Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
then open in external browser
and click "Open in External Browser" 
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.
RELATED:
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.”
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.”
#7
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.
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.”
#11
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.”
#14
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?!?
Load More Replies...
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
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.”
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.
#19
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...)
#21
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.
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.
#27
Tropical Tarot 1 year ago
Is that white asparagus that started to go green at the tips or some bizarre sea creature?
#28
karen snyder 1 year ago
Salmon salad and pickles. If there were some good crackers, I would actually eat this one.
#29
#30
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
#32
Annik Perrot 1 year ago
I thought: fun fruit salad, and then I saw "Mayonnaise". Nope, just nope.
#33
Huddo's sister 1 year ago
This reminds me of the time my church made a stop motion 'Very veggie Christmas' movie!
#34
#35
#36
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/
#38
Deanna Watson 1 year ago
There had to at least be some spice drops or jellybeans lying around. Betty Crocker would be ashamed.
#40
#41
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???
#45
#54
#56
#64
#65
Bill Swallow 1 year ago
"Pardon me, can you tell me where I can find Tasha Yar?" Skin-of-Ev...9719e2.jpg 
#69
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.
#70
#73
Bill Swallow 1 year ago
Close the lid, grab the handle, and pick it up. Does wonders for the presentation.
#81
Annik Perrot 1 year ago
Galantine de cochon de lait. We see some here around Holiday season. I avoid. Nope.
#82
#84
Annik Perrot 1 year ago
A bit fussily presented, but those roasted lamb cutlets are very tasty.
Add New Image
Explore more of these tags
What do you think ?
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.
Load More Replies...
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.
Load More Replies... You May Like 50 Cursed Recipes From Vintage Cook Books To Leave Your Stomach Confused (New Pics) 97 Delectable Traditional Dishes From Around The World To Try At Least Once 50 Bakers Whose Creations Deserve Michelin Stars (New Pics)
Dominyka Proškėnaitė
Aivaras Kaziukonis
Greta Jaruševičiūtė
Related on Bored Panda
