40 WEIRDEST Meals People Ate During The Great Depression

[@nanrodgers9740]

I spent a lot of my childhood with my grandparents who raised a family during the depression. As a result I learned to love a lot of the foods that were served back then. While it wasn't one of my favorites, my grandmother made "wilted salad" (aka dandelion salad) quite often in the spring and summer. You had to pick the greens before they got very big or they would be bitter and tough. The dressing was a hot dressing made with oil, vinegar, salt, pepper and celery seeds (the hot oil wilted the greens). We made our own salad dressing long after bottled dressing and Hidden Valley dressing mixes hit the shelves. Our go to dressing was mayonnaise, milk, pickle juice, sugar, salt and pepper. Adding ketchup gave us "French Dressing". We ate a lot of meat pudding with pancakes (lots of people know it today as "scrapple"). My grandmother grew up in a religious sect called the Friends of the Brethren that was an offshoot of the Mennonites. One food you left out was Spam. I always loved it, especially straight out of the can. It was kind of like Vienna Sausages, only I cooked fried hominy with the Spam and had crackers with the Vienna Sausages. I still enjoy cooking meals and dishes I grew up with and introduced dishes to my husband that he had never eaten before like fried squash and fried green tomatoes, both of which have become favorites. I also cook one of my favorite comfort foods occasionally, scrambled eggs, fried potatoes and white gravy. I don't make it often because it's a bit on the heavy side for my husband who lived on the West Coast for decades before we met.

[@MelissaThompson432]

Spam is a Depression food, but it came in at the end, in 1937. People think of it more as a WWII thing. I will eat it right out of the can, but I prefer it fried. ☺

[@kathyinwonderlandl.a.8934]

You ate good because everything sounds good that you brought up. Yum

[@nope123-w6d]

Shit on a shingle is pretty good actually. I’m not even a depression era baby.

[@sandrawarrington7874]

My uncle fixed SOS for my brother and I . He said he made it during his time in the navy. We loved it.

[@susanware6702]

Love SOS. Have it all the time.

[@midwestern925]

Just ate this yesterday . . . At 60 years old now I remember this in school

[@donnarobinson7480]

I've always fancied trying chipped beef. Looks lovely. We had something called toast toppers in the UK. It reminds me of those. Although they were flavours like cheese amd ham not beef. 😋😋😋

[@beaverc2884]

Just had SOS two days ago. 😋😋😋

[@ZombieHunter37]

SOS is still a staple on the table.

[@BabyMonkeyDefender]

None of these foods would be economical today. All the affordable ingredients back then cost an arm and a leg today. Milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, flour, tomatoes, eggs etc. For one meal today would cost over $30 with no left overs. 😭 It's ridiculous. About the popcorn in milk, my grandpa used to love that. He'd watch tv before bed and have him a big mug of popcorn in milk. I liked cornbread in milk

[@MelissaThompson432]

My father loved cornbread in buttermilk.

[@kathyinwonderlandl.a.8934]

When we were young in 50s and 60s we had popcorn for dinner sometimes and I always had mine with milk.. I’d still have it if I could lol

[@kathyinwonderlandl.a.8934]

@@MelissaThompson432yummy

[@daniherde4810]

@@kathyinwonderlandl.a.8934 Don't see why you couldn't have it as a special treat if you loved it so much ❤️ It sounds delicious, might have to try it myself. Maybe with kettle corn? Just saying! Have a blessed day 🙏

[@daniherde4810]

My grandmother used to make all of our bread 🍞 and mayonnaise and truly as a kid there was nothing better than a mayonnaise sandwich!! I also still love a grilled peanut 🥜 butter and honey 🍯😋 sandwich. Yummy!!

[@kathyinwonderlandl.a.8934]

Yum!

[@speciale517]

My dad used to take all the leftovers at the end of the week and make a mashup. We lovingly called it Ga-slop.

[@speciale517]

Asking mom or dad what was for dinner sometimes got the response shit on a shingle. They mostly used ground beef which made it one of my favorite meals.

[@lindajacquot5391]

My parents were teens during the Great Depression, and many of these foods have graced our table at one time or another. I was expectin really weird stuff, like 'possum pie or squirrel stew.

[@kathyinwonderlandl.a.8934]

Please nooooo😢

[@marybethsmith6458]

OPotatoes were 1$ per 50 pound bag so yes they were cheap. S.O.S. is still on the menu in many homes but is made with hamburger since dried beef id a specialty item and very expensive. My Mom is 87 and still likes onion sandwiches but only made with sweet Vidalia onions.

[@midwestern925]

@@marybethsmith6458 at 60 years old now I still eat the radish and butter sandwiches my grandparents and great grandparents are when I was younger

[@arlenehynes4607]

I still make the chipped beef on toast!

[@manda322]

Corned beef isn't cheap any more

[@pafar]

Those aren't the right dumplings when you're talking about cabbage and dumplings.

[@christinecreasey2342]

In the 80's there was a ressesion for breakfast one morning mum put a dish in front of me of boiled bread, milk and sugay she called it saps, it was disgusting

[@kathyinwonderlandl.a.8934]

Eww sounds slimy lol

[@TangledNana]

I used to eat mustard sandwiches as a kid and loved them 😂

[@michaeldiaz6224]

Me too and mayonnaise sandwiches.

[@nanrodgers9740]

Got to admit one of the best parts of summer is a good old 'mater sammich with mayonnaise and salt! Delicious and economical, especially if you grow your own tomatoes!

