Another popular dinner choice of the time period was roast beef with Franconia potatoes marinated in meat juices
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Statistically, the most popular variety of jug juice. Strawberry sponge cake was a frequent dessert choice to close out such a meal
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which seems reasonable because that still sounds pretty good today. Prohibition lasted the entirety of the 1920s
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and it meant that nightlife lovers had to go underground for their booze
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The Hollywood elite also made frequent getaways to Tijuana to escape prohibition
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which often included trips to local restaurant Caesar's Place, not to be confused with the Las Vegas Casino
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As far as we know, the Tijuana restaurant has never hosted WrestleMania. Just really weird donkey shows
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During his Fourth of July party in 1924, proprietor Cesar Cardini was short on ingredients
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and used what he had on hand to make the now classic Caesar salad
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which, despite popular misunderstanding, has nothing to do with Julius Caesar. The dish was such a hit with the celebrities in attendance
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that they made it a nationwide trend, bucking the then popular perception that salads were too effeminate for the average American Swanky dinner parties in the 1920s often included chicken a la king which was chicken in a cream sauce with vegetable pasta prepared to His Majesty liking
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All in all, not a bad decade to stop in for dinner. The Great Depression was, despite its name, not all that great
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Unless you're one of those kids who writes poetry that leads to parent-teacher conferences. It took a terrible toll on most Americans during the 1930s
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which, of course, didn't stop the wealthy from eating decadently at banquets and restaurants around the country
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You could argue the Great Depression was caused to eat even more decadently
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as a balm for these trying times. Lobster has gradually increased in popularity since the 1880s
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And while its high price meant most Americans couldn't afford the crustacean, the wealthy ate their fill
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probably while discussing what type of cake they were going to let the peasants eat. Ooh, maybe lobster cake
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Chicken dishes were popular in the 30s, with roasted capon, which is a castrated and fattened chicken, becoming a particularly trendy choice
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Sorry, Foghorn. Say, boy, wouldn't you, I say, wouldn't you rather have some delicious dog soup
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And potatoes rissole, small whole potatoes fried crispy brown on the outside, were popular as a side
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In 1940, inventor Irving Naxon, whose surname does make him sound like an alien making up a human name on the spot
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patented an early version of the crock pot, which was the world's first electric slow cooker
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Naxon was inspired by a traditional Jewish Sabbath dish his mother would cook over an entire day
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The device worked perfectly for stews and soups, making the most of the meat rations Americans dealt with during World War II
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And although wealthy Americans often found ways around rationing laws, oxtail soup was a popular crockpot recipe for people of every economic class
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After the war, many G.I.s came back home craving the food they had experienced abroad
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For those stationed in the Pacific, this meant Hawaiian and Polynesian dishes. As a result, the luau became one of the trendiest dinner parties for well-to-do families
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That tradition gradually evolved into parrots and Jimmy Buffett as they got older
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Although the dishes weren't always authentic, delectable entrees like coconut shrimp and barbecued chicken and squab
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satisfied the partygoers just fine. By the 1950s, thanks to the creation of America's highway system
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it was easy to quickly transport foods from place to place. It sounds like a good thing, and it is, for the most part
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But it also led to some of the least nutritional sustenance ever produced. She just takes Swanson TV turkey dinners from the freezing compartment of our refrigerator when I'm a little off schedule
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Processed, packaged, and frozen foods became more commonplace than ever before. They were simple to prepare, which encouraged many families to make them a staple of their diet
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One example was Campbell's canned cream of mushroom soup, which was promoted as a binding agent for casseroles
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Hey, it's a primary ingredient of the green bean casserole, which is the reason America created Thanksgiving
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One of the most popular recipes combined the soup with canned tuna, peas, tater tots, and noodles
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to create the immortal tuna noodle casserole. Do you know what makes a little girl happy
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Twinkling jello. There nothing quite like jello Another packaged food that rose in popularity was jello which at the time came in vaguely felonious flavors like celery More often though it was combined with whipped cream and fruit for a cold dessert
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Canned lima beans were a common veggie option, which is probably why lima beans are eaten at home and absolutely nowhere else
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While roast turkey with stuffing or potatoes was a popular Thanksgiving feast, it was also the inspiration for a popular frozen dinner
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And thanks to the rise of television, many Americans of all classes ate their meals while watching their favorite shows
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So the quick cooking TV dinner soared in popularity. It was good for the frozen food business and for the television industry
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And if it's good for TV, it's good for you. Celebrity chef Julia Child rose to fame in the 1960s
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First with her 1961 book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and then with her hit TV show, The French Chef
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Child became popular not only because of her charming personality. When you flip anything, you just have to have the courage of your convictions
