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Fifties Food

db84124

Brummophile
A former school friend (Bordesley Green Tech. 1959/ 66) has sent me the following list. It made me chuckle several times so I hope, by recycling it, it'll bring a smile to your faces .......

EATING IN THE UK IN THE FIFTIES

* Pasta had not been invented.
* Curry was an unknown entity.
* Olive oil was kept in the medicine cabinet
* Spices came from the Middle East where we believed that they were used for embalming
* Herbs were used to make rather dodgy medicine.
* A takeaway was a mathematical problem.
* A pizza was something to do with a leaning tower.
* Bananas and oranges only appeared at Christmas time.
* The only vegetables known to us were spuds, peas, carrots and cabbage, anything else was regarded as being a bit suspicious.
* All crisps were plain; the only choice we had was whether to put the salt on or not.
* Condiments consisted of salt, pepper, vinegar and brown sauce, if we were lucky.
* Soft drinks were called pop.
* Coke was something that we mixed with coal to make it last longer.
* A Chinese chippy was a foreign carpenter.
* Rice was a milk pudding, and never, ever, part of our dinner.
* A Big Mac was what we wore when it was raining.
* A Pizza Hut was an Italian shed.
* A microwave was something out of a science fiction film.
* Brown bread was something only poor people ate.
* Oil was for lubricating your bike, not for cooking; fat was for cooking
* Bread and jam was a treat.
* Tea was made in a teapot using tea leaves, not bags.
* The tea cosy was the forerunner of all the energy saving devices that we hear so much about today.
* Tea had only one colour: black. Green tea was not British.
* Coffee was only drunk when we had no tea ..... and then it was Camp, and came in a bottle.
* Cubed sugar was regarded as posh.
* Figs and dates appeared every Christmas, but no one ever ate them.
* Sweets and confectionery were called toffees.
* Coconuts only appeared when the fair came to town.
* Black puddings were mined in Bolton, Lancashire.
* Jellied eels were peculiar to Londoners.
* Salad cream was a dressing for salads; mayonnaise did not exist
* Hors d'oeuvre was a spelling mistake.
* The starter was our main meal.
* Soup was a main meal.
* The menu consisted of what we were given, and was set in stone.
* Only Heinz made beans, any others were impostors.
* Leftovers went in the dog.
* Special food for dogs and cats was unheard of.
* Sauce was either brown or red.
* Fish was only eaten on Fridays.
* Fish didn't have fingers in those days.
* Eating raw fish was called poverty, not sushi.
* Ready meals only came from the fish and chip shop.
* For the best taste, fish and chips had to be eaten out of old newspapers.
* Frozen food was called ice cream.
* Nothing ever went off in the fridge ....... because we never had one.
* Ice cream only came in one colour, and one flavour.
* None of us had ever heard of yoghurt.
* Jelly and blancmange was only eaten at parties.
* If we said that we were on a diet, we simply got less.
* Healthy food consisted of anything edible.
* Healthy food had to have the ability to stick to your ribs.
* Calories were mentioned, but they had nothing at all to do with food.
* The only criteria concerning the food that we ate were ....... did we like it and could we afford it.
* People who didn't peel potatoes were regarded as lazy so and so's.
* Indian restaurants were only found in India.
* A seven-course meal had to last a week.
* Brunch was not a meal.
* Cheese only came in a hard lump.
* If we had eaten bacon, lettuce and tomato in the same sandwich we would have been certified
* A bun was a small cake back then.
* A tart was a fruit-filled pastry, not a lady of horizontal pleasure.
* The word "Barbie" was not associated with anything to do with food.
* Eating outside was called a picnic.
* Cooking outside was called camping.
* Seaweed was not a recognised food.
* Offal was only eaten when we could afford it.
* Eggs only came fried or boiled.
* Hot cross buns were only eaten at Easter time.
* Pancakes were only eaten on Pancake Tuesday - in fact in those days it was compulsory.
* "Kebab" was not even a word, never mind a food.
* Hot dogs were a type of sausage that only the Americans ate.
* Cornflakes had arrived from America but it was obvious that they would never catch on.
* The phrase "boil in the bag" would have been beyond our realms of comprehension.
* The idea of "oven chips" would not have made any sense at all to us.
* The world had not yet benefited from weird and wonderful things like Pot Noodles, Instant Mash and Pop Tarts.
* We bought milk and cream at the same time, in the same bottle.
* Sugar enjoyed a good press in those days, and was regarded as being white gold.
* Lettuce and tomatoes in winter were just a rumour.
* Most soft fruits were seasonal, except perhaps at Christmas.
* Prunes were medicinal.
* Surprisingly, muesli was readily available in those days ........ it was called cattle feed.
* Turkeys were definitely seasonal.
* Pineapples came in chunks in a tin; we had only ever seen a picture of a real one.
* We didn't eat croissants in those days because we couldn't pronounce them, we couldn't spell them and we didn't know what they were.
* We thought that baguettes were a serious problem the French needed to deal with.
* Garlic was used to ward off vampires, but never used to flavour bread.
* Water came out of the tap, if someone had suggested bottling it and charging treble for it they would have become a laughing stock.
* Food hygiene was all about washing your hands before meals.
* Campylobacter, Salmonella, E. coli, Listeria, and Botulism were all called "food poisoning."

