1960 Dining Trends That Shaped America
July 21st, 2009. Published under Food and Drink. No Comments.
Throughout our history, American cuisine has undergone some notable shifts as world events and new technologies shaped what we ate as a culture. From turn of the century Victorian and opulent cuisine, then into the prohibition and speakeasy cuisine of the 1920s, there have been dramatic shifts. 1960 dining was one of the more interesting decades for a variety of reasons.
As far as society, there were cultural clashes, while the rationing of WWII was long gone. In the world of dining, the popular casseroles of the 1950s were passe, and big names like Julia Child and Jacqueline Kennedy introduced elaborate, French-inspired dishes. There was also the beginning of vegetarian and ethnic cuisine as two developing trends. On the other side of things, junk food and fast food made their presence known in the world of 1960 dining.
The era of 1960 dining saw an influx of rich, fancy dishes such as beef Wellington and Swedish meatballs, while French cuisine became highly popularized as a result of Julia Child. The famous chef debuted her popular television show in 1963, and viewers were entranced by her omelets, French onion soup, and more.
Another popular pastime of the 1960 dining culture was a renewed interest in what was called “suburban devotion” that took the form of backyard mixers and barbecues. Theme parties, like Hawaiian luaus, were popular.
Vegetarian food became another part of the 1960 dining trends, thanks largely in part to entrepreneur Frieda Caplan. Caplan introduced to the American market fruits and vegetables that common today but could never be found in the past. These include shitake mushrooms, mangoes and most famously, the kiwi.
Ethnic foods also began to pique American interests. Japanese steakhouses were first introduced around this time, with their theatrics and hibachi style grills. The first Benihana debuted in 1964, and the chain is still going strong today. Soul food also was popular at this time, and went along with the widespread soul music of the era. Soul food originally referred to food common in southern Black American cooking and included such comfort dishes as fried chicken, hush puppies, country fried steak, collard greens and rice pudding.
Flaming foods and fondue put another measure of theatrics into 1960 dining. In restaurants, a beef dish known as steak Diane would be cooked tableside, while at dinner parties, the baked Alaska was a popular flaming meringue dessert. Fondue was also a commonplace occurrence at dinner parties. It was originally invented in Switzerland, but really became embedded in American culture, with both cheese and chocolate fondue varieties.
For better or worse, junk food also took off, aimed particularly at the baby boomer generation. Things like buffalo wings and fudge cakes were everywhere, while the orange powdered drink Tang, originally intended for use by the astronauts, also was adopted by the American household.
This was also the time when families started to regularly frequent such chain restaurants as Howard Johnson. Salad bars were another innovation, and the first Wendy’s was started in 1969.
Todd Arend is a freelance writing professional whose expertise covers a variety of areas, including patio and backyard furniture, landscaping and design. He regularly writes for such sites as http://www.outdoorfurnitureplus.com/