Stories

As tastes expanded from meatloaf and potatoes to more unsuaul dishes, it’s no wonder that a few exotic recipes became wildly popular. 20 years before, these foods would have been unheard of at any dinner party. Even spaghetti was once a “foreign food” so it did take some time for these recipes to make it into nearly every dinner party. While some of these dishes have been around quite a while, they all spiked in popularity during in the disco era. Here are some distinctly ’70s recipes that we still enjoy today! 1. Tunnel of Fudge Cake Cast aluminum bundt pans were invented in 1950, but they did not immediately catch on. It took a stellar recipe, created by Ella Rita Helfrich in 1966 at a Houston bake-off before women all across America were baking ring cakes. Helfrich’s tunnel of fudge cake has that raw or gooey type of chocolate center that just makes you go, “mmm.” This wonderful treat was a classic in the late ’60s and early ’70s. Here’s the recipe. Wiki Commons 2. Chicken à la King With a history going back to the late 19th century, this creamy dish hit its pinnacle of popularity in the ’70s. You hardly ever hear about this main dish these days, but back then it was considered very sophisticated. Cream, sherry, mushrooms, and chicken make this one unique for the era. There was a time when most people had tasted this wonderful dish, but it rarely found in restaurants or at dinner parties these days.This recipe calls for the traditional vol au vent base. Internet Archive 3. Quiche Since the ’70s was the time to show off your cooking skills with something less predictable than meatloaf, it makes perfect sense that quiche began its rise to brunch stardom at this time. If you can make a pie then you can make a quiche. Now found in nearly any U.S. coffee shop that serves food, this French dish is common these days. If you don’t already have a surefire quiche recipe, then click here. Flickr 4. Cheese Fondue Dating all the way to 1875 in French-speaking Switzerland, the craze for fondue began in ’60s and hit big during the ’70s. This yummy appetizer is still a winner at many parties and vintage fondue sets are still quite a desirable item in many shops. One dip and you are transported back in time! A great recipe can be found here. Wiki Commons 5. Watergate Salad The name of this distinctly ’70s dessert has been hard to trace. Watergate salad was rumored to have been created by the sous chef at the Watergate Hotel, but the original creators claim to be Kraft Foods, who came up with the recipe after they released their pistachio pudding mix in 1975. Another rumor has it that the name was invented by a sly editor to cash in on the Watergate scandal with Nixon. However it got its name, this dessert was always crowd-pleaser. Creamy and fruity, with a texture like ambrosia, there was always someone bringing this dish to a potluck or party. In case you need a reminder, click here for the recipe. Wiki Commons 6. Pasta Primavera Once Chef Boyardee made spaghetti a favorite in every household by bringing Italian food into the mainstream, it was inevitable that homemade Italian dishes would also become popular. Pasta primavera has that light yet satisfying flavor that made it a hit with cooks across America. A slightly different take on this classic be found here. Flickr 7. Twice-baked Potatoes Scrape out the insides, mix ’em up with some other ingredients, then pop them back into the skins. Not only is this dish extremely tasty, but it also capitalizes on the idea of serving food in a novel container. Any perusal through a ’70s recipe book will show a great many novel ways to serve foods: bread bowls, baked peppers, and toothpick-skewered veggies to name a few. No doubt you already have this one mastered, but in case you don’t, here’s the recipe. Wiki Commons 8. Ruby Chicken Most likely cashing in on the orange chicken craze, ruby chicken is still a favorite for some. The cranberries here make sense with the chicken, but the addition of ginger marks this recipe as slightly Eastern-inspired, all the rage with people seeking unusual food experiences that differed from the usual fare. Flickr 9. Chicken à l’Orange After Chun King began producing pre-made Chinese foods for home cooking, America got a little taste of what cooking exotic foods was like. Now a favorite take-out treat, chicken à l’orange (AKA orange chicken) was quite a popular “new” dish in many ’70s homes. You can find a great recipe for orange chicken right here. Flickr Credits: dustyoldthing share this story on Facebook with your friends.