Last Wednesday, at the Rose Cafe, Jane Ziegelman spoke about her new book, A Square Meal: A Culinary History of the Great Depression.  What I found most interesting about the talk was the emphasis that home-economists, like Flora Rose, placed on making food that contained the proper nutrients but was purposefully lacking in flavor. This was supposedly meant to encourage healthy eating by changing the culture surrounding food. These home economists believed that if people saw food as something they had to eat to survive instead of a pleasurable experience, they would eat healthier, nutrient-rich foods that didn’t taste great and avoid good-tasting but unhealthy foods. They discouraged the use of spices which made food flavorful, because these made eating into an experience.

I was also surprised by the large consumption of milk during the Great Depression. It was marketed as a health food because of it’s protein, calcium, and many vitamins. Milk was added to everything including cereals such as Flora Rose’s Milkorno and Milkoato but also in the form of a white sauce (made of milk, flour, salt, butter, and pepper) which was poured over casseroles. These cereals and casseroles fit with the idea that food should be bland.

I love flavorful foods, and I enjoy dining for a long time so that it is an event, not a chore. However, the home economists’ clever use of limited ingredients to make nutritious meals during the Great Depression was impressive.