50 Recipes from a 1950s Housewife- A Cultivated Nest (2024)

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What was the typical menu in the 1950s? ›

1950s Dinners

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.

Marketing efforts of the 1950s sold the idea of a "happy housewife" as one that is efficient, spends money wisely, makes food from scratch, always keeps the house clean, and make it all look effortless. Oh, and does this all while looking GORGEOUS!

Breakfast was viewed as the meal to set you up for the day so was, at the very least, porridge, followed by bacon, eggs and fried bread, then toast and home-made marmalade, and lots of milky tea.

In addition to Coronation Chicken, Chicken Tetrazzini.

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.

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.

1957's Three Most Often Requested Recipes Were Casseroles; Paella, Jambalaya, Chicken Marengo Topped List - The New York Times.

In 1958, Momof*cku invented Chicken Ramen, the world's first instant ramen, creating the instant ramen industry. In 1971, he invented CUPNOODLES, the world's first ramen served in a cup.

What food came out in 1953? ›

The 1950s brought treats including the Hot Tamales candies in 1950, Eggo Waffles and Cheez Whiz in 1953 and Trix Cereal in 1954. In 1953, Kraft introduced Cheez Whiz, according to NPR.

The publication also outlines daily tasks that one should complete each and every day, which include: Kitchen: Put away food, clean coffee grounds, wash dishes & sink, sweep, empty wastebasket. Bedrooms: Hang up night clothes, make beds, straighten & dust, dust/vacuum blinds.

She argues that these woman valued their role as wives and mothers but were often miserable because their husbands, and their societies, treated them badly. One women, Eileen Bailey, began suffering from depression after discovering her husband's “numerous extramarital relationships” soon after their marriage in 1943.

The image of American women in the 1950s was heavily shaped by popular culture: the ideal suburban housewife who cared for the home and children appeared frequently in women's magazines, in the movies and on television.

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. During the Great Depression, diners provided an inexpensive way for families to go out to eat, the Telegraph reported.

It featured just four food groups: milk, vegetables and fruits, meats, and bread and cereals. The 1956 guide recommended as many servings of bread as fruits and vegetables and admonished readers to "try to have some meat, poultry, fish, eggs, or milk at every meal."

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.