The Most Popular Recipes of the 1950s (2024)

FAQs

What was the most popular dish in the 1950s? ›

As you can see from the decade's top recipes, the 1950s were all about the intersection of comfort food and convenience—casseroles and quick dishes like Chicken a la King and Welsh rarebit reigned supreme.

Items like pancakes, sausages, meatloaf, burgers, and sandwiches were standard on diner menus, and still are today. The meals were priced low, making diners popular even before their rise in the 1950s.

Often tinned hams, salads, breads and dessert would be served in a field. However, for an easier alternative make sandwiches and wrap them in greaseproof paper. Don't forget the hard boiled eggs as no picnic would be a picnic without one! Tea and lemonade.

Taco Bell and Burger King are among the fast food chains that were started in the 1950's. With so many new innovations in technology and processing, the food industry was revolutionized in the 1950's. This revolution included restaurants and the landscape of dining was changed with the rise of fast food.

TV shows like I Love Lucy, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, and Father Knows Best were popular during the original Golden Age of Television era. The 1950s were the true birth of the rock and roll music genre, led by figures such as Chuck Berry (pictured), Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis and others.

There was no such thing as the keto diet in the 1950s—meat and potatoes reigned supreme. You'd find hearty main dishes like Salisbury steak, beef stroganoff and meat loaf on a '50s dinner menu, plus scrumptious sides. Casseroles were also popular, particularly those featuring seafood or ham.

The concept really took hold in 1954 when Swanson's frozen meals appeared. Swanson was a well-known brand that consumers recognized, and Swanson launched a massive advertising campaign for their product. They also coined the phrase TV Dinner, which helped to transform their frozen meals into a cultural icon.

I was a child in the 1950s. On school days, we usually ate cold cereal (Cheerios, Wheat Chex, or Grape Nuts flakes—never corn flakes for some reason) or hot oatmeal with raisins in it on cold days. On Saturdays, we usually had one egg (fried, boiled, poached, or scrambled) and bacon. On Sundays, we had pancakes.

1957: The Whopper

Burger King cofounder Jim McLamore created the Whopper to compete with other local burger joints offering extra-large burgers. (This was more than a decade before McDonald's offered the Big Mac!)

What food was invented in 1953? ›

Tater tots were invented in 1953 when American frozen food company Ore-Ida founders F. Nephi Grigg, Golden Grigg, and Ross Erin Butler Sr. were trying to figure out what to do with leftover slivers of cut-up potatoes.

However, packaged snacks were not about to concede to the fast food trend. Peanut M&Ms, Atomic Fireballs, Certs Mints, Hot Tamales, PEZ candy, Pixy Stix, Smarties Candy Necklaces and Marshmallow Peeps were all candies developed during this decade.

Roast turkey, stuffed goose, ham aged in Grandpa's smokehouse, hot rolls, hot biscuits, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, preserves and jellies, and, of course, mince pies, sweet potato pies, white and dark fruitcakes, all kinds of other delectable desserts, nuts, and raisins, and brandy for the gentlemen.

And mid-century Americans spent a far higher percentage of their income on food than they do today. And while fast food was around in the 1950s, it wasn't particularly cheap. For most Americans, it was an occasional treat, and restaurant eating in general was reserved for special occasions.

Johnson says it was all about ease. "In the 1950s, there were a lot of people cooking who didn't really like cooking," she said. "The convenience of gelatin salads definitely had something to do with it. They're colorful, it's super easy, you don't have to bake.

The Popular Mixed Drinks of the 50s & 60s

Although the Manhattan and the Cuba Libre were common drinks for both men and women, sweet dessert-like co*cktails, such as the sloe gin fizz and the festively green grasshopper, were ladylike beverages suitable for the novice drinker.

Pizza has rightfully earned its place as the world's most beloved food. This Italian creation has become a staple in numerous countries, with endless variations to suit every taste bud. Whether you prefer thin crust or deep dish, classic Margherita, or loaded pepperoni, pizza has something for everyone.