Thank you, Derek.

David
 
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All so very true, how things have changed. How did we manage then, without all the things we have today. We just adapt like any animal would. Lets hope it doesn't start getting up to 50c in Summer and -50 in Winter, maybe we really would have to adapt or invent something very quickly to survive.
 
A former school friend (Bordesley Green Tech. 1959/ 66) has sent me the following list. It made me chuckle several times so I hope by recycling it, it'll bring a smile to you faces .......

EATING IN THE UK IN THE FIFTIES

* Pasta had not been invented. It had - my mom used to cook spaghetti. It was in tins too - horrible.
* Curry was an unknown entity. Not true - there were 'Indian' restaurants in England from the late 1940's (actually most of them were Pakistani...)
* Olive oil was kept in the medicine cabinet Correct
* Spices came from the Middle East where we believed that they were used for embalming My mom embalmed a dead cat once
* Herbs were used to make rather dodgy medicine. Certainly were
* A takeaway was a mathematical problem. Chip shops were takeaways
* A pizza was something to do with a leaning tower. Yeah, funny! Like it!
* Bananas and oranges only appeared at Christmas time. Partly true
* The only vegetables known to us were spuds, peas, carrots and cabbage, anything else was regarded as being a bit suspicious. My dad's runner beans were highly suspicious
* All crisps were plain; the only choice we had was whether to put the salt on or not. Correct
* Condiments consisted of salt, pepper, vinegar and brown sauce if we were lucky. What's pepper?
* Soft drinks were called pop. Or Vimto
* Coke was something that we mixed with coal to make it last longer. Not the kind you snorted
* A Chinese chippy was a foreign carpenter. Love it!
* Rice was a milk pudding, and never, ever part of our dinner. Correct! (Rice pud - ugh!)
* A Big Mac was what we wore when it was raining. Love it! Funny!
* A Pizza Hut was an Italian shed. Contrived, but funny
* A microwave was something out of a science fiction movie. Even more contrived
* Brown bread was something only poor people ate. Yes - when did it become trendy?
* Oil was for lubricating your bike not for cooking, fat was for cooking Correct
* Bread and jam was a treat. Still is
* Tea was made in a teapot using tea leaves, not bags. Correct
* The tea cosy was the forerunner of all the energy saving devices that we hear so much about today. Bang on
* Tea had only one colour, black. Green tea was not British. Certainly wasn't - it was what the Chinks drank
* Coffee was only drunk when we had no tea... and then it was Camp, and came in a bottle. God yes - I'd forgotten! It was awful!
* Cubed sugar was regarded as posh. True
* Figs and dates appeared every Christmas, but no one ever ate them. True
* Sweets and confectionery were called toffees. Sweets were called 'rocks' in our house
* Coconuts only appeared when the fair came to town. Very true, even today
* Black puddings were mined in Bolton Lancashire. Well, they are, aren't they?
* Jellied eels were peculiar to Londoners. And Londoners are peculiar
* Salad cream was a dressing for salads, mayonnaise did not exist True
* Hors d'oeuvre was a spelling mistake. For what? Horses things?
* The starter was our main meal. Correct
* Soup was a main meal. Could be, when there was too much week left at the end of the money
* The menu consisted of what we were given, and was set in stone. Too true
* Only Heinz made beans, any others were impostors. True, but they ain't the same...
* Leftovers went in the dog. Or the cat. But we rarely had any leftovers. We'd eat the tablecloth if we weren't stopped
* Special food for dogs and cats was unheard of. Mmm, not sure. There was Kit-e-Kat and Winalot in those days. Tasty, too.
* Sauce was either brown or red. As ever
* Fish was only eaten on Fridays. Amen
* Fish didn't have fingers in those days. They did - we had Birds Eye Fish Fingers back then, and I still like 'em
* Eating raw fish was called poverty, not sushi. Not sure of this....
* Ready meals only came from the fish and chip shop. And the cow-heel shop, if you were really on your uppers
* For the best taste fish and chips had to be eaten out of old newspapers. Totally correct!
