30 Bizarre Vintage Recipes That Leave Us Astonished by the Culinary Past

Whoever claimed that time travel was impossible clearly hasn't had the pleasure of scrolling through Jess's Instagram page, the wacky time machine that is "Weird Old Food."

Damjan

• Published in Interesting
• November 10, 2023

On social media, where people use different websites and look at lots of stuff, some cool things remind us of how food has changed over time. One of these cool things is Jess's "Weird Old Food" on Instagram. It shows us that the food we eat today has a long history that's linked to the past.

Jess, the curator behind "Weird Old Food," has unlocked a fascinating portal to the past through her collection of vintage cookbooks. In a world where time travel remains a distant dream, Jess's Instagram page is a virtual time machine that takes us on a journey to bygone eras of gastronomy.

The charm of "Weird Old Food" lies in its simplicity. Jess doesn't inundate her followers with intricate descriptions or elaborate tales. Instead, she lets the visuals do the talking.

Each post on her page features a scanned snapshot of a dish from a vintage cookbook, accompanied by the name of the dish, the year it hails from, and the cookbook it's sourced from. It's a minimalist approach that speaks volumes.

But what truly sets "Weird Old Food" apart is its ability to make you pause and reflect. As you scroll through the bizarre recipes of yesteryears, you can't help but wonder, "Wait, people ate that?"

The page is a treasure trove of culinary oddities, where recipes that have long faded into obscurity are resurrected for a moment of intrigue.

From gelatin salads that seem to defy the laws of taste to peculiar meat-based desserts that challenge our modern palate, Jess's collection unearths the quirkier side of culinary history. It's a testament to the ever-evolving nature of food and the way our tastes and preferences have transformed over the years.

1. A recipe for a dish called "Shrimp Cucumber Aspic" featured in the 1983 Southern Living Annual Recipes.

2. Salmon cooked inside a pork bladder from a French cuisine recipe in 1995

3. Ham buffet mold recipe from Campbell's Great Restaurant Cookbook, U.S.A.

4. Rice and salmon mold recipe from Gelatine Home Cooking Secrets, 1975

5. Zucchini Zoo from Better Homes and Gardens Kids' Snacks, 1986.

6. Floating ducklings pond cake (1979 Wilton Cake Decorating)

7. Egg Salad Mold (Betty Crocker's 1988 Recipe)

8. Spaghetti Ring Florentine recipe from the 1988 Better Homes and Gardens Best-Recipes Yearbook.

9. Chutney Aspic from Trader Vic's Pacific Island Cookbook, 1968.

10. Shrimp Aspic from 1972. Cooking Course

11. "Soup On The Rocks" was a 1956 Campbell's Soup advertisement.

12. Sugar Cube Castle recipe from the 1986 cookbook "Holiday Cookies, Sweets, Appetizers, and Meals."

13. Frankfurter Crown With Kraut" is a recipe from the book "34 Selected Recipes For Delicious Dishes And Dinners With Kraut.

14. Create Flank Steak Rolls (1969 Time Life Cookbook)

15. Create clown-shaped cake decorations using Wilton cake decorating techniques from 1979.

16. Lemon Dill Shrimp Mold recipe from a 1994 Wilton Entertaining Appetizers To Desserts cookbook.

17. "Lobster Salad Heligoland" from Gourmet’s Old Vienna Cookbook, 1959

18. Shrimp Tree with Curry Sauce from "Great Recipes of the World."

19. A gelatin-encased dish from a 1975 cookbook called "Whole Fish In Aspic."

20. Prepare Fish-Filled Lettuce Wraps (1982 Victory Garden Cookbook).

21. Fruit-Salad Linguine Recipe (1983 Better Homes and Gardens Pasta)

22. Cake recipe from a 1978 Wilton cake decorating book.

23. Sea Dream (Joys Of Jello, 1963) is a vintage gelatin dessert recipe from the past.

24. Brain Salad With Cream Dressing (The Good Cook Salads) is a recipe from a cookbook published in 1980.

25. Golden Gate Saucy Burgers With Spaghetti Topping (Family Circle Illustrated Library Of Cooking Volume 3, 1972) - A classic recipe for saucy burgers topped with spaghetti from a vintage cookbook.

26. Prepare Chilled Glazed Salmon (Gourmet Magazine, 1964)

27. Hard Sauce Clowns (Fun Cake Mix Creations)

28. Summer Day Salad (Holiday Cooking For Kids, 1982) - A classic salad recipe from a 1982 cookbook suitable for children during the holidays.

29. Noodle Ring from The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook (1980).

30. "Fun At The Fair Cake" from Wilton Yearbook 1977 Cake Decorating.

31. Clown Cake featured in 1989 Wilton Yearbook Cake Decorating.

In a world where things change quickly, it's pretty amazing that Jess loves old cookbooks and shares weird recipes on her Instagram page, "Weird Old Food." She has some really old cookbooks from the late 1800s, showing us a lot about the history of food.

On her Instagram, Jess shows us some of the strangest dishes our ancestors used to eat. It's like taking a trip back in time through food.

Jess's "Weird Old Food" isn't just an Instagram page. It's like a time machine that helps us explore how our food has changed over the years. It's a cool way to learn about where our food traditions come from and how they've evolved.

Damjan