What Food Lovers Ate Through the Decades

Weird History Food is taking you through the decades to examine some popular foods and dishes. From one decade to the next, the country experienced rapidly changing food trends, from the tasty to the healthy to the bizarre. The well-off usually decided what was fashionable - on plates and otherwise - for better or worse.

The times we live in influence how we perceive beauty, and they affect the foods we love, too. It's impossible to predict a culinary trend, but once it hits, the whole country just has to try it.

#foodhistory #popularfood #weirdhistoryfood

[PineappleLiar]

I feel like the Bacon Craze should have been mentioned in the 2000s section: while the meat was certainly popular before, people began adding it into literally everything in the 00s, to the point of achieving the once thought impossible Bacon Burnout. I’d also say it’s the decade that normalized sushi for the average American; before that it had been around since at least the 80s, but it was seen as eclectic and fancy. I mean, the Spiderman 3 roll is a thing that still exists to this day in many sushi restaurants.

Oh, and a note on TV dinners, the first turkey dinner wasn’t just aping on a classic Thanksgiving meal, it only came into existence due to a surplus stock of turkey meat for the company post-Thanksgiving. Rather than take a huge loss by letting the excess meat rot in a fridge somewhere, the leftover meat and sides were packaged into individual freezer portions and sold as a quick dinner, and were a huge hit!

[spddiesel]

Fun fact: until the hippies and trend chasers started eating kale, the largest consumer in the world for the fancy lettuce was Pizza Hut. They used it as decoration to line the salad bar.

[madamesalamander]

I'm old enough now to be deeply thankful that I was taught to cook by my great-grands, who came of age on a Pennsylvania farmstead during the Great Depression. Simple methods, humble, unfooled-with ingredients, and a little practice is all it takes. In the 1980s, farm-to-table was still considered "eating poor" by many families I knew who drank Tab and gave their kids Pop Tarts. In two or three generations, they had forgotten all of their ancestors' food wisdom, lost their sense of nuanced flavors, and couldn't cook worth a damn. Time to get back to basics!

[insekta]

I was a young kid in the 1980’s, and I remember eating a lot of Chinese food, and especially in the form of the succulent char siu, which is my favorite form of BBQ, and I make it every week in my own kitchen. I buy pork belly at the local Chinese grocery, and make char siu over and over again. I can’t get enough of it.

[josephgaviota]

7:18 That shot of the parents and the kids on those flimsy TV trays, eating a TV dinner in the living room while watching TV ...
We were NEVER allowed to eat in the living room.
The ONE EXCEPTION was every April, when they aired "The Wizard of Oz" ... that was the ONE TIME we kids all had to take our baths, put on our jammies, and we got to eat TV Dinners(!) on the TV Trays(!) in front of the TV(!).
So, I've probably eaten about 8 or 10 TV dinners, _IN MY LIFE._

[chefscorner]

I was born and raised in Southern California and am now a retired professional Chef. My peak was during the 80s and 90s. Soooo much fun wirking with all these new ingredients the fusion craze brought in. If you ate in Santa Barbara CA ftom 84-95 theres a very good chance you ate my cooking. Those were some incredible days for the industry and me. That's my "if I could go back in time" choice.

[pamelamays]

As a Boomer kid I ate many a TV Dinner and Tuna Casserole. My Mom was cooking up pots of kale in the Sixties, Seventies and Eighties. Nowadays, folks are just discovering kale, as if it had never been available in the fresh produce section before.

[smorgasbroad]

A child of the 50's-I grew up with tv dinners and tuna casseroles, and chicken ala king on toast (delicious). I loved tv dinners, it was considered a fun treat if mom & dad were going out for example. Cubed steaks, meatlof, hot dogs, cold sandwich Saturdays, Sunday baked chicken. And I still love Jell-O today. I use my crockpot often, for stews, soups & chili. My closest culinary adventure away from all-american fare, through the years, is Mexican style food. Love it!
I'm still cooking the 1950'-60's comfort food I enjoyed back then. My grown kids still love it too.
Good food memories are as important as "the soundtrack of my life" to me. 🙂

[juliemclain]

The Bomb cake looks like the Betty Crocker Bake and Fill cake that one of my little ones begged me so much to get in the early 2000's from T.V. commercials and I've used it several times a year for at least 19 years for my children's birthdays. They love getting to choose the filling and cake and frosting even as teens. So much fun!😊

[NASCARFAN]

It's absolutely incredible these food trends left a lasting legacy

[ajourney]

80's cuisine, the decade when I grew up, are still the main recipes I use today. My Mom still makes the pot roast once a week. Interesting what habits a person keeps.

[btetschner]

0:43 - When I was a travel nurse living in Greybull, Wyoming, I stayed at a place called the Antler Motel.

During deer season, boarders who hunted with the husband (co-owner) would string up their deers like that at the motel!
The couple that owned that place were so awesome, the husband even fixed my car (for free) in the parking lot.

[voiceofreason]

@3:45 Lobster was THE hot ticket item in Louisiana around the late 1990's when Red Lobster expanded into the area. Every old guard restaurant had to add it to the menu. But it was a passing fad, lobster is good and all, but its too expensive and I think we could all tell that it was not the freshest. You can really tell when you can taste the gulf in the oysters and shrimp but you can taste the greyhound bus that lobster took on his way from Maine

[stanford-nfjk]

I was born in Tijuana and have eaten at Caesar’s restaurant. The salad is prepared right at table side. Gordon Ramsay, another chef, and a fine dining expert/sommelier chose it as a locale to film their show. Last time I was there I asked the manager on duty what Gordon was like and said he was polite as could be treated the kitchen staff & servers with the utmost respect. The cuisine and experience is chef 👩‍🍳 😚

[btetschner]

@0:14 The 80s star Molly Ringwald said “My favorite recipe is smashed avocado on sourdough toast with salt, pepper, lemon and a sprinkle of chili flakes. I could eat it every day of my life.”

In a poll, Ringwald was voted as the most iconic actress of the 1980s.

[btetschner]

@7:42 A couple I am friends with and I made the mouth-watering delicious Beef Bourguignon from Mastering the Art of French cooking.

After that, some years later, I went to a local Salvation Army and found this book, in perfect condition, for $3.
That was the best thrift find I have ever had.

[thisissophiaisabelle]

This is fascinating to learn. So many advances in cuisines throughout the world have emerged and it's cool to them all in this video.

[chrisshorten]

I've never tried molecular gastronomy. It almost sounds like something you would have expected from a retro future based on the sci-fi of the 50s and 60s.

[wendyrichards]

Most of those food trends from the 60s onwards have been mirrored in the UK, fondue was huge in the 70s and molecular gastronomy had a brief hay day about 15 yrs ago .Personally I consider the pre 60s dishes (for the most part ) to be real food that has stood the test of time .Who doesn't love roast beef after all ? Some of the later fads are glorious too, a good cheese cake is still one of my favorite things .

[tyneishalewis]

Weird History Food Sunday, once again! This video is cool, it's neat to see what foods were popular back then/now. Would love to see a part 2, if possible