The Great Depression was the era in the 1930s where the stock market crashed, factories closed down, industrial production plummeted, prices fell, unemployment rose, and more people became homeless. The recession was severe. The economic downturn was horrible.
Food items during the Great Depression era had become scarce and therefore were rationed. Not only the quantity was limited, but the varieties were also limited. People could only have a certain amount of food. In short, it was an era with no job, no money, and little food.
With limited ingredients and varieties, people were forced to come up with many creative ideas. Many of them, like spaghetti with bacon and creamed chipped beef, are delicious but not healthy as they contain nitrites/nitrates (which may cause cancer) and are loaded with a lot of cholesterol and sodium (which cause serious health problems like high blood pressure and heart diseases).
The Coronavirus pandemic has made everything rather unpredictable, especially jobs and income. Even if they’re not the same with the Great Depression, it has forced us to be more cautious with our budget.
In this post, I’d like to list ten recipes inspired by the Great Depression era that are not just delicious, but also healthy. By healthy I mean, not loaded with preservatives, cholesterol and sodium.
The recipes on this post include bread, salads, soups, main meals, and sweets.
1. Stale Bread
If you have stale bread, don’t throw them away. There are many ways to repurpose the bread. Here is a post of 10 easy-to-follow recipes.
2. Dandelion
Dandelion is a wild plant with small yellow flowers. It’s a type of weed that grows virtually anywhere (in Australia, New Zealand, USA, and Europe).
Here is what the flower looks like:
The leaves look like this:
Dandelion leaves taste a bit like spinach. The bigger the leaves are, the more bitter they are. Blanching it reduces its bitterness. Processing it would be similar to spinach, which can be done in many ways. My favourite is to stir fry it like this one or make a raw salad like this one.
3. Black Beans and Rice
There is no meat in this meal so it’s suitable for vegetarians. Black beans are packed with high protein and fibre. The iron, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, manganese, copper, and zinc in black beans all contribute to building and maintaining bone structure and strength. You can also add carrots if you like.
Check out the recipes here on Cafe Delites.
4. Mulligan Stew
This is one of the meals that calls for a lot of ingredients. But it was indeed a Great Depression meal. It was basically for homeless people who scavenged, found, or stole the ingredients to make the stew. When looked closely, the ingredients are common and not expensive. They’re most probably already there in our pantries as they’re one of the staple foods. Here is the recipe from Taste of Home.
5. Egg Drop Soup
Originally from China, this meal has simple ingredients. The Chinese one mainly consists of corn starch, whole kernel corns, vegetable or chicken broth, and eggs. The recipe can be viewed here on Gimme Some Oven.
The American one mainly consists of potatoes, eggs, and cheese. View the recipe from this popular senior YouTuber, Great Depression Cooking.
6. Depression Meatloaf
A more complete recipe of meatloaf calls for an egg. The Depression one doesn’t require any eggs. It just consists of ground beef (or any available minced meat), milk, chopped onion, and bread. Read the complete recipe on My Recipe Magic website.
7. Lentil and Cheese Slice
The cooking process is not that simple. The lentils need to be boiled first before everything goes to the oven. But overall, it’s worth it, not only because it’s delicious, but also because it’s healthy as it’s packed with high protein. View the recipe here.
8. Chocolate Depression Cake
This cake is made without milk, eggs, or butter. Try the recipe here from the Kitchen Fun with My 3 Sons.
9. Vanilla Depression Cake
Similar to the Chocolate Depression Cake, Vanilla Depression Cake is also made with no milk, eggs, or butter. Here is the recipe.
10. Poor Man’s Cookies
The name says it all… the cookies were originally made by the poor people who had limited ingredients. No milk and no eggs required to make these delicious cookies. View the recipe here.
