Depression-Era Foods You Are About To See Everywhere

With the pandemic shortages that paralleled much of the food scarcity of the 1930s, Depression-era recipes are seeing the limelight once again. But beyond grocery restrictions and the novelty of reviving retro receipts, Depression-era cooking has largely become re-popularized through a new demographic with its arsenal of inherently vegan and vegetarian meals. The innovative alterations that defined these meals for hard times parallel today's widespread culinary substitutions to accommodate food allergies and dietary preferences.

Whether it's scarcity or novelty that's bringing these old recipes back, they persist as proof that when it comes to cooking, there is ample room to bend the rules. Here is a list of 10 Depression-era dishes that have lately returned to restaurants and dining tables. Inspired by the thrifty meal planning strategies that defined the culinary creativity born out of the Depression, and enticed by how valiantly our forebears were able to make so much from so little, contemporary cooks continue to recreate these vintage recipes.

With scant resources and smaller incomes, it's no surprise that Depression-era households reverted to foraging when possible. Wild plants were fair game if they were edible, and locally grown weeds didn't cost a thing. Dandelion salad was a phenomenon born out of this scavenging of necessity and may have contributed to an enhanced wellbeing among those who deigned to gather their salad ingredients from the roadside. In addition to being abundant and easy to acquire, dandelion leaves also happen to have significant nutritional benefits.

Healthline states that dandelion greens provide a healthy dose of vitamins A, C, K, and E, and also contain enough antioxidants to fight inflammation. With a host of other possible health benefits currently undergoing study, dandelion greens may prove to be helpful in promoting weight loss, fighting cancer, and reducing liver damage, so it's no wonder dandelion salads have started to germinate among restaurant menus. Dandelion greens have a somewhat bitter flavor that makes them oddly palatable — not unlike arugula, they have a distinct potency of their own that provides a piquant contrast to other vegetables when served in a salad. For a boost of healthy greens, dandelion salad is even easier to make at home than it is to order from a restaurant. Whether for nutrition content or simply their unique flavor, these greens have caught on enough to become far more than mere weeds.

Though many cultures have been making similar dishes for thousands of years, meatloaf is one of the more widely consumed meals that first made its mark during The Great Depression. Mixing a bit of ground meat with grains effectively stretched a meager portion of meat, transforming meatloaf into a Depression staple. But there were plenty of households that didn't have the means for even meatloaf during the 1930s. This prompted resourceful home cooks to craft meatless meatloaves that more or less resembled the real thing, although they didn't quite taste the same. Opting for nuts or legumes as part of the mixture, these vegetarian meatloaves were still a filling source of protein — yet another prototype for the intentionally meatless meatloaves that have sprung up as today's vegan and vegetarian novelties.

The meatloaf that's making a comeback, however, is most assuredly the carnivorous variety. A humble, unassuming dish with great potential for versatility, there was no reason for meatloaf to ever really lose popularity after its Depression-era zenith. It has become beloved enough to be enjoyed outside of hard times and has long since transcended fad status after a resurgence in the 50s. But perhaps meatloaf is gaining popularity yet again on account of the recent culinary impetus to transform comfort foods into gourmet dishes. Meatloaf is making recurring appearances on upscale restaurant menus, a complete shift from the economic uncertainty that initially boosted this dish's popularity.

Potatoes, bought cheaply in bulk, were another Depression-era staple, and were incorporated into all manner of dishes to spread meals far enough to keep families full. Fortunately, potatoes pair well with most things, and are just as good on their own. Potato soup is no exception to the Depression-era approach to cooking with only a few ingredients. While a soup made from mostly potatoes may not sound like it has special culinary appeal, the dish was well-loved in the 1930s and is experiencing a moment again today.

A pottage that can be made in its simplest form from broth, potatoes, and maybe a little milk, potato soup is yet another example of simple, wholesome fare that welcomes culinary creativity. For today's era in which simplicity seems to be perennially trending when it comes to home cooking, recipes for potato soup have found an especially receptive audience on TikTok where creative cooks have emphasized how easy it is to make this simple dish which can yield incredibly delicious results. Whether left to cook in a crockpot or simmered on the stove, potato soup has been consistently on an upward trend, finding the most favor among vegan eaters. More decadent variations, however, don't skimp on mixing in heavy cream or sprinkling bacon on top.

The PB & P first appeared at lunch counters during the Depression, but while many diners enjoyed them, the combo has never really gone mainstream. It is largely a sense of curiosity that has convinced today's intrepid tastebuds to try the PB & P, though it may soon reach broader appeal.

But getting the right pickle variety is important when making this otherwise simple sandwich. Dill pickles are too briney to make this combination work – bread-and-butter pickles mix best with peanut butter due to their tangy sweetness. This unusual pairing, as it turns out, may itself be a variation on a variation. 

Another sandwich with mythic Depression-era origins is the bread-and-butter pickle sandwich, which, true to its name, consists of pickles between two slices of buttered bread (perhaps that's how sweet and sour pickles got their colloquial name). But the butter-pickle filling may in fact be a hard times version of the more widely accepted cucumber sandwich — a British teatime staple consisting of nothing more than sliced cucumber between bread slices spread with butter or mayonnaise. Thus, by the culinary transitive property, peanut butter and pickles might not be such a strange combination after all. At the very least, few snacks have the convenience aspect of a ready-made meal with ingredients that are almost guaranteed to be in the kitchen.

While it was more a food of necessity than preference for the soldiers on the front lines of WWI and WWII, chipped beef on toast was a welcome meat source for hungry families during the interwar years. Chipped beef, which comes in the form of thin dried and salted slices, was a cheap, shelf-stable meat option, but required soaking to become soft enough to be palatable. Enter the milky white gravy that has become the beef's steadfast companion — pouring this white sauce over the beef and putting the whole thing on toast turned it into a substantial form of sustenance.

Milk-based sauces were a common Depression condiment whenever milk was available — they added flavor and calories to bolster many meals. Whether this saucy dish was truly beloved in the past, it persists on diner menus, peppered with nostalgia. While creamed chipped beef on toast has remained a classic comfort food in the South and along parts of the East coast (where many call it "Dried Beef Gravy" or "Frizzled Beef"), it has started to pique enough curiosity to catch on again elsewhere, too. A surplus of internet recipes for chipped beef on toast have appeared in recent years, though there isn't much room for variation with this simple, savory amalgamation. With such a colorful history behind such an easy dish, its heritage alone is enough to prompt more people to try it. It's supposed to taste a lot better than it looks.