* Frozen food was called ice cream. Apart from Birds Eye Peas, first sold in 1952
* Nothing ever went off in the fridge because we never had one. Neither did we, except in winter when we'd put food outside
* Ice cream only came in one colour and one flavour. Not true - my mom would buy Neapolitain ice-cream for Sunday tea
* None of us had ever heard of yoghurt. I still haven't
* Jelly and blancmange was only eaten at parties. Correct - yuch!
* If we said that we were on a diet, we simply got less. Diet? What's a diet?
* Healthy food consisted of anything edible. Very true
* Healthy food had to have the ability to stick to your ribs. My mom's stew would stick to your teeth, never mind your ribs
* Calories were mentioned but they had nothing at all to do with food. And still haven't
* The only criteria concerning the food that we ate were ... did we like it and could we afford it. We didn't, and we couldn't
* People who didn't peel potatoes were regarded as lazy so and so's. Or German
* Indian restaurants were only found in India . Or on Bristol Street (where they were Pakistani anyway)
* A seven course meal had to last a week. Too right!
* Brunch was not a meal. Still isn't
* Cheese only came in a hard lump. Oh yes!
* If we had eaten bacon lettuce and tomato in the same sandwich we would have been certified I did, and I was
* A bun was a small cake back then. And should be still
* A tart was a fruit filled pastry, not a lady of horizontal pleasure. Durrrrr.....?
* The word "Barbie" was not associated with anything to do with food. It was a doll, wasn't it?
* Eating outside was called a picnic. Or getting wet for no good reason
* Cooking outside was called camping. Or getting wet, etc.
* Seaweed was not a recognised food. Still isn't
* Offal was only eaten when we could afford it. I love liver & bacon, always did, but my mom never cooked it because she said it stank
* Eggs only came fried or boiled. My mom could never boil an egg....
* Hot cross buns were only eaten at Easter time. We were Jewish
* Pancakes were only eaten on Pancake Tuesday - in fact in those days it was compulsory. We were still Jewish
* "Kebab" was not even a word never mind a food. It was the sound my dad made when his ten pints cmae back up...
* Hot dogs were a type of sausage that only the Americans ate. And they're welcome to them
* Cornflakes had arrived from America but it was obvious that they would never catch on. Horrible...hate them
* The phrase "boil in the bag" would have been beyond our realms of comprehension. And it still is
* The idea of "oven chips" would not have made any sense at all to us. Even if we had an oven
* The world had not yet benefited from weird and wonderful things like Pot Noodles, Instant Mash and Pop Tarts. Happy days!
* We bought milk and cream at the same time in the same bottle. Yes we did, something I'd completely forgotten!
* Sugar enjoyed a good press in those days, and was regarded as being white gold. Until your teeth fell out
* Lettuce and tomatoes in winter were just a rumour. They were in summer too, in our house
* Most soft fruits were seasonal except perhaps at Christmas. True
* Prunes were medicinal. And still are and so they should be
* Surprisingly muesli was readily available in those days, it was called cattle feed. There weren't that many cattle in Aston when I was a nipper
* Turkeys were definitely seasonal. and unaffordable
* Pineapples came in chunks in a tin; we had only ever seen a picture of a real one. I prefer them tinned, same as peaches and salmon
* We didn't eat Croissants in those days because we couldn't pronounce them, we couldn't spell them and we didn't know what they were. Bits of undercooked dough
* We thought that Baguettes were a serious problem the French needed to deal with. And they still haven't
* Garlic was used to ward off vampires, but never used to flavour bread. My gran used to ward off the vampires in our house
* Water came out of the tap, if someone had suggested bottling it and charging treble for it they would have become a laughing stock. Very, very true
* Food hygiene was all about washing your hands before meals. Sorry, don't understand this at all
* Campylobacter, Salmonella, E.coli, Listeria, and Botulism were all called "food poisoning." Regular in our house

Thank you, Derek.

