Here's What People Ate To Survive During WWII

Americans who stayed home during WWII were asked to make sacrifices to support troops overseas. People changed jobs, took on new responsibilities at home, and even changed their diets. Food rationing was a must. The military got the best meat, coffee, and nonperishables, while everyone else tightened their belts and made do. Instead of grumbling about it, people got creative.

#WWII #FoodHistory #WeirdHistory

[WeirdHistory]

What WWII dish sounds the best to you?

[lindavalentine]

I was a little girl during WWII. Fruit was something we never got. The corner Grocery store gave me an orange once. He said he had gotten a small amount of fruit and was giving a piece of fruit to the children that came in with parents that were regular shoppers there. I still remember getting that orange. I was thrilled! I must have been a precious moment to me because 80 years later, I still remember him handing me that orange.

[mair]

My mom.lived through the war in Greece She always said if you have milk, bread butter and eggs you have everything. She was always so grateful for everything. She lived to 96 and I learned how to survive from her .❤

[lorenrenee]

My father planted fruit orchards wherever he lived. He had clear memories of eating out of trash cans and was determined to always have his own food growing.

[nancycurtis]

My daddy, who was born in June of 1918 in southern Illinois, the youngest of 6 children. told me one of his very best Christmases was when he received two gifts one Christmas morning…one was a jackknife and the other was an orange. He was 78 in 1996 when he died from lung cancer but he always remembered that jackknife and orange from when he was 11 or 12. I miss my daddy.

[judyosborne]

My husband grew up during the depression. His idea of wealth was having food on the table.

[jeanb]

My mom grew up in the depression and ate alot of home grown potatoes, carrotts, stringbeans. Also elbow macarroni and home grown stewed tomatoes for the sause. Also a white gravy made of flour, water butter and salt and pepper. Would also have rice pudding and custard. Alot of other things. I was born in 1946 with 4 older siblings and 2 younger siblings and my mother would still cook us the greatest meals with so many of these being meals she ate during the depression. They were delicious. Also soft boiled egg on toast, oatmeal, malted cereal etc and of course cod liver oil every morning. 1 tsp. In the morning to all 6 of us. Those were the good old days. My mom passed away in 2016 at 92 yrs. Old. I miss her so much, she was my best friend. She was the most generous, loving mom ever.

[Yuki-dndp]

The best part of this video is reading all the stories in the comments. Thank you everyone for sharing!

[sarahcowan]

My father grew up during the war in a boarding school in Scotland. My mother on a small farm just outside of Liverpool. My dad told me he was given a small jar of marmalade which was to last him the entire month. They emigrated to Canada in the late 50's and when the recession happened in the early 70's I remember them giving up coffee, cigarettes, etc just to make ends meet. They built a garden with fruit trees in every house we lived in. Our summers were spent picking fruit and vegetables and taking them home to can. We had a root cellar and by the end of October it was filled to the brim with that bounty for the year. They had 8 children and fostered 2 more. Somehow we managed and even thrived. They instilled in me a love of working with my hands and taking nothing for granted. Forever grateful ❤️❤️

[donnahoffman]

My grandmother's boys went to WWII. When I was young she would say " waste not want not" and had a garden and canned until her 80's. Humility and grace. Courage and temperance.

[TheCheeseBaron]

My grandma grew up in Japan during WW2. The Imperial Army took peoples food for the war effort. She experienced almost 10 years of near starvation. Once, she had to buy a handful of little sparrow birds to eat. She also ate what she could find on the beach. Later in life when she came to the USA she was a food hoarder with 2 freezers in the garage, and closets in the house packed full of food. Even when it went bad she didn't want us to get rid of it, she needed the security of knowing it was there.

[paulwolf]

My parents both were Depression Era kids. Dad was also a World War 2 Navy veteran. They had hard times, all through till probably the 1950s. One thing they both said, that even if they didn't have much money. They ate well. Dad's family, were dairy farmers, and mom's parents lived not too far away, in a small coal mining town, in what they called a, "patch". Both of my parents sides, had gardens, raised chickens and rabbits, etc. Hunted, fished, and canned vegetables and fruits. My parents continued to have gardens, fruit trees, berry patches and so on, till the early 1980s. Mom could sew just about anything, fix things, dad and her built our house, and it's still there. They tried to make us as self sufficient, as possible. Hopefully, they did?

[georgiamorrow]

I take care of my 92 year old mother with Alzheimer’s. Her favorite story is of food shopping with her mother and the owner giving her a candy bar. She says it was the first time she ever tasted a chocolate candy bar and was given something of such “value”! 92 years old and it’s her favorite story!

[Darkflowerchyld]

And now I understand my grandma and her strange meals. I thought they were just weird American Jewish food.. Nope, her meals were carryovers from her childhood. Thanks for the nostalgia. Miss you Grannie Annie 💙

[roberthurley]

My grandmother lived with us (my parents, me and my 2 brothers) in the 1960s and if I complained that the meat at dinner was tough she would say it's tougher when there's none.

[IamtheLunchlady]

My grandma and grandpa got married in 1946 and had at their wedding reception sandwiches, and a tray of Italian cookies. That was the wedding meal for everyone. Brooklyn, NY. She said things were simpler then and everyone enjoyed what they had.

[jamesvoigt]

I was three when WW2 ended. I remember that telephone call that made our parents so giddy, they danced us children around the kitchen in their arms. We grew our own vegetables and had chickens for meat and eggs. My play clothes at that time were made from chicken feed sacks. Food was always held in great appreciation in our home, and our mother taught us to be good cooks. (I am Virginia, not Jim.)

[justinakers]

I never realize just how much the civilians had to sacrifice during the war. They truly were the greatest generation

[mercyhope]

I had to do a double take when I saw the picture of the soldiers walking along side the tank. The second man in is my father!

[MamaByNature]

Who else used to watch Claras channel ❤ Great Depression cooking…. Such great ideas for today too!