Food and drink favorites the year you were born
loveFOOD Staff
06 March 2017
Food and drink from times gone by
Take a culinary trip down memory lane and rediscover the foods that were being enjoyed in years gone by.
1951
The humble casserole becomes a common home-cooked dish in the US and Europe as they're so cheap, easy and versatile. Commonplace recipes include tuna noodle casserole, and the layered casserole (pictured).
1952
Home barbecuing takes off when, in 1952, the Weber Kettle grill is created. Two years later, portable gas grills are launched and food writer James Beard's The Complete Book of Barbecues and Rotisserie Cooking is published.
1953
Swanson & Sons launch pre-prepared, just-need-to-heat food in aluminum trays, heralding the birth of the ready-made meal.
1954
Tropicana uses flash pasteurization to preserve the fresh taste of fruit juice, creating the first mass-produced, not-from-concentrate chilled fruit juice.
1955
Though very popular with soldiers in World War II it’s the Nestle brand that makes instant coffee a household name.
1956
Home fridges with a freezer compartment become affordable for Americans – by 1956 around 80% of households have a refrigerator, turning frozen food into a staple. Birds Eye leads the way.
1957
Pillsbury manufactures ready-made cookie dough in 1957, enabling busy women to spend less time in the kitchen.
1958
Flavored potato chips become a regular shopping item in 1958 when the Lay’s brand launch a barbecue potato chip. Surprisingly, more flavors aren't introduced until the 1970s.
1959
Created in 1937 to feed the military, this canned pork product becomes an integral part of the 1950s diet. By 1959 one billion cans have been sold.
1960
The prawn cocktail – cooked shrimp covered in Marie Rose sauce on a bed of iceberg lettuce – becomes one of the most prevalent starters of the 1960s and 1970s in both restaurants and at dinner parties.
1961
Mastering the Art of French Cooking Volume 1, co-written by Julia Child, is published. Easy-to-follow classic French recipes are suddenly accessible to an American audience and it becomes de rigueur to embrace French food.
1962
A generation takes the boozy German Black Forest chocolate cake to their hearts, a love affair which continues to this day. In the US, March 28 is now Black Forest Cake Day.
1963
Originally an English gentleman’s meal, brunch is enjoyed by the American upper classes from the 1920s but enters into the public consciousness from the 1960s when recipes started to feature in books and magazines.
1964
America’s first sushi restaurant Kawafuku opens in LA and Hollywood stars popularize the healthy cuisine. In the same year, Buffalo chicken wings are invented and Diet Pepsi is launched.
1965
After featuring at the 1964 New York World’s Fair fondue becomes the meal of choice for upwardly mobile housewives in the US and UK, a trend that continues into the 1970s.
1966
Though flavored frozen drinks are a 1950s invention, they become ubiquitous when 7-Eleven starts to sell the legendary Slurpee.
1967
McDonald’s grows throughout the 1960s, launching its world-famous Big Mac in 1967. Today, 550 million Big Macs are sold annually in the USA alone.
1968
Hunt’s introduce a children’s pudding in tins for one. Promoted as a healthy snack, flavors include butterscotch, vanilla, and chocolate fudge. As of 2016 they are still sold in the countries such as the US, Canada and Australia.
1969
A hunger for goulash grows throughout the 1960s. In 1969, a Gallup Poll discovers that the hearty Hungarian stew is in the top five most popular meat dishes in America.
1970
The modern vegetarian movement is kickstarted by the publication of the influential book Diet for a Small Planet. As of 2016, it’s believed that around 7% of American adults are vegetarian.
1971
The Crock-Pot slow cooker is introduced to the US market and becomes an essential kitchen item for working mothers. Salad bars, apparently first seen at RJ Grunt’s restaurant in Chicago, also spread like wildfire but gain a reputation for being unhealthier than they seem.
1972
Curry emerges as a popular post-war dish in the UK, thanks to Bangladeshi immigrants, and a flurry of Indian restaurants open. In the US, though there have been Indian restaurants in New York since the 1920s, it’s the Gaylord’s chain that's credited for promoting the cuisine nationally.