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Well, that didn't go very well. But also because Jackie Kennedy had recently hired French cook René Verdun
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to serve as the White House's executive chef. So everyone was really excited about French food
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Child's signature dish was beef bourguignon. French beef stew in red wine
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and we're going to serve it with braised onions and mushrooms and a wine dark sauce
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Every great recipe has a little booze in it. That's why there's a little nitrine in every bag of frozen mozzarella sticks
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Many amateur chefs were inspired by Child's gung-ho attitude and made the dish themselves at home, although the mileage probably varied on that
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And when dessert was served, chocolate fudge cake was often on the menu
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a tasty, timeless treat in any decade. American cuisine went in some interesting new directions in the 1970s
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In the wake of the counterculture revolution of the 1960s, many Americans began to incorporate more experimental and nutritious foods into their diets
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Vegetarian meals and granola were among the highlights of the hippie food revolution
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And although carrot cake wasn't particularly healthy, it's basically just a big old hunk of hostess with some strained carrots crammed inside
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it was still the trendiest dessert of the decade. International foods also gained a stronger presence in American cuisine
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thanks in part to the arrival of new immigrants from Europe and Asia. One Swiss creation, fondue, was introduced to the U.S. at the 1964 World's Fair
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By the 1970s, it was a hot dinner party centerpiece for hip modern foodies
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looking for a more efficient way to catch mono. Americans enjoyed the traditional cheese fondue and also invented the chocolate dessert fondue
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Most importantly, though, California chefs like Alice Waters began touting the importance of fresh, local ingredients
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When Waters served fresh, farm-raised roast duck at her chic Berkeley restaurant
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she was trying to demonstrate its superiority over frozen alternatives. Ugh, now what are you supposed to do with your freezer full of frozen duck
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Farmer's markets and farm-to-table cooking gradually became more and more influential as chefs followed Waters' example
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The rise of California cuisine continued on right into the 1980s as Santa Maria barbecue trends exploded nationwide Santa Maria grilling techniques rendered the tri beef cut tender juicy and perfect for a hearty lettuce sandwich
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American chefs and consumers also continued to explore other healthy dining alternatives
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More and more diners dropped the fries in exchange for pasta salad. Listen, it was the Cold War. People were acting crazy
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This cold mixture of pasta and veggies in a light dressing was declared here to stay by the New York Times in 1982
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And while it never replaced fries in American society, it is still around
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Meanwhile, in Beverly Hills, a visionary named David Overton opened the Cheesecake Factory Restaurant in 1978
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boasting a menu so thick it could stop a bullet. It was an instant hit and expanded nationwide by the end of the 80s
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arguably making cheesecake the dessert of the decade. By the 1990s, immigration was continuing to boom, especially in Hispanic communities
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With that boom came delicious food trends, including Spanish tapas and Tex-Mex cuisine
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The latter found its way into everything from fast food chains like Taco Bell to exclusive New York restaurants
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Fajitas, in particular, became a staple of chain restaurants nationwide. And dining in America hasn't really been the same since
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fajitas. It's hard not to be impressed when the server brings out a sizzling fajita pan so hot
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no living human should be anywhere near it. And while Tex-Mex has been around for a while
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it became much more prominent in the American diet during the 90s. Food experimentation hit a wild new peak in the 2000s with the rise of something called
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molecular gastronomy. Although it does sound like a toxic spray designed by the Joker
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this combination of science and the culinary arts can make you sound both smart and pretentious to
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your friends. It's also complex and expensive, but often results in some strange and surprising
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new delicacies. Molecular gastronomy transforms traditional foods into strange new concoctions, such as spherified apple juice and garlic foam. But all trends wind down eventually
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And while restaurants focusing on molecular gastronomy can still be found, their popularity waned in the mid-2010s
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More typical trendy plates continued to focus on health, and kale replaced more traditional greens at restaurants nationwide
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The nutrient-dense green was also often found in the quinoa and rice bowls that became a staple of hip American takeout, and fans of the phrase superfood
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The search for great-tasting healthy food continues into the 2010s
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during which time the trend set its sights on the humble avocado
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The buttery fruit exploded in popularity, with consumption tripling from the early 2000s to the mid-2010s alone
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Its flexibility made it a strong choice for breakfast, lunch, and dinner
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And it ended up in everything from egg toast to salads to baby food
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Hey, you can't have too much of a good thing, right? And avocado does have a number of well-studied health benefits to boot
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On the side of guilty pleasures, rich and mouth-watering fusion cuisine continued to dominate trendy restaurants and food trucks
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One of the most popular varieties was Korean Mexican food, made famous by Kogi's Bulgogi Tacos, served across Southern California
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