Cooking Vintage Recipes from the 1940's

Life in the 1940's

Food has the power to transport us to different places in the world as well as different times in history. So, I've decided to embark on a little "time travel experiment" by cooking American vintage recipes from the 1940's! During the forties, there was great turmoil due to World War II. At the beginning of the decade in 1941, Pearl Harbor was attacked, causing the U.S. to join the war. Therefore, everything in America during that time was dictated by the war efforts. There were shortages and rations on staples like meat, dairy and sugar. And people cut back on wheat bread to be able to send more to the soldiers overseas.

Breakfast in the 1940's - Corn Meal Pancakes

Due to the rations and shortages of different ingredients, a lot of alternative recipes started coming on the scene in the American family's kitchen. Instead of having wheat toast or wheat pancakes for breakfast, corn meal pancakes became popular

These were less sweet and more chewy than the fluffy buttermilk wheat pancakes I normally make... (ok, ok, I mean order from IHOP). They were really tasty and I will definitely be making these again.

The recipe for these delicious corn meal pancakes is from Taste of Home.

Lunch in the 1940's - Deviled Egg Sandwich

Meat was rationed big-time in the 1940's, so folks found protein alternatives. Eggs were easier to get at the time I guess, because this deviled egg sandwich calls for SIX eggs! That's a LOT of eggs!! I found the recipe in what looked like a page from a pamphlet or cookbook titled "recipes for lunch box meals".

To be honest, I didn't have high hopes for this sandwich, BUT I was pleasantly surprised. And my Dad said he and his siblings used to make similar sandwiches in the sixties, with scrambled eggs instead of hardboiled eggs. This probably keeps its flavor and creamy texture really well in a lunchbox too.

I found this recipe from an old article from the forties here.

Dessert in the 1940's - Jell-O

Remember how the folks back in the forties had to find ingredient alternatives? Well Jell-O and gelatin were HUGE back then because it was marketed as a sugar and protein alternative. They mixed everything into gelatin - from sweet fruit cocktails suspended in a beautiful mold, to barbeque sauce and canned tuna... Maybe some things ought to stay in the past?

My first attempt at a 1940's Jell-O recipe was a total and complete utter failure. It combined lemon-flavored Jell-O with chopped apples, celery and walnuts. I should have quit after reading the ingredient list, but I was bolstered with confidence after my cornmeal pancakes and eggy sandwich. I made it in a Bundt pan mold, but when I turned it out, it all fell out in this pathetic sloppy mess. So it was back to the drawing board! (aka the internet to scour for more vintage recipes.)

My second attempt at a 1940's Jell-O recipe was a much greater success. These Jell-O Fruit Refreshers are sweet and full of berries. They'd make the perfect cold treat on a hot summer day! I found an old patriotic ad that included the recipe for these treats. It featured a cartoon woman wearing an American flag dress. I think it was to promote the idea that making and eating Jell-O would help the war effort? You can see the ad here.

Thanks for coming along with me on my tour of cooking vintage recipes from the 1940's. Does your family have any recipes from back in the day? I am super excited to continue cooking my way through America's history!

More Vintage Recipes

• Vintage Recipes from the 1950's
• Vintage Recipes from the 1960's
• Vintage Recipes from the 1970's
• Vintage Recipes from the 1980's