9 Vintage Salads You Might Have Forgotten About

Salads have had a pretty fascinating history in America. Today, they are considered the epitome of healthy eating, usually made with greens and protein, then topped with a light dressing (well, maybe not all of them). Americans are now obsessed with this healthy concoction and enjoy not only regional varieties, but salads from around the world, too. That said, there was a time in salad-making that was plain weird, to say the least. Around the early to mid 20th century, most people regarded simple tossed salads as unappealing. This was also the time when convenience food and gelatin were picking up, leading to a rise in salads that were made with strange ingredients.

Trust us when we say, these ingredients weren't exactly nutritious and you'd probably never consider adding them to your healthy bowl today. Some of these vintage creations included Jell-O, marshmallows, Cool Whip, bananas, and even Snickers. As you may have guessed, dessert salads were all the rage once upon a time. Besides these sweet creations, molded salads with savory ingredients were equally popular, especially at potlucks, picnics, and other gatherings. We're still not sure if we should say luckily or unluckily, but most of these salads have now gone out of style because people eventually realized how unhealthy they were. But, if you'd like to take a trip down memory lane and revisit some of these vintage salads, join us as we take a look at what they were all about.

A few dishes make you wonder if they were created by a child. Snickers salad is one of them, as it is sweet, creamy, and totally decadent. The main ingredient in this salad was, no surprise, chopped up Snickers bars. Mix up some Cool Whip and Granny Smith apples with the candy bar pieces and you'd get the most simple version of a Snickers salad. Another uncomplicated variation included the same three ingredients, plus instant French vanilla pudding and milk.

There were also a few slightly elaborate recipes of the salad that added other components to the mix for extra texture. These included grapes, which along with apples, are fruits that can actually upgrade any salad — even though most people wouldn't think to toss them with candy bars and cream. Some other versions topped the vintage salad with caramel sauce and peanuts.

It's easy to think this salad actually should have been called a dessert. To settle whether it's a salad or a dessert, a Wisconsin cookbook mentioned "it depends on which side of the table it's on!" This confirms the fact that Snickers salad was eaten both as an accompaniment to mains and as a sweet treat. Though this vintage treat (whether you call it salad or not) has gone out of style in most of the United States, you may still find it in some parts of the Midwest, which isn't surprising given how prevalent dessert salads are in there.

Chef Victor Hirtzler came up with the vintage salad Celery Victor. What set the salad apart was that celery took center stage in the dish, which is definitely an unconventional way to use the veggie. This salad was not as mainstream as some other vintage salads and was mostly associated with fine-dining in San Francisco (where it was created). Still, Celery Victor was called an American classic back in the day. But, note that this was ages ago as chef Hirtzler developed the recipe while he worked at Hotel St. Francis until 1926.

He was born in Strasbourg and worked his way to San Francisco, which shows in the salad as it's almost like an homage to his roots. It was made by boiling large celery stalks in a fresh stock made with chicken and veal bones, onions, carrots, salt, whole peppercorns, parsley, and bay leaves. The celery in this creation might not scream French cuisine, but the classic stock certainly does.

Once the celery stalks absorbed all the juices and were cold enough, they were topped with chervil, olive oil, white wine tarragon vinegar, and more salt and pepper to finish it off. Sadly, though the salad may sound delicious, most people seem to have forgotten about it these days, besides home cooks and chefs who like recreating vintage recipes.

Candle salad seemed to be popular in America primarily in the 1920s, as most published recipes appeared in that decade. It was meant to be served at Halloween, Christmas, and even kids' birthday parties. The first proper recipe for candle salad came out in 1921, and the ingredients (bananas, pineapples, and cherries) were as odd as its presentation, to say the least. It did receive some attention in the 21st century for its obviously strange appearance when it was mentioned by Ellen DeGeneres and Amy Sedaris in two different TV shows.

One reason for this once beloved salad's downfall could have been that throughout the 1920s, new recipes kept emerging, with each one being more cumbersome than the last. It started off as a simple dish that required placing a pineapple ring on a plate, putting half a banana upright in the ring, and topping it with a red cherry — all of which was collectively supposed to look like a burning candle. The newer versions included pouring mayonnaise or sometimes cream on the sides of the banana, giving the effect of melting wax. They also suggested placing strips of peppers or orange peels around the pineapple to represent the handles of the candle stand. One recipe even included French dressing, which we're sure clashed with the rest of the flavors. Well, regardless of whether the combination now seems appetizing or weird, most people have long bid farewell to candle salad as it is barely seen anywhere lately.

Jell-O salads ruled the American food scene in the mid-20th century, which isn't a shocker considering there were so many gelatin-based dishes in the 1950s and '60s. Plus in the '60s, Jell-O released a cookbook called "The Joys Of Jell-O" which featured an array of salad recipes that could be made with the flavored gelatin. This was also the time when convenience food was taking over so home cooks loved making these salads. While dessert-style recipes like Orange Jell-O salad and Cranberry Jell-O salad were still delicious, some savory versions featured questionable ingredients.

Two notable examples of savory Jell-O salads featured in the cookbook were Sea Dream and Ring Around The Tuna salads. The Sea Dream salad was made with lime-flavored Jell-O and some veggies, then topped with cooked shrimp, which is arguably still palatable as the seafood wasn't mixed with the jelly. The Ring Around The Tuna salad, though, featured a lime Jell-O base that was loaded with diced cucumbers and celery, sliced stuffed olives, grated onions, chopped pimento, and the star (albeit infamous) ingredient that gave it most of its flavor — canned tuna. These savory-sweet jiggly salads can still be found in some parts of Utah, as they are a staple in Mormon cuisine. However, savory Jell-O salads have gone out of style almost everywhere else in the country. 

