The 1960s was one of the most interesting decades in American history. It was an era that saw pivotal social changes, such as the rise of the Civil Rights movement, the Vietnam War, and the Apollo 11 moon landing.
If you grew up in the 1960s, you probably have memories of watching or listening to news coverage of these events at home. Back when watching TV or listening to the radio was considered a family occasion, entire families gathered in the living room and shared a meal as news reporters shared updates on what was happening around the world.
Here, we’ve pulled together a list of some of the decade’s most popular foods. Take a trip down memory lane and see if you remember eating any of these foods while watching or listening to news about the moon landing in 1969.
There were plenty of developments in food science in the 1960s, which led to the popularity of many new kinds of food. Instant oatmeal was introduced by Quaker in 1961, while instant mashed potato flakes debuted a year later in 1962. Although Lipton onion soup was introduced in the 1950s, it wasn’t until the 1960s when people began to use the mix to make onion dip. Meanwhile, the Taster’s Choice brand was introduced when Nestle invented freeze-dried coffee in the late 1960s.
Back in the 1960s, no cocktail party was ever complete without Swedish meatballs. Unlike Italian meatballs, Swedish meatballs are served in a chafing dish with creamy gravy and lingonberry jam. They are also made in smaller, bite-sized pieces, making them an ideal food to serve to guests at parties.
Just like Swedish meatballs, fondue was another popular party food in the ‘60s. People just loved gathering around a big communal pot full of melted cheese! It was promoted as a Swiss national dish by the Swiss Cheese Union sometime in the ‘30s, but its popularity in the United States didn't take off until it was featured at the World’s Fair in New York in 1964. Fondue eventually caught on like wildfire, and pretty soon other variations like chocolate fondue became just as popular.
International cuisine grew in popularity in the United States in the ‘60s with French cuisine being one of the most popular. This can largely be credited to the American chef and television personality Julia Child, whose cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking was released in 1961, followed by her TV show The French Chef in 1963. Julia Child’s recipe for Beef Bourguignon was a phenomenal success, and versions of it started being served in households everywhere.
Just like some of the other dishes on this list, chicken a la king wasn’t exactly invented in the 1960s. What made this dish so popular at the time was the fact that the ingredients to make it (like canned cream sauces or soup mixes) were easy to come by, making it a breeze to whip up at home.
Another popular cocktail party food from the decade was an easy hors d’oeuvre called Pigs in a Blanket, made with hotdogs or sausages wrapped in dough. This was originally developed as a kids’ snack in the late 1950s, but evolved into a party food by the 1960s. In 1965, Pillsbury launched their refrigerated crescent rolls which made it easier for people to make finger foods.
In 1965, the Campbell Soup Company launched SpaghettiOs, a brand of canned spaghetti containing circular-shaped pasta in tomato sauce. Although canned pasta had already been around for a while, SpaghettiOs were aimed at kids since they were easy to eat and had a sweeter and lighter sauce. This brand started the trend of easy-to-prepare foods for younger kids which are still quite common to this day.
Processed cheese in a can was first introduced by Nabisco in 1965. It was originally sold as Snack Mate until 1984 when it was renamed Easy Cheese. Spray cheese made it easier for people to whip up snacks and finger foods to serve at parties. It was even marketed using the tagline “Instant cheese for instant parties.”
In 1966, a woman named Ella Helfrich wowed judges at the Pillsbury Bake-Off with her recipe for Tunnel of Fudge Cake, a chocolate walnut cake with a fudgy center. She used the Pillsbury Double Dutch Fudge frosting mix and a bundt pan and underbaked it slightly to achieve the gooey center that it became known for. The cake’s popularity also led to the sale of over 60 million Bundt pans across the United States.
Easy-to-prepare food became increasingly popular in the United States in the 1960s. Cool Whip, a non-dairy whipped topping, was one of those convenience foods that made its way to shelves during this decade. TV commercials and print advertisements for this product emphasized the fact that it was ready to serve and could be kept in the refrigerator without spoiling for two weeks. It also had a wide variety of uses – it could be used as a dip, paired with Jell-O, or as a topping for different kinds of cake and ice cream.
Some of the most popular snack foods and fast food chains that people love today actually date back to the 1960s. Popular chains like Wendy’s, Taco Bell, Hardee’s, and Long John Silver’s opened their first stores in the 1960s, while Ruffles potato chips, Bugles, and buffalo wings were introduced in 1964. Doritos and Pringles, meanwhile, were both introduced in the late 1960s.
The Kellogg Company first introduced Pop-Tarts in 1964 and marketed the treats as a ready-to-eat breakfast food. In 1967, the famous sugary frosted versions that people still enjoy today were introduced and were available in four different flavors: Raspberry, Concord Grape, Brown Sugar Cinnamon, and Dutch Apple.
The Space Age was in full swing by the 1960s, and a number of food products that became popular during this time had ties to the US space program. The freeze-dried astronaut ice cream was originally developed by the Whirlpool Corporation for the Apollo missions, but was never actually eaten in space. They were later introduced to the public and were an instant hit.
Although Tang was introduced to the public in the 1950s, it only became popular in the 1960s after being used by NASA in 1962 for John Glenn’s Mercury flight, and again in 1965 for the Gemini spaceflights. The drink became associated with the Space Age and so was highly popular among kids.