The ’60s may have been swinging. But as far as food was concerned, the decade was a little bit repulsive. Similar to food from the 1950s, 1960s foods involved more tuna, more Jell-O salads, and cream of peanut soup…? Yeah, we’re not sure who came up with that dish, either.
It’s truly a miracle our grandparents and parents survived the 1960s with outrageous recipes like the ones below appearing on dining room tables across America. Let’s take a step back and be thankful we’re no longer subjected to these bizarro 1960s foods.
Even celebs had mind-boggling diets then.
As the decade progressed, people wore psychedelic prints, listened to rock n’ roll, and transitioned into free spirits who stuck it to The Man.
And perhaps some of that wild-child pizazz trickled down to the homemakers of the ’60s. Their recipes broke the mold, literally. Instead of traditional meatloaf, they made the “roll-in-one.” And forget about your mother’s tuna casserole; the ’60s produced a crunch tuna surprise.
These bizarre foods from the 1960s completely permeated the Mad Men era.
1. Bunburgers
A bunburger is like an open-faced sandwich, except it’s a hamburger… cooked right inside the bun.
We’re not entirely sure about bunburgers.
Are they an easier-to-make alternative to regular hamburgers? What makes them so great? Plus, wouldn’t a bunburger get super soggy while the ground beef cooks? Maybe we’re just too critical.
2. Roll-In-One Meatloaf
This was very similar to classic meatloaf. In fact, it came with all of the typical casserole fixings.
What was inside?
There was Campbell’s tomato soup, ground beef, bread crumbs, onion, parsley, and egg. But then things got a little interesting.
And not in a good way.
The chef would squish the entire mixture, making it completely flat. Then they topped the creation with green beans.
To really lock in the roll-in-one style, the next step was important.
The whole thing had to be rolled up, cinnamon swirl-style, and baked. After the dish left the oven, the chef would drizzle on a little more tomato soup and serve.
It was this close to being normal.
Who knows why regular meatloaf casserole with a side of green beans wasn’t enough?
3. Tuna-Berry Sandwich
This recipe almost ended us immediately. For the most part, the tuna-berry sandwich that Instagram user retrofoodghoul recreated was basically a tuna melt.
A few things were missing, though.
There was no melted cheese, but there was canned tuna, mayonnaise, and celery on toasted bread.
And then the entire thing was thrown into the oven.
To complete the recipe, the sandwich had to be doused with cream of chicken soup. Unfortunately (rather, fortunately) there were no berries.
4. Ham Basted with 7-Up
“Gash fat” on your ham of choice and douse with 7-Up. Baste with additional 7-Up if necessary.
And the fun keeps going.
This recipe also recommends one try the 7-Up marinating method with fowl — especially wild duck.
“It gives your gravy an unusual, delicious flavor, and brings out the flavor of the meat.”
Sure.
5. Wieneroni Casserole
The only thing worse than the name of this 1966 dish is the actual recipe. To make the Wieneroni Casserole, fry up a half-pound of bacon with onions.
Drain off the fat…
Then stir in Worcestershire sauce and one entire cup of Karo dark corn syrup, salt, paprika, lemon juice, water, and chili sauce.
Simmer your franks in the concoction and then add a mix of corn starch and water.
Serve this whole mess on top of spaghetti and…enjoy?
6. Deviled Rice
To whip up this dish, one must first sauté peppers, onions, currant jelly, sour cream, pimentos, mustards, and Worcestershire sauce.
And wait until it starts to smell “FUNKY.”
That’s what retrofoodghoul recommends anyway. Apparently, the odor very nearly mimics pigs feet.
Then, add the mixture to a bowl of cooked rice, and serve.
This dish didn’t even pass the “cat test,” so, it’s gonna be a no from us.
7. Party Sandwich Loaf
This 1964 recipe is basically a layer cake that has Italian bread and “filling.” And what exactly is this filling?
Well, first there’s ham and celery.
The ham should be cooked; the celery should be finely chopped celery. And there should be “enough mayonnaise to moisten.”
Then there’s chili-egg filling.
That contains boiled eggs, chili powder, salt, more mayo, avocado, and French dressing. The entire loaf is then coated in a mixture of cream cheese and cream.
8. Under-The-Sea Salad
Oh, you thought we left the Jell-O craze in the 1950s? Think again. Jell-O was alive and thriving throughout the 1960s.
It’s like a 1963 under-the-sea salad.
Cream cheese added some protein to the dish. And there were diced pears encased in lemon and/or lime Jell-O.
And a bowl just wouldn’t do.
