7 Cheap Recipes Straight From The Great Depression (2024)

FAQs

What foods were cheap during the Great Depression? ›

During the Great Depression of the 1930s, homemakers stretched their food budgets with soups, rice and pasta–but beans were the commodity no household went without: cheap, high protein, and no refrigeration required until cooked.

At this time popcorn was often a breakfast food, eaten from a bowl with milk just as we eat cereal today. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, popcorn's popularity as an everyday snack food started to grow. It was a fun and thrifty snack for families who could afford few luxuries.

Soup kitchens became crucial during the Great Depression. With over 13 million Americans out of work, many relied on soup kitchens for their survival. Today, the soup kitchen remains a quintessential food assistance program where individuals are provided with a free hot meal and a place to eat.

The Imperial Valley of California, for example, lost 2.8 million watermelons, 1.4 million crates of cantaloupes, and 22.4 million pounds of tomatoes in 1932 simply because it could not be sold, despite widespread poverty and hunger [1].

No Cooking Needed Meals

Sandwiches or pita pockets (deli meat, tuna, cheese, lettuce, hummus, condiments, etc.) Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (add banana for extra nutrition) Salad bowl (prepared bags are a quick option) Add a packet of tuna, prepared chicken, or hard-boiled eggs for extra protein.

During the Great Depression, cooking meatloaf was a way for families to stretch the food budget by using an inexpensive type of meat and left-over ingredients.

As such, in Canada and the United States, condensed milk became very popular and this continued into the Great Depression. Many rural Canadians became reliant on condensed milk as supplies of fresh milk were often inadequate in some communities.

Potatoes were also inexpensive and used extensively. Some meals even used both. One of these meals was called the Poor Man's Meal. It combined potatoes, onions, and hot dogs into one hearty, inexpensive dish, which was perfect for the hard times people had fallen on.

What did black people eat during the Great Depression? ›

But back in the 1930s, inexpensive parcels of meat such as beef necks or pork liver would have been part of the frugal fare for African-Americans, especially in Chicago with its many stockyards. And, oh yes, there was chicken - as in chicken feet, he said. Both beans and greens of various descriptions were popular.

The history of soup kitchens in America can be traced back to the year 1929 with the effects of a growing depression. When soup kitchens first appeared, they were run by churches or private charities and served mostly soup and bread. Soup was economical because water could be added to serve more people.

As Americans suffered through the Great Depression, the Roosevelts dined on bread and butter sandwiches and cold jellied soup. 32nd U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt wasn't just known for his sweeping New Deal or his leadership during World War II: His White House was notorious for its terrible food.

In 1929, during the Great Depression, nearly all ice cream was made in three flavors — chocolate, vanilla and strawberry — and served as sundaes. Ice cream maker Bill Dreyer added walnuts and marshmallows, cut into bite-size pieces using his wife's sewing shears, to his chocolate ice cream, according to Edy's.

February 1931

"Food riots" begin to break out in parts of the U.S. In Minneapolis, several hundred men and women smash the windows of a grocery market and make off with fruit, canned goods, bacon, and ham. One of the store's owners pulls out a gun to stop the looters, but is leapt upon and has his arm broken.

The Great Depression: Food 1929-1941

Omnilogos

https://omnilogos.com

Omnilogos

https://omnilogos.com

An unemployed factory worker and father during the Depression may have stayed away from home at mealtime so as not to eat the food his children needed. Instead,...

17 Foods That Made Their Mark During The ...

The Daily Meal

https://www.thedailymeal.com

The Daily Meal

https://www.thedailymeal.com

The Great Depression led to major changes in the American diet. These dishes made their mark during those lean years and still thrive.

What Did People Ate During the Great ...

Cultura Colectiva

https://culturacolectiva.com

Cultura Colectiva

https://culturacolectiva.com

When the stock market crashed in October 1929, the Great Depression began; it lasted until WWII. You may remember seeing pictures of people lined up at soup kit...

They included: Kool-Aid powder drink, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, Bisquick, Spam (precooked canned pork), Twinkies, Ritz Crackers, Lay's Potato Chips, cereals of Cheerios and Chex and Three Musketeers Bar. Maybe the most favorite item coming from the 1930s was the new Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies developed in 1938.

We had serious deflation in the Great Depression. The consumer price level fell by 25%; wholesale prices fell by 33%. Bank failures — we've had a tremendous number of bank failures and financial crisis over the last six years in United States.

In the early 1930s prices dropped so low that many farmers went bankrupt and lost their farms. In some cases, the price of a bushel of corn fell to just eight or ten cents. Some farm families began burning corn rather than coal in their stoves because corn was cheaper.

Average Price of Loaf of Bread

In 1931, the average cost for a loaf of bread was 8 cents.