Food And All That Jazz: Famous Foods of the ‘60s

nikki

9 years ago

What foods were popular in the 60s?

Instant Noodles
Fondue
Hamburger
Tuna Casserole
Shrimp Cocktail
Meat Loaf
Lipton Onion Soup Dip
Chef-Boy-Ar-Dee Pizza Mix.
Campbell Soup
Jell-O Pudding Pops
Pop Tarts

Food is a passion that transcends culture and time. The 60s were filled with phenomenal years of people becoming more aware in various aspects of life. People’s tastes and cultures were influenced by music and the lifestyle of love and peace. At the time, political strife was present everywhere and the post-war modern world was still struggling to find its own identity after a grueling era filled with fighting and dispute. Such is the influence of the revolution of the food that it even affected events in the South East. From working lunches to simple wedding catering service, everything changed with the emergence of the golden age of food.

These turbulent times were aptly put into words by Bob Dylan when he sang “The times, they are a changing.” As a wave of change hit the world like a tsunami, so did the food that people enjoyed. Most of the popular food of this era is marked by their foreignness to the people who only started to enjoy them. They were all imported from other countries by immigrants and these new foods slowly changed the landscape that was a part of the American field of influence.

Thus, here are 11 examples of food that were popular during the 60’s:

Instant Noodles

Originally introduced in the late 50s, it wasn’t until the 60s that instant noodles hit the market by storm. It was more expensive back then so it was considered a luxury food. It revolutionized the way people prepare, enabling them to store and serve noodles for years to come. People called it “Space Ram” because, according to inventor Momofuku Ando, “People have to eat no matter where they go, even outer space.”

Fondue

Originally popular in European countries, the “dip” based food was brought over to the United States by European immigrants. Fondue is enjoyed by melting various cheeses in a pot; while the heat is maintained by a slow burner, food is then dipped. Meats are the more traditional food that are dipped in fondue. Chocolates, marshmallows, vegetables and fruits may be used as substitutes.

Hamburger

While the Hamburger was originally invented in the 1800’s, it wasn’t until the 60’s that the Hamburger started to take the modern shape and taste that we are familiar with today. One could say that the 60’s were the industrial revolution for the Hamburger.

Meat Loaf

People were initially skeptical of the meat loaf because they (wrongly) believed that it was made by using materials of questionable origin. In reality, the meatloaf is essentially a mixture of ground beef and eggs so, in a way, it was kind of like the hamburger only served in more volume.

Tuna Casserole

Effortless to make while being delicious and affordable, the Tuna Casserole took the world by storm when it was popularized in the 60’s. Various recipes and versions of this classic meal exist, but the appeal of the original Tuna Casserole stands strong even today.

Shrimp Cocktail

The shrimp served in those custom-made, fancy martini glasses people could see on various 60s TV Shows? Yup, those were real and they were extremely popular because of how easy it was to make. The shrimp cocktail was also regarded as one of the earliest hors d’oeuvres in the West.

Jell-O Pudding Pops

This delightful low-calorie snack grew such a fandom in the 60s that there are petitions that exist to bring it back since its disappearance somewhere during the 80s and 90s. While many other websites have recipes that show people how they can make their own, the original will always be better. If you do want to see Kraft Foods bring this 60s trend back on modern shelves, then you can help out by signing this petition that already has 11,457 signatures.

Lipton Onion Soup Dip

Onion dip was wildly popular in the 60s and the best one was the onion soup mix that Lipton created. This was considered a real treat in many households, especially when served with ridged Lay’s or Ruffles potato chips.

Although this is no longer available, people can create their own version that is healthier than the original. The recipe can be found here.

Chef-Boy-Ar-Dee Pizza Mix

Even people from Oregon, which has some of the best pizza in the USA, would walk a mile just to get a box of Chef-Boy-Ar-Dee. This was a pizza mix in a box that allowed people to create their own delicious pizza at home. One that was successfully made would end up having a thin crust and a rich spicy sauce. Families usually enjoyed this while watching their favorite TV shows. Although one box can only give each family member 2 slices, those slices were holy relics to the people of the 60s and would satisfy any craving stomach.

These were some of the foods that made an impact in the western world back in the 60s. As you can see, many of them are still popular today. Safe to say, they made some good memories for the folks who got to enjoy them in their prime.

Campbell Soup

These were so popular in the 60s probably due to the catchy jingle that would invade the screens at home and cause people to crave for Campbell Soup. This came in alphabetical, vegetable, chicken noodle, and tomato variations; all of which were delicious. The chicken noodle version, however, was known for causing kids to be sick… which made kids love it even more because they get a free pass to skip school. The alphabet soup, of course, was a great way dish to eat and play with at the same time. Most kids ended up eating cold soup because they were too busy trying to spell their names. Another big trend was to combine the tomato soup version with Wonder Bread for a quick delicious snack.

Pop Tarts

The glorious Pop Tarts come in all sorts of flavors: strawberry, blueberry, and blackberry. This assortment of flavors was common to find on the shelves of households and were common snacks to give kids to pack for school or for breakfast.