Bon Appetit!

G
 
For one minute I thought you had changed your name to Derek DAVID. Very interesting reading. Bon Appetit! G G
 
No, Jean, I was acknowledging and thanking my school mate from a long time ago who spent many years as a detective in Stechford before leaving the police force in 1999.
Hope you're keeping well.
David
 
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The list is all so very true. Thanks for posting it and many thanks to Derek for the memories...good or not so good:eek:)
 
Just came across this very short thread "Fifties Food" from 2012. Had a good chuckle to post #6.
Some of the foods I remember eating in the early 50s which makes me wince now was sugar sprinkled on bread & margarine, lard (not dripping) spread on dry bread, eating pomegranates with a pin (always gave up halfway through), eating winkles with a pin and eating raw sausage.
 
Banjo,

I quite like sugar sprinkled on bread & butter, but margarine may be a bit different as its taste varies according to brand. I quite liked lard straight out the packet spread on bread providing a little salt was sprinkled on too. We have a pomegranate bush and it produces about 60 fruit. We can juice them, but it is a bit painstaking, and eating them with a pin more so. Winkles & raw sausage - ugh! :)

Maurice :cool:
 
A former school friend (Bordesley Green Tech. 1959/ 66) has sent me the following list. It made me chuckle several times so I hope, by recycling it, it'll bring a smile to your faces .......

EATING IN THE UK IN THE FIFTIES

* Pasta had not been invented.
* Curry was an unknown entity.
* Olive oil was kept in the medicine cabinet
* Spices came from the Middle East where we believed that they were used for embalming
* Herbs were used to make rather dodgy medicine.
* A takeaway was a mathematical problem.
* A pizza was something to do with a leaning tower.
* Bananas and oranges only appeared at Christmas time.
* The only vegetables known to us were spuds, peas, carrots and cabbage, anything else was regarded as being a bit suspicious.
* All crisps were plain; the only choice we had was whether to put the salt on or not.
* Condiments consisted of salt, pepper, vinegar and brown sauce, if we were lucky.
* Soft drinks were called pop.
* Coke was something that we mixed with coal to make it last longer.
* A Chinese chippy was a foreign carpenter.
* Rice was a milk pudding, and never, ever, part of our dinner.
* A Big Mac was what we wore when it was raining.
* A Pizza Hut was an Italian shed.
* A microwave was something out of a science fiction film.
* Brown bread was something only poor people ate.
* Oil was for lubricating your bike, not for cooking; fat was for cooking
* Bread and jam was a treat.
* Tea was made in a teapot using tea leaves, not bags.
* The tea cosy was the forerunner of all the energy saving devices that we hear so much about today.
* Tea had only one colour: black. Green tea was not British.
* Coffee was only drunk when we had no tea ..... and then it was Camp, and came in a bottle.
* Cubed sugar was regarded as posh.
* Figs and dates appeared every Christmas, but no one ever ate them.
* Sweets and confectionery were called toffees.
* Coconuts only appeared when the fair came to town.
* Black puddings were mined in Bolton, Lancashire.
* Jellied eels were peculiar to Londoners.
* Salad cream was a dressing for salads; mayonnaise did not exist
* Hors d'oeuvre was a spelling mistake.
* The starter was our main meal.
* Soup was a main meal.
* The menu consisted of what we were given, and was set in stone.
* Only Heinz made beans, any others were impostors.
* Leftovers went in the dog.
* Special food for dogs and cats was unheard of.
* Sauce was either brown or red.
* Fish was only eaten on Fridays.
* Fish didn't have fingers in those days.
* Eating raw fish was called poverty, not sushi.
* Ready meals only came from the fish and chip shop.
* For the best taste, fish and chips had to be eaten out of old newspapers.
* Frozen food was called ice cream.
* Nothing ever went off in the fridge ....... because we never had one.
* Ice cream only came in one colour, and one flavour.
* None of us had ever heard of yoghurt.
* Jelly and blancmange was only eaten at parties.
* If we said that we were on a diet, we simply got less.
* Healthy food consisted of anything edible.
* Healthy food had to have the ability to stick to your ribs.
* Calories were mentioned, but they had nothing at all to do with food.
* The only criteria concerning the food that we ate were ....... did we like it and could we afford it.
* People who didn't peel potatoes were regarded as lazy so and so's.
* Indian restaurants were only found in India.
* A seven-course meal had to last a week.
* Brunch was not a meal.
* Cheese only came in a hard lump.
* If we had eaten bacon, lettuce and tomato in the same sandwich we would have been certified
* A bun was a small cake back then.
* A tart was a fruit-filled pastry, not a lady of horizontal pleasure.
* The word "Barbie" was not associated with anything to do with food.
* Eating outside was called a picnic.
* Cooking outside was called camping.
* Seaweed was not a recognised food.
* Offal was only eaten when we could afford it.
* Eggs only came fried or boiled.
* Hot cross buns were only eaten at Easter time.
* Pancakes were only eaten on Pancake Tuesday - in fact in those days it was compulsory.
* "Kebab" was not even a word, never mind a food.
* Hot dogs were a type of sausage that only the Americans ate.
* Cornflakes had arrived from America but it was obvious that they would never catch on.
* The phrase "boil in the bag" would have been beyond our realms of comprehension.
* The idea of "oven chips" would not have made any sense at all to us.
* The world had not yet benefited from weird and wonderful things like Pot Noodles, Instant Mash and Pop Tarts.
* We bought milk and cream at the same time, in the same bottle.
* Sugar enjoyed a good press in those days, and was regarded as being white gold.
* Lettuce and tomatoes in winter were just a rumour.
* Most soft fruits were seasonal, except perhaps at Christmas.
* Prunes were medicinal.
* Surprisingly, muesli was readily available in those days ........ it was called cattle feed.
* Turkeys were definitely seasonal.
* Pineapples came in chunks in a tin; we had only ever seen a picture of a real one.
* We didn't eat croissants in those days because we couldn't pronounce them, we couldn't spell them and we didn't know what they were.
* We thought that baguettes were a serious problem the French needed to deal with.
* Garlic was used to ward off vampires, but never used to flavour bread.
* Water came out of the tap, if someone had suggested bottling it and charging treble for it they would have become a laughing stock.
* Food hygiene was all about washing your hands before meals.
* Campylobacter, Salmonella, E. coli, Listeria, and Botulism were all called "food poisoning."

