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30 Hilariously Bizarre Vintage Food Pics That Prove People’s Creativity Had No Limits Back Then
Peculiar food trends have been around for decades now. Some of them were even published in cookbooks and magazines of yesteryears, which you’ll see in today’s post.
We’ve collected a few photos of these dishes from two Instagram accounts: Vintage Food Photography and Cursed Cookbooks. You will find sweet treats with faces, oddly shaped sandwiches, and a mixture of flavors that may raise some eyebrows in puzzlement.
Scroll through these images and enjoy the amusingly weird part of the internet.
This post may include affiliate links.
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Tiny Dancer 1 year ago
I checked the link. It's squash and comes with instructions to make your own adorable version! Squash-Gar...9688fa.png 
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Tiny Dancer 1 year ago
Giving me those creepy toilet roll dolls vibe from the '70s! Toilet-Pap...8748d4.jpg 
Jan Castle 1 year ago
This was a trend in the 90' in my hometown....not the right time and place to be a person with in that moment a strong pediophobia! (Fear of dolls)
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ScarletRos 1 year ago
I always wanted one of these as a child. When my (step) grandmother made me one I was devastated that she chopped the doll in half so it fit better in the cake.
Lyone Fein 1 year ago
This is a doll cake. Some little girl was very happy to get this on her birthday.
Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 1 year ago
My mom did these, too. She had a special icing tip to make the dress.
Dorothy Reiser 1 year ago
Every one of my friends got one of these cakes for our birthday(1960s)!
Vivian McBride 1 year ago
Our neighbor used to make these, and the peek-a-poo Easter eggs made of molded sugar, too.
Beth Wheeler 1 year ago
I remember seeing these in stores but never knew anybody that had one.
According to Bon Appetit, weird food trends have existed since the 1920s, during Prohibition. People’s dining habits shifted, resulting in unconventional combinations.
“Fruit cocktails garnished with marshmallows or sprinkled with powdered sugar came into vogue, though not as a dessert. They replaced oysters on the half shell served with Champagne as the dinner party opener.”
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Tropical Tarot 1 year ago
Very large shells. You usually get three to four in a restaurant portion here in the states.
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Tiny Dancer 1 year ago
I just figured he was sticking his pickle tongue out at us! Rude.
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Corwin 02 1 year ago
going by the shape of the bread I would think Crab salad
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The Other Guest 1 year ago
I like the concept, but not the execution. Replace the....whatever that is in the middle with a well-made seafood salad, and it would be a fun addition to a beach-themed party.
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Two decades later, when the Great Depression and World War II occurred, the focus shifted to processed meat. And it birthed one of the most famous brands to date.
“Enter SPAM. The canned meat product became a staple of soldiers’ diets and caught on among civilians, both as a buffet option (fruit cocktail-SPAM loaf please!) and eventual punchline.”
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The Other Guest 1 year ago
Maybe not the most professionally done cake I've ever seen, but again the concept is good. I could see this at a kid's birthday party for sure.
Sue Phillips 1 year ago
Yes, but is that a cake? Considering the time period, it could just as easily be a flat cheeseball with pot and dijon on top.
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Sue Phillips 1 year ago
...and feet, which seem to be facing the wrong way.
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justagirl 1 year ago
don't diss the chicken feet Mavis! You just gotta remove the pointy bits before you eat.
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MotherofGuineaPigs 1 year ago
Yes, the 60s produced many delights such as this. No aspic here though.
Lyone Fein 1 year ago
Welp, that would pretty much turn me off eating......so, I guess it works.
Nowadays, casseroles are a common sight at dinner. But in the 1950s, they were considered out of the ordinary because of the hodgepodge of processed ingredients, such as canned tuna and tater tots.
“The end result often takes on the characteristics of glue and mush, yet this comfort food starred at picnics, family reunions, and church receptions. Still does, in fact.”
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Mavis 1 year ago
What's wrong with this? Unless those things are some unmentionable animal part.
Tiny Dancer 1 year ago
Yeah, I'd rather my pork wasn't recognizable as, you know, actual pigs. The mental image of all those earless pigs is horrifying!
Luis Hernandez Dauajare 1 year ago
Pig ears. Some people make them deep fried. They are quite chewy, but taste alright.
Marcel 1 year ago
Pressure cooker or low and slow, you can put them on a sandwich roll. Melt in your mouth.