This mix was best served on crisp lettuce. What’s so “under-the-sea” about it? We’re unclear.
9. Breaded Spam
Add a little crunch to your classic spam by slicing up the loaf and dunking each slice into beaten eggs.
There needed to be some texture, though.
So the chef would bread each piece with crumbled corn flakes. Pop these bad boys in the oven for 25 minutes.
And presto.
You’ve got dinner or something like that.
10. Cream of Peanut Soup
This certainly didn’t sound good, and according to retrofoodghoul, it tasted “extremely not good.” Noted.
This 1968 recipe started with combining peanut butter and milk.
We’re not mad at that.
But then one added a heated mashup of cooked celery and grated potatoes.
According to retrofoodghoul, if this recipe is followed to the tee, it’s like “incredibly bland like prison food you would give to someone just for nutrition purposes.” Gross.
11. Cranberry Candle Salads
The Jell-O molds strike again. This time, they’re filled with cranberry sauce and some sort of red gelatin (we assume).
Jam a taper candle into the final product.
And your guests will be ooh-ing and aah-ing at your holiday centerpiece (served with real mayonnaise, of course).
12. Lobster Bellevue
You may think that those little bits are slices of banana running down this unfortunate creature’s back.
And hey, anything was possible in the ’60s.
But, in fact, the bits are actually pieces of the lobster’s tail “accented with carved truffles and chervil leaves.”
Was this 1962 display horrendous?
Well, we’re a little frightened to say the least.
13. Crusty Tuna Surprise
Those are truly three words you never want in the same sentence.
This recipe from 1964 had no qualms about it, though.
To follow the instructions exactly, the person who attempted this meal had to layer rice, parsley, tuna, and a cheese soup/milk mixture in a casserole dish.
And to finish…
The casserole had to be topped with buttered corn flake crumbs and baked for 15 minutes. Surprise! Here’s something you never wanted nor ever will want in the near future.
14. Hot Buttered Wine
Similar to mulled wine, hot buttered wine is a citrusy, buttery take on the old classic.
According to retrofoodghoul, the ingredients sound a bit odd.
Here’s looking at you, frozen orange juice concentrate, California Muscatel, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, butter, and lemon.
However, the final result seemed to actually be pretty good.
15. Prune Salad Supreme
Just because we cannot get enough of all-things Jell-O, we give you the prune salad supreme from 1966.
As the ad reads, this meal in a mold is a “wonderful new way for your family to enjoy plump, juicy, sun-ripened Prunes!”
And it truly had a helping of every fruit.
Even some veggies snuck into the mix to our dismay.
It combined prunes, orange bits, diced cantaloupe, diced apple, bits of canned pineapple, celery, and olives into green-colored gelatin. This meal would surely make some sort of impression on dinner guests.
16. Conversation Starter Devilish Dunk
This was intended to accompany raw vegetable kebabs with carrot, radish, sweet pickles, and cheese.
If you think that’s an odd combo, the dip won’t disappoint.
The Devilish Dunk consisted of sour cream, ketchup, mustard, onion salt, and celery seed.
What’s more?
The recipe recommended serving the mixture in a hollowed-out apple for some reason. None of this stuff goes together.
17. Spam Veg-All Goulash
Spam reared its head again. This time, the canned creation was cut into triangles.
But then it got fancy.
The spam portions had to be cooked in a casserole dish with egg noodles and Veg-All canned mixed vegetables. To really lock in the flavor, the whole dish was soaked in cream of mushroom soup and milk.
And the price point was unbeatable.
You could serve six for just $1.
And just how closely did these bizarre foods from the 1960s match the dishes from the decade prior? In the ’50s people ate:
Ham Banana Rolls
Yes, ham and bananas. And were they coated in fluorescent cheese sauce? They most definitely were.
Frankfurter Cheese Soup
This wasn’t the worst thing they could do. In fact, this was nearly a five-star dish compared to some of the other ’50s food. We can’t really hate on cheese soup and hot dogs, but would that be our first choice for dinner? No.
Jellied Veal Ring
This was truly nightmare fuel. It had gelatin; it had olives. Somehow, it even had hard-boiled eggs.
Spam Fiesta Peach Cups
Now this dish may be the worst thing of any decade. Sweet peaches and salty spam? Why? We can’t even begin to address the combination of ketchup, oats, and mustard.
Tuna and Waffles
Another sweet and savory combo, sort of. Instead of being doused in syrup, these waffles had cream of mushroom soup, tuna, and olives.
Chilled Celery Log
Stalks of celery combined with chopped veggies and spices? Not ideal.