[@laurielenig9939]

@nanrodgers...I'm patiently waiting for our crop of tomatoes!

[@nanrodgers9740]

@@laurielenig9939 we didn't even get our vegetable garden out this year. First time in 16 years I haven't had at least a handful of tomato plants and some green beans either in pots or in the ground.

[@drbluzer]

My stepfather would sometimes make SOS for us kids on Saturday mornings . It was always good !

[@Vintage.ShowTV]

Sounds great!

[@drbluzer]

GREAT DEPRESSION ERA WEIRD MEALS : @00:33 : CABBAGE AND DUMPLINGS @01:15 : COFFEE SOUP ( COFFEE AND SHREDDED BREAD ) @01:49 : CORNED BEEF SALAD @02:20 : CREAMED CHIPPED BEEF ( ON TOAST ) ( "SH*T ON A SHINGLE" - "SOS" ) @03:14 : CREAMY BEEF FONDUE @03:47 : DANDELION SALAD @04:28 : EGG DROP SOUP @05:30 : FROZEN FRUIT SALAD @05:53 : GARBAGE PLATE @06:39 : GREAT DEPRESSION CASSEROLE @07:15 : KETCHUP , MAYONAISE , OR ONION SANDWICHES @07:39 : KRAFT MAC AND CHEESE @08:57 : MEATLESS MEATLOAF ( SOME CONTAINING LIVER , PEANUTS , AND RAISINS ) @09:20 : MILKORNO ( POWDERED MILK AND CORN MEAL ) @10:12 : MULLIGAN STEW ( MADE WITH BEEF AND VARIOUS VEGETABLES ) @10:54 : MOCK APPLE PIE ( MADE WITH RITZ CRACKERS ) @11:44 : PEANUT BUTTER STUFFED ONIONS @12:48 : POOR MAN'S MEAL (DICED POTATOES AND DICED HOT DOGS ) @13:27 : POTATO PANCAKES @13:49 : PRUNE PUDDING @14:50 : SPAGHETTI WITH CARROTS AND WHITE SAUCE @15:49 : VINEGAR PIE @16:42 : JELL - O ICE CREAM @17:34 : DANDELION GREENS SALAD @18:03 : POPCORN WITH MILK @18:38 : CORNED BEEF LUNCHEON SALAD @19:16 : BOLOGNA CASSEROLE @20:00 : RABBIT STEW @20:54 : PEANUT BUTTER AND PICKLES SANDWICH @21:54 : MILK BREAD @22:23 : MUSHROOM ROLY POLY @22:50 : VEGETABLE LOAF ( "MEATLESS MEATLOAF" ) @23:22 : ECONOMY PUDDING @24:18 : EGGLESS , MILKLESS , AND BUTTERLESS CAKE @25:22 : POTATO SOUP @26:19 : PASTA AND PEAS @27:04 : POTATO CANDY @27:41 : TOMATO SOUP CAKE @28:13 : COOKED BREAD @28:40 : HOT WATER PIE

[@Wheelchairspeeder]

Crap on a shingle isn't bad at all and we make it often and our recipe is cheap we make a white sauce with flour from a dollar store and we add that buddig beef lunch meat.cut up .add some salt and pepper and a little powdered milk and a little bacon grease and we get that day old Walmart Italian bread for a buck..and we have a dinner for about 4 people and about 40-45¢ a plate..and dandelions are pretty good and nutritious and once you wash them well in salt water and white vinegar..you cook them like you would collards and they're great .. dandelions are actually more helpful than harmful instead of putting weed killer on them just clean them and eat em lol..

[@Vintage.ShowTV]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts 🙂

[@marylist1236]

Don't forget peanut butter & pickle sandwiches. I will be 67 this summer, and I am the eldest girl in my family, and my youngest sister would ask me with a very earnest tone, "Would you make me a mayonnaise sandwich"

[@MelissaThompson432]

The pictures are annoying. They don't have anything to do with the words.

[@badoldtroll]

I agree I always loved it still do but dried beef is o longer cheap

[@kathyinwonderlandl.a.8934]

Kraft Mac and cheese used to taste so much better than now😢

[@drbluzer]

I wonder if POLK SALAD was eaten during the depression years . POLK SALAD was made by picking young polk weed no bigger than six inches high and parboiling the leaves , which removes all the poisons from the plants . It is then served as a salad to the family .

[@Vintage.ShowTV]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts 🙂

[@randbodily3058]

Too many repeats. Still interesting.

[@Wheelchairspeeder]

My mom has a thing called recession meat loaf it's more loaf than meat.. it's like bread broken up and grape nuts ( if on sale) and quick barley and saltines with a can of beef broth and or bullion and spices and I think one egg and onion soup and a cheap ketchup..it technically had meat from the broth but she'd bake it and it was dinner...this was in the 80s and 90s but I think her meat loaf would fit in with the great depression 😅..and we eat mulligan stew all the time minus the lint and tobacco..lol we add red eye gravy..and cheap cuts of meat...we call it pot luck what's in the pot is your luck ..well we know politicians are full of crap anyway so I can see prune pudding being a white house favourite 😂

[@Vintage.ShowTV]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts 🙂

[@amonster8mymother]

❤

[@marylist1236]

People of the Jewish persuasion, made latkes for Hanukkah

[@TrueNorthMediaProductions]

Enjoy this comment as it is the first one!!

[@renaebailey82]

Garbage mash up must be yummy

[@Vintage.ShowTV]

It is