Load More Replies... AmandineCD 1 year ago
I think it's pork rind. Here we put it in cassoulet, for example. I wonder if this photo wasn't taken near where I live, we are kind of big on pork.
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Luis Hernandez Dauajare 1 year ago
I think they are small hens or some sort of game bird.
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Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 1 year ago
I love frog legs, and no, it's not.
Load More Replies... Nicole Weymann 1 year ago
On a side note: there seems to be a cultural divide between people for whom potato chips/crisps can be considered a side dish, and those who consider them a treat only. No restaurant or fast food joint I know in Germany would even have them on the menu (you can buy a bag at Subway's, but they're not *served*). I was quite surprised to see it wasn't uncommon in cheap eateries in Rome when I was there a few years back, and tapas bars in Barcelona or Valencia served them on plates, too.
Instant meals were the new trend in the 1960s. This was the decade of freeze-dried coffee, powdered cheese, and instant mashed potatoes, to name a few.
“The introduction of Easy Cheese, Bac-Os bacon bits and Cool Whip cemented these science project foods’ (some of which we still turn to every day) foothold in society.”
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Daniel Atkins 1 year ago
Who thinks you know what classes up a charcuterie board? A couple of dolls with the meat draped over them.
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karen snyder 1 year ago
Ok. So, we got a Mr. Bill cake pop with fondant extremities, fine, but what is the monstrosity at the bottom right? Seriously, what TF is that? Brie cheese left behind a toilet for eight months? Over baked cream cheese brownies that fell on a dirty floor? What is it??? Also, what's up with the tile? Is it made of smooshed bread? I have so many questions...
Illustrious G 1 year ago
THANK YOU!! How is this not what everyone is saying? Is that floor tile? Is it a cork board? And what is that monstrosity?!?
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Heba Shawky 1 year ago
Hey, this one is fro, q Jill Spencer bqking book my mother had about 35 years ago. I used to love the picutres in this book a pesting my mom to make every cake
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karen snyder 1 year ago
Sine people aren't eating as much fast food these days, looks like Jack has to moonlight at children's birthday parties.
Eleanor Watcin-Thomas 1 year ago
Isn't this from a Marks and Spencer cookbook? Fab recipe book!
Fondue is another treat that usually appears at large, fancy gatherings. But in the ’70s, people had some difficulty understanding the concept and making it work.
“Concerns of double dipping, spillage and the communal hot pot turning into a petri dish of germs all raised red flags. Then a Canadian design company decided to market the same concept, except as a chocolate fountain, making it all but impossible for one to dip his banana into the waterfall without staining his shirt.”
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Nicole Weymann 1 year ago
Three snow people bathing/melting in a washing trough? And by their expressions the left one just peed, too.
Roan The Demon Kitty 1 year ago
I mean... not the most professional of decorating, but the concept is kinda cute
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Tiny Dancer 1 year ago
I prefer Eggplant Penguin myself (apologies if this is posted further down the list). Eggplant-P...32-png.jpg 
MadRatter 1 year ago
Haha, I'm the opposite! I looked at it and thought "Cool! But what a waste of aubergine." 😅
Load More Replies...The 1990s were all about the fat-free food boom, as people became more conscious about their weight. Snacks, including popular potato chip brands, had a “healthier” option.
Manufacturers used Olestra, a fat substitute that was devoid of calories. Despite some unpleasant side effects, the FDA still considers it a legal food additive.
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Ghostpotato 1 year ago
Na that's just a sh!tload of pickled herring and a nubbe (small glass of alcohol like aquavit), a regular Swedish midsommar lunch. (Though more commonly it's the other way around, pickled herring with a sh!tload of booze...)
Sven Petersson 1 year ago
The pickled herring is served with boiled fresh potatoes & sourcream with chopped chives on top. It is delicious.
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Lula Lulu 1 year ago
I had this book. It's actually pretty good, shows you how to make Danish pastries, smorgasbord, and there's a section where Max von Sidow shows you how to throw back shots of aquavit
Lee Gilliland 1 year ago
That's the cover of times life's Scandinavian Coking. Fantastic book.
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Bill Swallow 1 year ago
"When there's somethin' strange - On your pastry tray - Who ya gonna call?"
StretcherBearer 1 year ago
My daughter likes cute/creepy stuff and loves baking. I'm going to show her this😁👻
Jan Castle 1 year ago
Really? What it is the yellow cake mix? It is a honest question, i like to bake a lot and this gime me a bit disappointed about that part
Load More Replies... Mavis 1 year ago
I thought this was a pavlova, which would be very nice. But looking at the recipe its just really thick frosting over a cake, which would be yuck.
Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 1 year ago
A whipped cream frosting would work well.
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sweetrottenpeaches 1 year ago
The Cooking the Books channel on YouTube made this one! So anyone can watch it if interested. :)
Jan Castle 1 year ago
I think i feel scamed by a old book just because the recipe say to use yellow cake mix.....come on! The shįtposting is ageless LOL
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sweetrottenpeaches 1 year ago
I can absolutely imagine this recipe is a great fun to make if you have children, and you have nerves made of steel, so you let them into the kitchen and cook with them.
As these trends began to normalize, the 2010s were once again an era of unusual food pairings. It ushered in bacon-wrapped dishes, which included gumballs, chocolate bars, maple cupcakes, and lollipops.
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Tiny Dancer 1 year ago
This is screaming Bicentennial Year, 1976. The only year Frankie Doodle Dandy would have been acceptable.
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The Other Guest 1 year ago
I think so. They kinda look like the candy ones Wilton makes for decorating cakes, although Wilton's quality is better. Candy eyeballs on fish would be an interesting choice, so maybe it's piped sour cream with a bit of black olive for the pupil?
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The Phantom Stranger 1 year ago
🎵 "Fish Heads. Fish Heads. Roly Poly Fish Heads." 🎵 (Please somebody make it stop!)
Dave Platt 1 year ago
And thus began the Great Fish Head Earworm Epidemic of 2024.
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Caessy Meschar 1 year ago
that looks like the boot you got as a child in germany on St. Nicholas Day. today it's more like a second christmas :/
Current food trends are generally less outrageous than those of previous decades, at least for now. Pinsa, which many deem a healthier alternative to pizza, is made from a combination of soy, wheat flour, and rice.
And while it is a century-old cooking tradition, it is only growing in popularity in the 2020s.
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kissmychakram 1 year ago
Who came up with this idea? What diseased mind thought this would be appetising?
Caessy Meschar 1 year ago
this could also be available in a trendy restaurant today and looks completely superfluous
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Tropical Tarot 1 year ago
Is that white asparagus that started to go green at the tips or some bizarre sea creature?
The Other Guest 1 year ago
Reminds me of Dead Man's Fingers (Xylaria polymorpha, a type of poisonous mushroom).
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karen snyder 1 year ago
Salmon salad and pickles. If there were some good crackers, I would actually eat this one.
Nicole Weymann 1 year ago
If that's what it is I would, too. I couldn't have guessed it from the pic (except "something fishy" deduced from the deco)
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clairebear 1 year ago
This is how Salmon Mousse was served in the 70's. Vegan wasn't a thing.
Load More Replies... Sven Petersson 1 year ago
I've seen people try this. Apparently it does TASTE quite nice, but looks WTF.
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Nadine Debard 1 year ago
I don't have the bowel to mix beans and onions, I don't want to become a biochemical weapon
Missy VanWinkle 1 year ago
I was actually thinking of making this one! I'm thinking to roast it a little hotter to char the onions but it looks pretty tasty otherwise.
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Mi So 1 year ago
Given the time period, I bet when you cut into it, it’s some kind of fish mousse!
Load More Replies... Bill Swallow 1 year ago
Looks like it should have numbers around the edge, clock hands in the middle, and be hanging on a wall in a 50's living room.
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Annik Perrot 1 year ago
I thought: fun fruit salad, and then I saw "Mayonnaise". Nope, just nope.
Karen Krause 1 year ago
Actually, I had to make a fruit salad with Mayonnaise dressing Home Ec. It's not bad, the flavor will surprise you.
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clairebear 1 year ago
This is not the place for mayonnaise. Stop trying to encourage another income stream.
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Huddo's sister 1 year ago
This reminds me of the time my church made a stop motion 'Very veggie Christmas' movie!
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Roan The Demon Kitty 1 year ago (edited)
those onion rings themselves look fine, it's the ...erm... dish.. that's weird here though a part of me kinda loves it, but more for like.. growing a plant in it or something
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The Other Guest 1 year ago
OK so I looked this one up, and it *almost* sounds good. Take out the pickle relish & replace the "tomato olive sauce" (literally just a can of tomato sauce with olives added to it) with a tomato glaze like you'd put on a meatloaf, and I'd certainly give it a try. The cheese-custard pie, though...no, not touching that one. And for those interested, here's the recipe: https://vintagerecipecards.com/2012/04/19/frankaroni-loaf-cheese-custard-pie/
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Passerby 1 year ago
I know it is probably not, but it looks badly photoshopped, or I am just seeing things weirdly because I am not wearing my glasses.
