The retro food staples that deserve a comeback

Ripe for a retro revival?

There have been enormous changes in food over the last century, and inevitably some once-loved ingredients that used to be kitchen staples have been forgotten – either because they're difficult to get hold of or have simply fallen out of fashion. But we think plenty of them deserve a second chance.

From maraschino cherries and instant mashed potatoes to condensed milk and lard, we reveal the bygone food essentials that are worthy of a comeback.

Bread bowls

If you’re after a retro tradition that also saves on washing up, look no further than the humble bread bowl, where scooped-out bread takes the place of crockery. Commonly served with soups, casseroles and dishes such as clam chowder, we have to wonder: why isn’t every dish served like this today?

Canned peaches

In the 1950s and 1960s, these floating fruits in syrup were used in many desserts. Commonly served with evaporated milk or thrown into pound cakes or cobblers, they were a fruity staple for families. Don't underestimate them today – fresh stone fruit has a limited season, so the tinned stuff comes in handy to use in upside-down cakes and tarts. We say always look for them in juice rather than syrup, as the extra sugar can be overpoweringly sweet.

Celeriac

While gnarly looking celeriac certainly won’t be winning awards at beauty pageants anytime soon, it’s a widely versatile vegetable that’s overdue some recognition. With so-called ugly and misshapen veg receiving more attention and shelf space in supermarkets these days, it’s time to get your celeriac recipes ready. Try roasting it whole with lots of herbs and butter, or grate raw celeriac and mix with mayo, mustard and lemon juice for a classic remoulade.

Condensed milk

Packed with protein, fat and carbs, tins of condensed milk were given as field rations during the US Civil War and they experienced a resurgence in popularity during the First World War. A key ingredient in dishes such as Key lime pie and banoffee pie, condensed milk is also commonly mixed with coffee around the world. It’s highly versatile yet underrated – and it's high time it made a comeback.

Condensed soup

Invented in 1887 by Campbell's, condensed soup was a revelation at the time, allowing the liquid to be packaged into a smaller can and sold at a lower price. By the 1950s, it was considered an ingredient in its own right, with creamy cans of mushroom, tomato and chicken soup being used in all kinds of strange retro recipes, from hamburgers to salads and even cake (yes – cake!). These days, cream of mushroom soup is still essential for making green bean casserole, a classic American Thanksgiving side dish, but we but we think this comforting food makes a tasty base for lots more recipes.

Cottage cheese

The term cottage cheese became popular in the mid-19th century and was typically used to describe homemade cheese. It was also widely promoted during the First World War, and 30 million pounds of the stuff was produced in 1919 alone. Its popularity faded with the rise of yogurt in the 1980s onwards, but cottage cheese is seeing a revival, particularly for the health-conscious looking for low-fat, nutrient-rich foods. We think they're great in savoury muffins.

Emmer

Emmer wheat (also known as farro) is an ancient grain which has been cultivated since the Roman times and boasts all manner of nutritional properties, including being rich in fibre, protein and antioxidants. That said, it remains relatively underused. Intrigued? Try it out in a risotto or nutty grain salad.

Gelatine

There was a time in history (1970s, we’re looking at you) when you couldn’t go to a dinner party without being confronted by all kinds of bizarre items entombed in jelly, from entire fish to spaghetti hoops. Not exactly delicious, perhaps, but they certainly made a striking centrepiece. In the food industry, gelatine is used as a component in many foods, from cereal to cream cheese, but the gelatine creations of the past are long gone. However, this incredible ingredient actually has so many uses for home cooks, from thickening sauces to making ice cream extra smooth.

Gooseberries

From fools and tarts to pies and jams, gooseberries have adorned all manner of desserts throughout history, with their heyday in the early to mid-1900s when families would forage them from gardens and hedges. Today, they’re somewhat overlooked and have consequently been phased out by a number of supermarkets. If you can get your hands on some, they're wonderful stewed in sugar and drizzled over meringue, or turned into a tasty jam or chutney.