Thank you, Derek.

David Spot on brilliant Raz x
 
I remember we did have Cheese & Onion crisps in the 1950's Walkers started with them in 1954

Fish fingers were made by Birdseye from 1955, we were lucky to have a fridge in our prefab so I remember them being a special treat.
 
I remember we did have Cheese & Onion crisps in the 1950's Walkers started with them in 1954

Fish fingers were made by Birdseye from 1955, we were lucky to have a fridge in our prefab so I remember them being a special treat.
Hi izzy we didn't need a fridge in Aston the house was so cold , one coal fire to heat the whole house but we were probably healthier for it . Raz X
 
I remember we did have Cheese & Onion crisps in the 1950's Walkers started with them in 1954

Fish fingers were made by Birdseye from 1955, we were lucky to have a fridge in our prefab so I remember them being a special treat.

Can't recollect the cheese and onion izzy , I only remember the plain and the oxo flavoured both under the name of Tudor Crisps . Apart from that do you remember Nibbits , by the way , we made our own salt and vinegar crisps by dousing a packet of plain with the bag of salt and a bottle of vinegar that was in the 1950's . How forward looking were we ?
 
. Apart from that do you remember Nibbits , by the way , we made our own salt and vinegar crisps by dousing a packet of plain with the bag of salt and a bottle of vinegar that was in the 1950's . How forward looking were we ?
I'd forgotten about Nibbits, now I think back they were definitely my favourite, ginger coloured wonky shaped straws as I recall and you tipped the empty packet into your mouth for all the powder bits still in the bag
 
Hi izzy we didn't need a fridge in Aston the house was so cold , one coal fire to heat the whole house but we were probably healthier for it . Raz X
Raz, I think your right about the single coal fire! Our was in the kitchen and my bedroom seemed so far away from it!
 
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