1973
Mateus Rose, a medium-sweet frizzante wine from Portugal, is drunk so much it’s mentioned in Elton John’s song Social Disease.
1974
Pasta with ragu is brought home from Italy by holidaymakers, eventually morphing into the spaghetti bolognese dish we know and love today.
1975
In the early 1970s domestic microwave ovens start to grace the worktops of American households – by 1975 one million have been sold.
1976
Häagen-Dazs opens its first retail store in New York in 1976, followed by Ben & Jerry's in Vermont in 1978 – and gourmet ice cream becomes big business.
1977
Although chili con carne (or simply 'chili') is eaten by pioneers from around 1850, and Chili Queens appear from the 1880s, it isn’t until later that people add the dish to their repertoire of home-cooked recipes. In 1977 the dish is declared an official state food of Texas.
1978
In 1975, just 1% of America’s beer consumption is of light beers, but the public is becoming more health conscious. Coors Light is launched in 1978 and by 1994 35% of all domestic beer sold in the US is a light variety.
1979
McDonald’s launches the Happy Meal. By 2012, 1.2 billion are being sold worldwide every year.
1980
Although carbonation machines are available from the 1920s it isn’t until 1955, when a home version is produced, that everyday households begin to use them. Even so, the make-your-own fizzy-flavored drinks don’t trend until the late 1970s/early 1980s.
1981
Stouffer’s frozen meals introduce the Lean Cuisine range where all dishes are less than 10g fat and under 400 calories. The name is licensed across the globe and the range grows, becoming a household name.
1982
Diet Coke is launched in July 1982. In 1983 revenue from the low-cal soda surpasses $558 million.
1983
Asian fusion is widely attributed to chef Wolfgang Puck, who combines Asian dishes with Californian produce at his restaurant Chinois on Main, which opens in Santa Monica in 1983.
1984
Blue Nun, a German Riesling wine, is launched in 1921 but sees its glory days in the 1970s when a dinner party isn’t complete without a bottle. By 1984-85, 1.25 million cases are being sold in the US, with another 750,000 elsewhere. After a decline in sales it’s re-launched in 2011.
1985
Low-fat diets become all the rage after a 1984 article in the magazine Time runs with the headline: Sorry, It's True. Cholesterol Really Is A Killer.
1986
Wine coolers become the tipple of choice, especially for women, and 1986 is a bumper year for the sweet concoction of wine and fruit juice – 52.7 million cases are sold in the US alone and 53.6 million in 1987, before interest wanes.
1987
A taurine-based Thai drink inspires the trend for energy drinks beginning with Red Bull, which is launched in Austria in 1987, the rest of Europe in the early 1990s, and the USA in 1997. In 2014, the brand generates more than $5.6 billion.
1988
More snacks in packs – this year sees the US launch of Lunchables, mini meal combos that include: cheese, cold meats and crackers; nachos; and hot dogs. Aimed at children, they’re a hit and 25 years later are still being sold.
1989
The global organization Slow Food is founded with an aim to preserve local food cultures and traditions and to counteract fast food culture. Recipes include braised beef cheeks, and pulled pork. It now has millions of followers in over 160 countries.
1990
The continuing craze for lower-fat foods, and a growing affection for meat substitutes, leads to the success of turkey bacon, an imitation bacon made from reformed turkey.
1991
Pesto, a basil and pine nut sauce little known outside of Italy, becomes a student staple after Sacla launches it in the UK market – soon everyone is eating it in Britain and beyond.
1992
Starbucks opens in Seattle in 1971 but it isn’t until the early 1990s that the coffee shop format we know today becomes a feature on every major street. By 1992 Starbucks revenue has risen to $73.5 million – from $1.3 million in 1987.
1993
Similar to wine coolers, alcopops – relatively low-alcohol sodas – see a spike in popularity around 1993-96 before criticism of their appeal to underage drinkers results in their demise.
1994
After the book Superfood is released in 1990, followed by the Superfoods Diet Book in 1994, the public demand for nutritionally rich foods such as blueberries, goji berries and green tea grows.
