13 Old-School Foods You’ve Never Heard Of
There are once-popular, old-school foods that younger generations have never heard of, let alone eaten. Just like fashion changes throughout the decades, some of the foods we ate in the past have become lost in time.
When was the last time that you enjoyed a slice of olive loaf? If you had to make ambrosia for a retro party, would you even know where to begin? Say the words brown Betty, baked Alaska, Waldorf salad, or beef Stroganoff to anyone born after 1980 and you’ll likely get a blank expression in response.
The following forgotten foods are under imminent threat of extinction from public consciousness. How many have you tried?
Ambrosia
Ambrosia is the food of Greek and Roman gods… and also a type of fruit salad that originated in the American South.
Although recipes for ambrosia vary, the core ingredients usually consist of canned mandarin oranges, shredded coconut, and whipped cream. If that’s not enough sugar for the Zeus or Apollo in your life, you can also add canned fruit cocktail, maraschino cherries, and a few canned pineapple slices.
Olive Loaf
If you were born after the 1970s, you’ve surely never eaten or even heard of olive loaf. You’ve dodged a bullet and should consider yourself lucky.
No one is sure if olive loaf originated in Italy or the United States, but as an Italian American, I’m going to go ahead and blame this one on America. Olive loaf is a sliced cold cut — usually bologna — embedded with slices of pimento-stuffed green olives. Enjoy?
Jell-O Salad
The golden era of the coagulated salad made of gelatin has passed, and that is perhaps for the best.
Popular in the 1950s through 1970s, a Jello-O salad consists of a gelatin mold with bits of fruit and grated carrots suspended throughout the mixture. Some kitchen renegades add miniature marshmallows, pretzel bits, and nuts to the mix and serve with a dab of whipped topping.
Chicken à la King
Despite its regal-sounding name, chicken à la king seems more like peasant food when you read the ingredients aloud.
Described by Allrecipes as a “great way to use leftover chicken,” chicken à la king is diced chicken in a cream sauce with canned mushrooms that is served over some kind of noodle. You can picture French nobility eating it off a silver platter, can’t you?
Liver and Onions
No discussion about old-school foods is complete without mentioning liver and onions. This meal that puts the “organ” in organic is so retro that your great-great-great grandparents probably ate it.
To make classic liver and onions, all you need are some thin slices of beef liver, a sliced yellow onion, flour, beef stock, and salted butter. The Simpsons made fun of the dated dish on an episode, which fans turned into this hilarious “Liver and Onionsposting” video.
Vienna Sausages
The Vienna sausages sold in cans are an American creation, not some exotic frankfurter from Austria.
American Vienna sausages are short frankfurters made of beef, pork, or chicken that arrived on the scene in 1903. These canned, garlicy, mini wieners were ideal for making pigs in a blanket or served with toothpicks as part of the hors d’oeuvres selection at an elegant ’70s house party in Ohio.
Baked Alaska
The Baked Alaska dessert originated in 1876 at Delmonico’s in New York City, not the 49th state.
To make a Baked Alaska, place a meringue-coated scoop of hard ice cream on a slab of sponge cake and keep it in the freezer until it’s time for dessert. Then, place the dish into a hot oven until the meringue browns on the ice cream. Remove quickly and serve before the ice cream melts and you have an even less popular Mushy Alaska.
Salisbury Steak
The Salisbury steak is named after American physician James H. Salisbury — a man who sang the praises of a meat-heavy diet for good health.
A staple at diners, school cafeterias, and in frozen dinners for decades, a Salisbury steak is ground beef mixed with egg, milk, bread crumbs, and seasonings. The savory mixture is formed into a patty, cooked, and served with gravy.
Cheese Ball
Although its origins are much earlier, the cheese ball really took off as an hors d’oeuvre in 1944 when women started throwing small house parties to distract themselves from a little problem known as World War II.
This cheesy and playful party snack consists of a ball of soft cheese that is coated with seeds, nuts, or small pieces of dried fruit. Just cut off a chunk with a small knife and slather on your favorite cracker of choice. You and your guests will literally be putting on the Ritz!
Clam Dip
The first televised recipe for clam dip aired on the Kraft Music Hall show in the early 1950s. The ingredients for the chip dip consisted of minced canned clams, cream cheese, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and garlic.
In the late 1980s, dips made of sour cream or cream cheese started to fall out of favor as salsas gained in popularity. Also, clam dip consisted of two highly perishable items, clams, and cheese, meaning that any leftover dip did not last very long in the refrigerator.
Beef Stroganoff
Beef Stroganoff originated in 19th-century Russia and consists of thin slices of beef that are cooked in a sauce comprised of sour cream and mustard. The name comes from the Stroganov family of Russian nobles.
In the United States, beef Stroganoff hit the height of its popularity in the 1960s when several food manufacturers marketed dehydrated mixes to which one could add cooked beef and sour cream to at home.
Waldorf Salad
Oscar Tschirky created the Waldorf salad in 1896 at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. Unfortunately, the curious concoction did not stay contained on the hotel grounds.
A Waldorf salad consists of cut apple and celery dressed in mayonnaise and served on a bed of lettuce. Later, people for some reason started adding walnuts and grapes to the already uneasy mixture. As if that weren’t bad enough, some modern-day maniacs started adding chicken or turkey to the Waldorf salad. Just… stop!
Brown Betty
The brown Betty was one of the favorite desserts of Ronald and Nancy Reagan when they lived in the White House in the 1980s to give you an idea of the age bracket this Jurassic dessert appealed to.
Similar to a cobbler, a brown Betty consists of sliced apples that are baked in between layers of sweetened bread crumbs spiced with cinnamon. Once golden brown, the brown Betty is served with a side of lemon sauce or whipped cream. If you’re lucky enough to still have your grandma around, she can tell you all about this old-school comfort food.
