Snacking Through The Decades: 1950s & ’60s - Canteen (2024)

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Snacking Through The Decades: 1950s & ’60s - Canteen? ›

Spaghetti-Os, Gatorade, Diet Pepsi, Doritos, Taster's Choice, Quaker Instant Oatmeal, Campbell's Chunky Soups and Pringles. Candy also made a resurgence with 100 Grand, Swedish Fish, Fruit Strip Bubble Gum, Lemonheads, Now and Laters, Starburst, SweeTarts, Tic Tac Mints, Trident Gum, Twizzlers and Swizzle Sticks.

1950s Appetizers

Before dinner, all sorts of finger foods, snacks and apps were served, oftentimes dictated by the occasion. Stuffed celery was always a popular choice, as were pinwheels, shrimp co*cktail and canapés.

1954: Peeps

Today you mostly think of marshmallow Peeps around Easter, but in 1954, these cute, sugary bunnies were a more everyday sort of treat.

I don't remember 'snacks' being readily available - the height of modernity was Jacob's Cream Crackers. Biscuits could be bought loose from tins, along with the broken biscuit selection. Fig Rolls, Ginger Snaps, Rich Tea, Marie, Digestives.

The 1950s brought treats including the Hot Tamales candies in 1950, Eggo Waffles and Cheez Whiz in 1953 and Trix Cereal in 1954.

Tang was an extremely popular drink during this decade, and Ocean Spray beverages also emerged in this decade. Spaghetti-Os, Gatorade, Diet Pepsi, Doritos, Taster's Choice, Quaker Instant Oatmeal, Campbell's Chunky Soups and Pringles.

What meals did families eat in the 1950s? Beaver Cleaver was known to sit down to a normal meal such as pork chops, a veggie and mashed potatoes. French fries were not normal fare in the 50s. Most families in the middle class region of wealth, ate spaghetti, ham, pot roast.

Pringles, Pop-Tarts, Doritos, Starburst, Chips Ahoy!, Gatorade, Sprite, and Ruffles all debuted during the decade, and fast food came into its own with McDonald's. New kid-friendly (read: super-sugary) breakfast cereals abounded, like Froot Loops, Honeycomb, Cap'n Crunch, and Lucky Charms.

1966: Doritos

You might be surprised to learn that when Doritos were first released by Frito Lay, they didn't have that famous Doritos flavor—they were just tortilla chips! The nacho cheese flavoring was introduced six years later, and snack lovers were hooked. We've had orange, Doritos-stained fingers ever since.

Other favorites of the time were Bazooka Bubble Gum, Licorice candies, Turkish Taffy, DOTS Candy, Jolly Ranchers, Whoppers Malted Milk Balls, Mike & Ike, and Rain-Blo Bubble Gum. Snacks that emerged during the '40s include Cheerios, Raisin Bran, Chiquita Bananas, Junior Mints, Almond Joy, V8, and Cheetos.

What food to serve at a 60s party? ›

Of course, no retro co*cktail hour menu would be complete without some old-school appetizers like a cheese ball, fondue, and deviled eggs. Those beet dyed eggs were even topped with some fried Spam because meat in a can was all the rage. Canned fish was a staple in the 60s too.

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.

M&M Peanut

Introduced in 1954, this beloved retro candy flew off the shelves and into the hungry candy-loving hands of millions! Famous for not melting in your hands, the M&M Peanut Candy was new and exciting and quickly became a favourite among every candy-crazed fan in the 50s!

Toobs (later known as "Tasty Toobs") are a brand of Australian snack food, first created in 1954 by Albert Cranum, and owned and sold by the British Australian company The Smith's Snackfood Company, trading as "Smith's". The potato-based flavoured snack took their name from the characteristic shape of the crisps.

1. Atomic Fireballs. We take for granted just how dark this name truly is. Ferrara introduced the cinnamon hard candy in 1954, at the height of the Cold War and the nuclear scare.

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.

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.

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.