Fabulous Food of the 30s and 40s - Exhibits - Los Altos History Museum (2024)

FAQs

What were convenience foods in the 1930s? ›

Convenience foods.

But the 1930s had some notable contributions: Jiffy Biscuit Mix and Bisquick, refrigerator rolls, dry soup mix, and of course, that notorious old standby, Campbell's cream of mushroom soup. For good or for ill, these things transformed American cookery.

Snacks that emerged during the '40s include Cheerios, Raisin Bran, Chiquita Bananas, Junior Mints, Almond Joy, V8, and Cheetos.

During the Great Depression of the 1930s, homemakers stretched their food budgets with soups, rice and pasta–but beans were the commodity no household went without: cheap, high protein, and no refrigeration required until cooked.

A 1930s dinner party menu would probably also have included dishes that mirrored what Hollywood considered sophisticated European taste with items like scones, crumpets, cucumber or watercress sandwiches, salmon croquettes, trifles, tortes and meringues.

Twinkies, Snickers, Tootsie Pops, Fritos, 3 Musketeers, Ritz Crackers, Frito corn chips, 5th Avenues, and Lay's Potato Chips were all produced during the lean years of the Great Depression.

In the 1940s, the number of food groups expanded to 7 through “The Basic 7” (green and yellow vegetables; oranges, tomatoes, and grapefruit; potatoes and other vegetables and fruit; milk and milk products; meat, poultry, fish, or eggs; bread, flour, and cereals; and butter and fortified margarine) (10).

1940s: Mint, orange juice, and apple butter

A sample brunch menu includes: orange juice topped with mint, creamed ham and mushrooms, waffles de luxe, maple syrup, apple butter, coffee, and milk.

The Rise of Commercial Pet Food

During World War II, metal rationing halted all production of canned pet foods, and manufacturers began focusing on dry foods, selling them to customers by promoting the convenience factor. By the mid-1940s, there were two types of dry food: biscuits and kibble; and pellets.

Kibble + canned dog foods were introduced made out of dehydrated meat and grain mill scraps. Great Depression (30's - 40's): Canned pet food became 90% of the pet food market. WWII (1939-45): “Non-essential” pet food was not a priority during wartime and rationing.

What was the bread diet in the 1930s? ›

Interestingly, the bread diet came back into fashion in the 1930s, courtesy of a marketing push by the American Institute of Baking. Ads claimed that the bread diet was a “safer way to gain alluring slenderness” and that you can “do an hour's ironing on two slices of bread.”

The first commonly available convenience foods were canned goods, which were developed in the 19th century for military purposes. The little tins made it easy to store, transport and prepare food on the battlefield.

Supermarkets first emerged in the 1930s, but only after the decades long development of five crucial business components. Randolph McAusland defines a supermarket's essential elements as: self-service, cash-and-carry, free parking, and one-stop shopping.

Products like Kool-aid, Wonder Bread and popsicles were all processed foods that were introduced in the 1920s. As processed foods were growing more popular and more common, the market of these goods went to the next level. New dining establishments, such as Dairy Queen and McDonalds, were being created.