The Other Guest 1 year ago
A lot of vintage photographs look a bit off because color photos were still in the early stages. Combine that with the fact that canned goods & gelatin were the new, hip things of the day, and you get pictures like this one.
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Deanna Watson 1 year ago
There had to at least be some spice drops or jellybeans lying around. Betty Crocker would be ashamed.
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Amanda Fondaumiere 1 year ago
This recipe might be why. Your mom saved you some trauma.
Load More Replies... Sven Petersson 1 year ago
Once again, apparently it does TASTE nice. But it does look like sh*t.
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The Other Guest 1 year ago
The shrimp probably taste fine, despite the unattractive display. What I want to know is, what the hell is that in the glass???
Sven Petersson 1 year ago
Eaten it. It's OK. The sauce is, as Nicole Weymann said, Cocktail dressing.
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Tiny Dancer 1 year ago
Hellman's really needs to be stopped. They're everywhere we don't want them to be!
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Passerby 1 year ago
Eww, I thought those black things were cockroaches at first. I dealt with one just yesterday.
Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 1 year ago
If you have one cockroach, you have many.
Load More Replies... Nicole Weymann 1 year ago
Please tell me you left out the "/jk" (or have guests to scare away). 😳
Load More Replies... Tiny Dancer 1 year ago
You can tell micros were the hot and happening thing. No other reason you'd add the extra step of basically boiling water in the micro, lol. Just use the kettle, sheesh.
Mi So 1 year ago
Ohhh yeah, shredded carrots in orange jello, toss in mandarin orange slices too, & it’s a delicious throwback to my childhood. I actually really like this one. Minus the horrible dates.
Nicole Weymann 1 year ago
I'm getting mixed signals here (as with the fruit salad & Helman's combo above). Is this supposed to be a dessert or a side dish? And from what I read the same question applies to the famous "sweet potato casserole with marshmallows" I saw on a similar post.
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Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 1 year ago
Aspic. Say it out loud. It sounds just like the food tastes.
The Other Guest 1 year ago
Interesting! They've made it look like both a spinning carnival ride, *and* the vomit you spew after riding it at the same time!
Tiny Dancer 1 year ago
I wouldn't touch it with a ten-foot fork, but points for the awesome design. That's a talent.
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Nicole Weymann 1 year ago
Poor Cthulhu needs a visit to ER. And a nurse with a jigsaw puzzle affinity.
Load More Replies... Bill Swallow 1 year ago
Display this on the Sphere in Las Vegas. Bonus points if you make it Squirm.
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Amanda Fondaumiere 1 year ago
Both for the viewing experience and the eating experience….
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Karen Krause 1 year ago
I'm just amazed at the patience of putting those noodles on the outside.
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Bill Swallow 1 year ago
"Fish Heads, Fish Heads, Roly Poly Fish Heads, Fish Heads, Fish Heads, eat them up Yum!"
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Annik Perrot 1 year ago
Lobster can mean either homard, which has claws, or langouste, which hasn't. Langouste is tasty too, though not quite as tasty.
Load More Replies... Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 1 year ago
I might be persuaded to eat the middle.
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Bill Swallow 1 year ago
The Chef Boy-Ar-Dee boxed pizza mixes only contained a small envelope of grated parmesan / romano cheese. The crust mix, in a sealed envelope, was shelf stable for some time. The sauce, in a can, was likewise shelf stable. But keeping cheese from going bad on the store shelves was a challenge, so they used low-moisture harder cheeses, and not a lot of it. The expectation was that people would use / add their own cheese at home. (Nowadays they don't include any cheese at all.) These mixes have many shortcomings, but I do like the fresh 'yeasty' aroma, texture, and flavor of the crust, and with suitable enhancements, can be the start of a pretty good homemade pizza. Do the crust, add the sauce, sprinkle a little powdered garlic, crushed red pepper, and oregano on the sauce to wet them and let them bake in, then grated parmesan / romano, then shredded mozzarella, then toppings, then a little shredded parmesan on top. Wonderful memories of childhood.
