What People Ate During the Great Depression

The Great Depression was one of the longest and deepest declines in the history of the United States. It began with the sudden stock market crash of 1929, known as Black Tuesday, and lasted for about 10 years. Considered the worst economic disaster in America, it was a time when almost 25% of the workforce was unemployed, and salaries dropped significantly for those who still had jobs.

This unemployment had a domino effect on the economy and how people ate. With job loss, food was increasingly more difficult to afford and businesses like grocers and markets found it hard to keep items on the shelves. Food supply was only exacerbated when drought led to the Dust Bowl, also known as the “Dirty Thirties,” causing a mass destruction of land and crops. (Here are haunting photos that capture the struggles of the Great Depression.)

With a lack of resources during the Great Depression, Americans began to adapt by creating imaginative ways to put food on the table. Basic pantry staples like bread, milk, eggs, and flour were not readily available to many families. Breakfast items that may once have been standard fare – like pancakes made from flour, cornbread, and creamed chipped beef on toast – were now unaffordable.

It was a time that saw the American diet revamped, where they ate more vegetables and soups, and inexpensive foods like Wonder Bread, Bisquick, and Cream of Mushroom soup were introduced. Stews were quite popular, from Mulligan stew with carrots, potatoes, and perhaps meat to Hoover stew with macaroni, hot dogs, tomatoes, and corn.

24/7 Tempo has compiled a list of everyday fare during the Depression, using sources such as the Daily Meal, Eat This, Not That, Hunger to Hope, The Travel, and Historynet. Some peculiar dishes emerged like bacon rolled in stale bread, meatless loaf using peanuts and oatmeal, spaghetti casserole with carrots, and peanut butter stuffed onions. (These are probably not among the 50 signature dishes that define American cuisine.)

Bacon roll-ups

Baked apples

• What it is: Cored apples filled with cinnamon-sugar mixture, then baked

Baked beans

• What it is: Navy beans slow-cooked with molasses and sometimes bits of pork (the basis for many common dishes at the time)

Bisquick

• What it is: A mix of baking ingredients initially meant for biscuits, but later repurposed for pancakes, dumplings, etc.

Cabbage soup

• What it is: Soup of cabbage, potatoes, onion, and bacon

Chili

• What it is: Cheap chili with crackers (which were free) at chili joints around the nation

Chocolate cream pie

• What it is: A simple dessert made with cocoa powder and sugar

Cornbread

• What it is: Made only with cornmeal, salt, and hot water

Creamed chipped beef on toast

• What it is: Toast covered with chopped dried beef in white sauce

Dandelion salad

• What it is: Dandelion leaves, often picked wild, soaked in clean water and rinsed, then dressed

Depression cake

• What it is: Fruit, nuts, spices, and flour (no milk, sugar, butter, or eggs because they were too expensive or hard to obtain)

Deviled eggs in tomato sauce

• What it is: Stuffed eggs covered with tomato sauce

Hoover Stew

• What it is: Stew with cooked macaroni, hot dogs, stewed tomatoes, and canned corn

Kraft Macaroni and cheese

• What it is: At just 19 cents a box, this iconic Kraft product was an instant hit when it was introduced in 1937

Meatless loaf

• What it is: Loaf made with peanuts, cottage cheese, and oatmeal or rice

Milkorno

• What it is: A product made from powdered skim milk, cornmeal, and salt, often eaten as hot breakfast cereal

Mulligan stew

• What it is: Similar to Irish stew, made with carrots, potatoes, cabbage or lettuce, and meat if it was available

Onion soup

• What it is: Onions, potatoes, and green beans simmered in milk

Peanut Butter Bread

• What it is: Made with peanut butter instead of butter or eggs, which were too expensive

Peanut butter-stuffed onions

• What it is: Onions stuffed with peanut butter and bread crumbs and baked

Potato candy

• What it is: No-bake treat also known as Depression candy, made of mashed potatoes, peanut butter, and powdered sugar

Potato pancakes

• What it is: Made of grated potatoes only; cheese, garlic, and onion were optional

Potato soup

• What it is: Made with potatoes, onions, salt, pepper, a bit of butter and milk

Prune pudding

• What it is: Chopped prunes (cheaper than other fruits) simmered with cornstarch, sugar, and cinnamon

Rice pudding

• What it is: Dessert made with white rice, milk, egg yolks, and sugar

Spaghetti with bacon

• What it is: A one-pot meal in which bacon was the substitute for meatballs

Spaghetti and carrot casserole

• What it is: Spaghetti with boiled carrots and a white sauce baked in the oven

Spam

• What it is: Canned processed pork product

Split pea pancakes

• What it is: Soaked and chopped split peas with a bit of flour and egg, sometimes served with tomatoes or sauce of some kind

Split pea soup

• What it is: Split peas boiled with onion, maybe some ham, and spices