Vintage Recipes of the 1940's

In Vintage Recipes of the 1940's, you will find breakfast, main dishes, desserts, and drinks that your parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents, depending on your age, would have made and served. I am curious about the source of these recipes. In addition to geographical location, affluence also influences food choices. 

Because of WWII, many key goods were rationed during the 1940's. A number of foods were heavily rationed, including sugar, butter, meat, coffee, and canned goods. As other foods became scarce, they followed. There were several recipes in this book that I found surprising, since they called for both butter and various types of sugar. Some of them seemed out of place in that era. However, I am just speculating. 

In looking through the recipes, I remembered talking to my grandmother who was born in 1919 and raised seven children on a farm. Of course cooking came up many times. My mother talked about living on a farm with seven siblings. In her words, store bought bread was an unnecessary luxury, and peanut butter was a luxury. Every week, her mother baked bread. A variety of factors affected what and how you ate, including where you lived geographically, whether you lived in a big city or on a farm, the size of your family, income, and other factors.

Here are some of the recipes you will find in the book:

Breakfast

Cinnamon Toast with Melted Butter

Homemade Granola with Yogurt and Honey

Cornmeal Mush with Fried Apples

Main Dishes

Bacon and Mushroom Quiche

Baked Ham with Scalloped Potatoes

Creamed Peas on Toast

Desserts

Custard Pie

Bread Pudding

Caramel Fudge

Drinks

Tom and Jerry Cocktail

Hurricane

Grape Soda

There are many recipes in this book that I make for my family today. A few recipes would be a no go for me. Several of them sounded interesting, so I may have to give them a try. There are a few that sound British. America is referred to as "The Melting Pot" for a reason.

This recipe book will bring back different memories for everyone. A favorite childhood meal or dessert may be found by some. Another person may recall watching their mother prepare some of these foods. It's that aspect of recipe books that makes them so wonderful. There is another wonderful thing about recipe books. Recipes are preserved. In my spare time, I enjoy cooking and baking. 

Overall, I wasn't impressed with this recipe book. It didn't seem to be a good representation of 1940's recipes. Being that it was a time of food rationing, and women shared recipes and had to get creative with cooking and baking, I would have liked some history surrounding recipes during that period. There was an abundance of potatoes and a lot of potato recipes. Due to meat shortages, many "mock" recipes were also created. A common practice among women and children was to create "Victory Gardens" for the purpose of providing fresh fruits and vegetables for themselves and their communities. Cooking required creativity. As the war raged, families at home sacrificed to ensure soldiers were fed well.

Disclaimer - I received this Ebook in exchange for my honest opinions.