Iceberg lettuce

Iceberg lettuce was once the leaf du jour, particularly in the 1950s and 1960s when it was a key component of prawn cocktails and Caesar salads. Iceberg lettuce fell out of favour in the 1980s, when a wide variety of other salad leaves became more easily accessible, but we think it will always have a time and a place, especially in a prawn cocktail.

Instant mashed potato

Forget peeling, boiling and getting arm ache from mashing potatoes. Packet instant mash, with the addition of just water and milk, has been satisfying carb cravings since its introduction in the early 1900s. The UK brand Smash Instant Mashed Potato cemented its popularity in the 1970s with its catchy slogan, 'For mash, get Smash'. Aside from using it to make actual mashed potatoes, it has a myriad of functions, from thickening creamy sauces and soups to bulking out fish cakes and as a coating for crispy chicken wings. It's also a great shortcut for making dumplings and gnocchi.

Instant pudding

We don't think there's any shame in whipping up instant pudding. These powdered mixes have fallen out of favour – but for a quick, nostalgia-filled sweet treat, there's nothing like them. While it's great as it is, you could also use it as a pie filling or add some to cake mix for a moister texture.

Kiwi

When it comes to retro desserts, the meringue-heavy pavlova takes some beating, especially when topped with kiwi fruit, as was tradition in the mid-20th century. While kiwis are said to be packed with more vitamin C per 3.5oz (100g) than oranges, they’ve fallen out of favour in recent years. So next time you reach for an apple, grab a kiwi instead. Did you know that you can even eat the skin?

Lard

We all know fat is one of the biggest secrets to great cooking, but lard – a semi-solid white fat produced by rendering the fatty tissue of a pig – isn’t something you’ll find in many kitchens these days. During the 19th century, lard was used in a similar way to butter in North America and Europe, and was a widely used substitute for the fat during the Second World War. However, with the rise in popularity of vegetable fats, combined with fears about its high saturated fat content, lard fell out of favour. Which is a real shame, because it’s great for deep frying and baking, and makes the most deliciously crisp, flaky pastry.

Maraschino cherries

A stalwart of the 1960s, these sweet yet sharp cherries graced everything from cocktails and cakes to baked hams and ice cream sundaes. Now, they’re relatively under the radar. We say it’s high time they were brought back – after all, who doesn’t want a cherry on top?

Marjoram

Known to the Greeks and Romans as a symbol of happiness, this perennial herb has been around for years and has long been used medicinally to aid digestion. It also made an appearance in beers and even tobacco. Traditionally, Marjoram is used to season soups, sauces and stews. It's common for it to be replaced with oregano today, but the aromatic flavour of marjoram is quite different, with notes of pine and citrus. If you can't find any in the shops, it's pretty easy to grow.

Milk powder

Another wartime staple, powdered milk was invented by a Russian doctor in 1802 and was sold commercially from 1832. These days, we mostly associate it with infant milk or survival food rations, but it has many culinary applications aside from just making milk. It can be used to make bread extra bouncy and soft, to add extra creaminess to ice cream or as a thickening agent in foods with an overly liquid consistency. It’s also an essential component in traditional Indian treats like gulab jamun (delicious syrup-soaked milk balls) and chum chum, a sweet delicacy sprinkled with desiccated coconut.

Molasses

You might have a jar of this thick, rich syrup at the back of a cupboard somewhere, but it’s an ingredient that most of us only dust off at Christmas for making gingerbread. A century ago, though, molasses was a standard sweetener, used in everything from cakes and breads to soup. It’s a byproduct of making sugar and is still an essential ingredient for distilling rum, but the intense, smoky and slightly bitter flavour means it’s not widely used nowadays. However, it’s amazing in baked beans – and there’s no better glaze for barbecued meats.