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Sven Petersson 1 year ago
It's simply a warm sandwich. Stuff on top, the intor the owen. Nothing special.
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Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 1 year ago
Good Housekeeping magazine, I believe.
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Michael None 1 year ago
OMG thank you. I was having a real moment with this one.
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The Other Guest 1 year ago
Pouring champagne from a foot above the glass is mine.
Load More Replies... Nicole Weymann 1 year ago
Peanut curls. Trust me: it's the taste of every German's childhood from ~1965 to the 90s.
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Roan The Demon Kitty 1 year ago
this is only "appetite ruining" because it's too pretty to actually eat.
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Amanda Fondaumiere 1 year ago
See these are things i would print and put in my kitchen for decoration, but not eating.
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Bill Swallow 1 year ago
"Pardon me, can you tell me where I can find Tasha Yar?" Skin-of-Ev...9719e2.jpg 
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Annik Perrot 1 year ago
Maya l'Abeille was a well known cartoon character here in the 80s/90s. Just à cake (OK, badly) decorated with a kid's favorite cartoon.
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Bill Swallow 1 year ago
You snuck some Candy Corn onto the table, you heathen!
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Bill Swallow 1 year ago
Close the lid, grab the handle, and pick it up. Does wonders for the presentation.
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Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 1 year ago
If that's ice cream, it's the neatest scooping job I've ever seen.
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Annik Perrot 1 year ago
Galantine de cochon de lait. We see some here around Holiday season. I avoid. Nope.
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Annik Perrot 1 year ago
A bit fussily presented, but those roasted lamb cutlets are very tasty.
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Carla Phillips 1 year ago
What I've learned from this post... the generation that made these loved sure-gel, green olives, and fish shaped cuisine. Also, I can hear in my head, the parents saying, " don't play with your food" maybe don't make it in clowns and other kid fun things.
Rose the Cook 1 year ago
The jellied things were big in America in the 50s and 60s luckily they didn't catch on in Australia.
BrunoVI 1 year ago (edited)
It's called "aspic" and was never actually popular, just made for the 1950s equivalent of click-bait. Having grown up in the 1970s, I was quite familiar with fading food trends of the 1950s and 60s, but never once saw aspic. Balogna, Spam or tuna dressed up as an entree; pressure cooked pork chops or chicken; lunch sandwiches for adults consisting of two slices of balogna, mayonnaise and white bread; tuna casserole; beef wellington; deviled eggs; frozen "dinners," stroganoff; meatloaf; ambrosia; liver and onions. The closest I ever saw was putting fruits and occasionally even vegetables into Jell-o; or firming up Jell-o snacks by adding extra pectin (named Knox blox after the pectin brand, Knox.)
Load More Replies... Corwin 02 1 year ago
Most of these come from here https://club.6parkbbs.com/gz2/index.php?app=forum&act=threadview&tid=13436380 Where there are a few more disgusting ones
Tiny Dancer 1 year ago
They came from the names linked underneath. Vintage Food Photography and Cursed Cookbooks on Instagram.
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Carla Phillips 1 year ago
What I've learned from this post... the generation that made these loved sure-gel, green olives, and fish shaped cuisine. Also, I can hear in my head, the parents saying, " don't play with your food" maybe don't make it in clowns and other kid fun things.
Rose the Cook 1 year ago
The jellied things were big in America in the 50s and 60s luckily they didn't catch on in Australia.
BrunoVI 1 year ago (edited)
It's called "aspic" and was never actually popular, just made for the 1950s equivalent of click-bait. Having grown up in the 1970s, I was quite familiar with fading food trends of the 1950s and 60s, but never once saw aspic. Balogna, Spam or tuna dressed up as an entree; pressure cooked pork chops or chicken; lunch sandwiches for adults consisting of two slices of balogna, mayonnaise and white bread; tuna casserole; beef wellington; deviled eggs; frozen "dinners," stroganoff; meatloaf; ambrosia; liver and onions. The closest I ever saw was putting fruits and occasionally even vegetables into Jell-o; or firming up Jell-o snacks by adding extra pectin (named Knox blox after the pectin brand, Knox.)
Load More Replies... Corwin 02 1 year ago
Most of these come from here https://club.6parkbbs.com/gz2/index.php?app=forum&act=threadview&tid=13436380 Where there are a few more disgusting ones
Tiny Dancer 1 year ago
They came from the names linked underneath. Vintage Food Photography and Cursed Cookbooks on Instagram.
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