We can acutely remember shortages and rationing during the pandemic shutdown when things like disinfecting wipes, hand sanitizer and innumerable food items were as hard to get as the newest game console in December. Which makes you wonder, what was rationing like during WWII when we had coupons to use for staples like butter, sugar, meat and coffee? This little 1943 WWII rationing cookbooklet from General Foods, Recipes for Today, gives some insights into how household cooks made a little stretch a little farther.
Of course, the booklet starts out with a little self promotion, if you look at the product list at the bottom, it’s amazing how many of those products are still available.
Next we get a letter from Victorianna to Uncle Sam about what she’s doing to help the war effort on the home front.
What good would a WWII rationing cookbooklet be without recipes? Meat being what most considered an essential source of protein, needed to be stretched.
These three recipes for meatless meals with protein are outside of what we might think of for breakfast today. Cereal baked with eggs? As different as what they might seem to our eyes and digestive systems, they seem intriguing and worthy of a kitchen experiment.
And what is dinner without dessert? The One-Egg Wonder Cake really is a wonder, with all the possible variations. One recipe makes dozens of different cakes. It reminds one of the King Arthur Cake Pan Cake, another wonder cake, this one with no eggs.
Postum, a coffee substitute made with whole wheat and bran, is one of the products still available today. It was a staple at my aunt’s house, although I never tasted it. And I’m not sure I would now. The Company Cream Sponge recipe sounds absolutely delicious. It would be a fun recipe to make with kids. (Any recipe involving a rotary beater is fun to make with children. And messy.)
When this WWII rationing cookbooklet was produced in 1943, print was the only way to share it. Digital was not an option. How will bloggers in the future find examples of how we coped with shortages during the Covid pandemic shutdown? Of course they’ll find ways. But for this blog writer here and now, thank heavens for vintage ephemera and the glimpse it gives into the past.
2 comments
Thank you for a very interesting post Laurie. I don’t think we modern-day folk would do very well with rationing the way they did in the 40s. I did have a question about sugar and Jell-O. Was Jell-O sold with sugar in it? I imagine the pudding must’ve had sugar in it, but I don’t know. Could this be a clever way to get around the ration of loose sugar?
I am a big fan of food history and love posts like these.
I highly recommend a book I read written by Jennifer Ryan, called the Kitchen Front. It is set in England during World War II and has four characters who are competing in a cooking competition using rationed items the winner will have their own radio show on the BBC. it was really great.
Fun and fascinating! And thanks fir the book tip, Mary Ellen – I just put it on hold at the library!