Food trends have always been a thing. During the pandemic, we had dalgona coffee, sourdough bread and overnight oats. But during the 70s and 80s, crazier recipes were tried. Let’s take a look at these 30 nostalgic foods we still miss sometimes.
Fried Clams
These are getting harder to find because clams have migrated due to climate change, and it’s not as easy to get them as before.
Reggie! Bar
This circular candy bar, packed with caramel, peanuts, and covered in chocolate, named after baseball player Reggie Jackson, was every Yankees fan’s favorite during the 70s.
Cream Of Wheat
This was like oatmeal but smoother. Perfect for people who are a little picky with food textures.
Ambrosia Salad
Some people claimed this mixture of fruits, nuts and whipped cream was “the polite salad” because people would only eat it to be polite.
Stuffed Peppers
When you can get your daily ration of veggies by stuffing them with whatever is in your fridge, that food should stick around.
Mincemeat Pie
The 70s were a huge era for pies. Although nowadays we might not see this one so often, if you’d like some, you can always follow one of the hundreds of recipes you can find online.
Marathon Bar
This bar was a long, thin braid of caramel covered in chocolate that was super famous during the 1970s. It sounds delicious.
Waldorf Salad
We might still see it in some restaurants, but in the 80s, this was everyone’s choice when picking salad while eating out.
Welsh rarebit over toast
At one point, you could buy them in the frozen food section. Making it an easy comfort food to have after a long, cold day.
Jell-O Pudding Pops
Bill Cosby starred in the commercials, making these creamy, smooth, and perfectly chilled treats everyone’s favorite.
Corned Beef On Rye
A Reddit user from Georgia claimed you can’t find it in any restaurants, and it used to be his favorite.
Lobster Newburg
Lobster with a cream sherry sauce in a bun. Delicious
S.O.S (Creamed Beef on a Shingle)
This creamed chipped beef or ground beef in sauce served on toast was a go-to when there was some leftover meat at home.
Turkey Tetrazzini
This mixture of turkey, mushrooms and pasta in a rich creamy sauce used to be a tradition after Thanksgiving; if someone has a good recipe, leave it at hand, it might make a comeback soon.
Chop Suey
The version of this dish that was served at schools was mostly overcooked chicken and vegetables mixed with a sauce “resembling warm spit,” according to a Reddit user.
Onion Loaf
Fried onions in the shape of a loaf. It used to be found in BBQ and Ribs restaurants, but they’re not a thing anymore.
Bonkers
Known for its series of strange commercials, this chewy and fruity candy was huge during the 80s. It came in different flavors such as grape, strawberry and watermelon.
Chicken Kiev
This one might be hard to find in the supermarket, but you can always make it from scratch.
Fruit Cake
Some people love it, some people hate it. But no one can deny it’s a huge thing amongst grandmothers, especially during the holidays
Rumaki
This appetizer disappeared in the 80s. It was made of chicken liver and water chestnuts, wrapped in bacon and broiled with BBQ sauce.
Hubba Bubba Soda
This soda tasted exactly like liquid bubble gum, making it either amazing or horrifying. It was a bright pink and super sweet drink that didn’t stick around long.
Beans and Weenies
You could even buy these canned. Campbell created their own and called them “Beans and Franks”
Sloppy Joes with Manwich sauce
Getting the sauce for your Sloppy Joes at the store might not be the healthiest option, but it was for sure delicious.
French Dressing
Waitresses used to offer it to you when ordering a salad, and now it’s barely mentioned.
Stuffed Cabbage
A healthy and warm option that used to be in the frozen section in supermarkets but disappeared without us noticing it.
Squeezit Fruit Drinks
These brightly colored fruit drinks, which probably had more sugar than fruit in them, were a huge hit during the 80s due to their wacky bottle designs that kids would squeeze to get every last drop.
Baked Alaska
A giant cake with ice cream baked in it. Mind-blowing and delicious.
Chicken Cacciatore
This dish used to be found in little, family-owned Italian restaurants. Guess now we have to go to Italy to taste it again.
Jell-O Salads
Adding vegetables to flavorless gelatin sounds low-key disgusting right now, but during the 70s, that dish was even served at Christmas dinner.
Giggles
These sandwich cookies were like Oreos but with vanilla cookies and vanilla and chocolate filling. They also had a smiley face.