1995
Edamame (soybeans) start to feature on restaurant menus at eateries such as celeb haunt Nobu, changing people’s perceptions of soy products and paving the way for an explosion of soy goods.
1996
In 1996, the book Bridget Jones’s Diary, by British author Helen Fielding, is published. The protagonist’s favorite tipple is Chardonnay, a popular white wine that continues to be the second most widely planted white grape in the world.
1997
Artisanal food becomes a buzzword as hand-made bread, cheeses, chocolate and olive oil made by small producers grace the reusable bags of every self-respecting foodie.
1998
Light yet potent, the Cosmopolitan cocktail – a mix of vodka, Cointreau, lime and cranberry juice – becomes the libation du jour for millions of women who aspire to live like Carrie and friends from HBO’s Sex and the City.
1999
Cupcake mania starts in New York in the late 1990s/early 2000s. Although other sweet treats try to claim the crown cupcakes continue to tempt – almost 670 million are sold in the US in 2011.
2000
As studies link pesticides and antibiotics used in farming to ill health and disease, so organic food’s rise becomes unstoppable. In 2000, organic food sales in the US amount to $6.1 billion; in 2015 sales reach $43.3 billion and almost 5% of food sold is organic.
2001
In the early years of the 21st century, more people start to substitute soda drinks with smoothie fruit drinks – healthy (but arguably no less sugary) alternatives. Between 2001-2006 sales increase by 523% in the UK alone.
2002
The low-carb Atkins Diet gains countless fans as the war on carbohydrates intensifies – by 2003-2004 one in 11 Americans claim to be following the Atkins regime.
2003
Celebrity chef Nigella Lawson thanks L’Artisan du Chocolat for bringing salted caramel to the public's attention. The mouthwatering flavor is welcomed with open arms and paves the way for other unfamiliar combos.
2004
While tapas or mezze-sized portions are nothing new, small sharable plates become a modern day phenomenon and a dining concept in their own right. At the same time miniature, or bite-sized, desserts pop up on trendy restaurants’ menus.
2005
Ancient grains such as spelt and quinoa start to become highly sought-after after they tap into the zeitgeist for gluten-free superfood. In 2005 global production is around 58,000 metric tons; by 2014 it’s more than 192,000.
2006
Not only do farmers’ markets grow in popularity (from around 1,755 in the US in 1994 to 8,284 in 2014) they become a cultural activity and destination hotspots.
2007
In the US, meat consumption per capita declines by 12% between 2007-2012 for the first time ever as people choose to become part-time vegetarians or vegans, also known as flexitarians.
2008
Though food trucks aren’t unusual, the craze for gourmet trucks takes off and street food starts to be regarded as epicurean. By 2012, an estimated three million trucks are trading in the US.
2009
Foraging for food gains a cult following, further bolstered by the trend for local produce and the success of Noma, the Copenhagen-based restaurant that wins World’s Best Restaurant three years running.
2010
Gluten becomes the new enemy. The health-conscious move away from bread- and pasta-heavy diets and gluten-free food begins its meteoric rise. By 2014, the global gluten-free packaged food market is valued at $3.42 billion.
2011
Juicing becomes customary, though it’s extractors such as the NutriBullet, that don’t remove essential nutrients like juicing can, which go on to benefit from soaring sales.
2012
In 2010, Sriracha – a hot sauce from Thailand that Huy Fong manufactures a version of in the US – is named Bon Appetit’s Ingredient of the Year. By 2012, 20 million bottles are sold.
2013
Korean becomes the food on everyone’s lips as diners tuck into the likes of bipimbap, bulgogi and kimchi.
2014
Bone broth – slow-cooked stock made by boiling animal and fish bones – starts to enter the culinary lexicon as advocates rave about its savory taste and health benefits.
2015
An off-shoot of the low-carb, gluten-free craze, spiralizing – which involves using a device to make noodles or pasta out of vegetables or fruit – comes out of vegetarian restaurant kitchens and into our homes.
2016
Brilliant for promoting healthy bacteria in the gut – a lack of which is currently regarded by many health specialists to be the cause of illnesses and obesity – fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi and pickles make their way into our culinary vocabulary and onto our plates.
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