Offal

Cuisines in every corner of the globe have made use of offal in different ways for as long as we’ve been eating meat – from Scotland's haggis to andouillette, a French tripe sausage infamous for its pungent taste and smell. While nose-to-tail eating was something that was a given for our grandparents, with so many other (admittedly less challenging) foods available, it’s not a huge surprise that younger generations aren’t rushing out to buy lamb kidneys and chicken gizzards. But considering how cheap and packed with vitamins offal is, we say give it a go.

Pineapple rings

Whether it was pineapple on pizza, cheese and pineapple cocktail sticks, pineapple upside-down cake or served with ham, this citrus fruit certainly had its time in the spotlight in the 1960s and 1970s, with tins of canned pineapple adorning pantries and kitchen shelves. They're still a winner, saving the effort of carving a fresh fruit. Stock up your cupboards and use it to make a tangy pineapple salsa or a retro upside-down cake.

Quince

A relative of the apple and pear, quinces had their heyday between the 16th and 18th centuries. While they’ve been neglected in recent decades, quinces remain popular in Spain where they’re boiled with sugar to make a fruit paste known as membrillo, which goes wonderfully with cheese. If you can get your hands on some of the seasonal winter fruit, bake into a clafoutis (a French flan-like dessert) or use membrillo as a marinade for pork.

Rosehips

Made into syrups, teas, marmalades, jelly and even ketchup, rosehips – the fruits of the rose plant – are rich in vitamins and minerals including vitamins B and C. So much so that, in the Second World War, rosehip syrup was often used as a cough mixture. Watch out for the fine hairs found inside the rosehips, though – they can also double up as itching powder!

Spam

First introduced in 1937, this ubiquitous canned meat from Minnesota took off around the world, particularly during and after the Second World War. While it still remains popular – particularly in Hawaii – it has now fallen out of favour somewhat in many countries. We think the versatile meat deserves a second chance. One of the tastiest Spam dishes is a South Korean spicy soup known as budae jjigae, or army stew, made with a tasty medley of ramen noodles, sausage, Spam, baked beans, kimchi and veggies.

Swede

It’s thought that the humble swede or rutabaga emerged in the 19th century as a result of a cross between a turnip and a cabbage. Surprisingly rich in vitamin C, swedes fell out of favour after the Second World War, but we’d love to see them make a comeback. They're great as an alternative to potatoes, bulking out stews and in a comforting British shepherd's pie. Mashed swede, or 'neeps', are also the classic accompaniment to haggis for Burns Night.

Tapioca

Extracted from the roots of cassava plants, tapioca is typically used as a thickening agent today but there was once a time when tapioca would grace dessert bowls with gelatinous aplomb in the form of tapioca pudding. It’s experiencing a resurgence as bubble tea becomes popular around the world, but we’d love to see more tapioca pudding on the dessert menu, please.

Thousand Island dressing

This popular mayonnaise-based dressing, the perfect accompaniment for prawns and seafood, gained widespread popularity in the 1950s and 1960s. It's also an essential component of classic American dishes like the Reuben sandwich and Kansas City–style hot dog. Ranch dressing overtook it and became the go-to condiment in the 1980s, but we say it’s high time Thousand Island dressing was reintroduced in restaurants and salad bars.

Turnips

A popular vegetable since the Middle Ages, the turnip faded in popularity after the Second World War. Great for bulking out soups and casseroles, turnips are highly economical, and they also needn’t be stodgy. Grate raw into salads, make quick pickles or form into röstis for a modern update.

Whey

Whey is the liquid by-product of the cheesemaking process and, today, this protein-packed powerhouse is most commonly found in the form of protein or bulk powders. Whey was once a popular drink in coffee houses and inns and, given its nutritional properties, perhaps it could take off again. It is used in the food industry to make everything from ricotta and yogurt to processed foods like breads, crackers and even animal feed. In cooking, it can be used to give a lactic tang to bread and pizza dough, or in soups and smoothies.

Retro dishes that deserve a comeback

Last updated by Natasha Lovell-Smith.