Rice isn't the first ingredient that comes to mind when thinking of salads, but glorified rice is a vintage recipe that turned the humble starch into a sweet salad creation. The most prevalent version of glorified rice featured boiled white rice, sliced grapes, marshmallows, diced pineapples, and honey or sugar for a zest of sweetness. All of these were mixed with whipped cream and garnished with maraschino cherries. However, there were also a few recipes that included other diced fruits, nuts, and sometimes, even Jell-O.

The history of this vintage salad dates back to the mid 1800s, and is also pretty fascinating. It's believed that Scandinavian immigrants brought along their love for rice pudding when they arrived in the United States, mostly the Upper Mid-Western parts. Mostly, as this rice pudding recipe was passed down and adapted to local tastes, glorified rice emerged. Some of the varied recipes were also a result of the influence of the local Ojibwe people of that region. As for its popularity, the most widely-believed claim remains that the salad was at its peak between the 1930s-1950s.

Though mostly forgotten today, ambitious home cooks who'd like to try glorified rice can make it at home, with an added bonus being that it can be a fun way to transform any leftover rice sitting in the refrigerator. But if you'd rather like a taste of the authentic version, you can find it in parts of the Upper Midwest, especially among Scandinavian communities.

Although the name may suggest a healthy dish, deviled lettuce salad wasn't even close to being that. These days lettuce is loved for being nutritious and a wholesome base for salads — be it iceberg, romaine, or even the underrated red lettuce that you should consider using. However, deviled lettuce salad instead turned the leafy veggie into an exceptionally unhealthy creation. Not to mention it used lettuce in a rather unusual manner. The recipe for this salad was released by Kraft back in 1962, possibly to market their Miracle Whip salad dressing.

The recipe began by hollowing out a whole head of iceberg lettuce. Inside the hollow part went a mixture of Miracle Whip salad dressing, Philadelphia cream cheese, chopped onions, green peppers, pimento, sliced celery, and lastly, deviled ham. The salad was supposed to be served by slicing it into individual portions and topping those with even more Miracle Whip. Even though there isn't an official explanation for this, it's easy to connect the dots and believe the salad got its name because of the deviled ham and lettuce. Whatever the case may be, barely anyone remembers or even makes this vintage salad ... well, except for those few who like to relive old times.

Cranberry soufflé salad was popular in the '50s and was supposedly served at Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any lunch gathering. It was believed to be a handy solution for times when guests drop by at the last minute, since it could be whipped up quickly compared to other molded salads. Keeping that aside, the shocker for most today would be the strange ingredient combination. Plus, unlike traditional soufflés, it wasn't baked at all.

There were a few versions of this salad, with one using ingredients like lemon-flavored gelatin, hot water, lemon juice, celery, mayonnaise, salt, crushed canned pineapples, and canned whole cranberry sauce. Hellmann's also came out with a version of their own, and called it an "Exciting new Cranberry Surprise." This recipe ditched the celery, and added sugar, diced apples or oranges, lemon rind, and chopped walnuts to the mix. One variation of the salad even combined cream cheese with mayonnaise. But, regardless of the recipe, the method to prepare the salad remained similar for all.

It's easy to assume this salad went out of style around the same time other molded savory salads did, making it a rare entry at Thanksgiving feasts now. That said, if the combination of cranberries, mayo, and jelly sounds appealing, you could give this vintage salad recipe a try. If you're planning to use homemade cranberry sauce instead of canned, just be careful and try to avoid certain mistakes when making it.

Seafoam salad is made with a combination of ingredients that might actually sound a little appetizing. Even though there were plenty of recipes across the region, most of the ingredients were sweet, which made it a dessert salad. Well, except for some versions that used mayonnaise. The ingredients that remained a staple in most recipes were lime Jell-O or gelatin, cream cheese, and cream. The rest could either be crushed canned pears, pineapples, pecans, or sometimes all of it.

Making this vintage salad was also pretty simple, as it started with dissolving the Jell-O or gelatin in either canned pear juice or water. Then, cream, cream cheese, fruits, and nuts were all folded in. While some enjoyed eating the salad as-is, others preferred chilling the base in molds and serving it once set (no surprise there given how prevalent molded salads were back in the day).

It's believed that seafoam salad gained recognition when it was sold at Woolworth stores' lunch counters, and was at its peak in the 1950s and '60s. Now, you may still come across this vintage salad at holiday parties and potlucks in some parts of the Midwest, but the appeal it had across the rest of the country has mostly declined.

Another entry on this list with soufflé in the name but nothing to do with the delicate baked dish, Monterey soufflé salad wasn't exactly the most well-known vintage salad. But, it's safe to assume that it did have its admirers. Two recipes for this salad were released in 1955, one by Star-Kist and the other by Hellmann's/Best Foods. Both recipes were exactly the same and of course, each of them recommended using Star-Kist Tuna and Hellmann's or Best Foods Real Mayonnaise.

The ingredients used in this salad were lemon-flavored gelatin, water, cucumbers, mayonnaise, celery, tuna, stuffed olives, onions, and pimento. It was made just like any other vintage soufflé salad, by dissolving the gelatin in hot water, then tossing in the mayo and letting the mix set. After that, it required mixing in the rest of the ingredients and chilling the salad in a mold. The serving suggestions were salad greens, more mayonnaise on top, and a bit of tuna to finish it off.

In their recipe advertisement, Star-Kist mentioned that this dish included their, "Right-from-the-Ocean Flavor!" However, it's safe to say that Monterey soufflé salad isn't a beloved summer treat anymore and is mostly forgotten.