Close your eyes and think back to your childhood. What’s the first thing you remember? Your first thoughts may be about your childhood room or your old posters and magazines. Maybe it was your living room couch that had a distinctly comfortable spring to it, even in its final years before it was tossed. It wouldn’t be surprising, however, if your favorite childhood memories were of your kitchen and the people who used it. As they say, the kitchen is the heart of the home.
As times changed, so did popular foods and homemade dishes. While every family has had its unique flavors and recipes throughout generations – many of which were unique to countries and regions from which their families emigrated – here are some popular American dishes from the 1970s that may bring back the scents of your childhood.
- Boeuf Bourguignon
One of Julia Child’s most famous dishes and the featured recipe of her first-ever episode of The French Chef, which aired in 1971, boeuf bourguignon carries a warm, comforting taste with its signature beefy red wine flavor. Recipes for this classic dish can be found online and in various cookbooks.[1]
- Black Forrest Cake
This German-origin dessert exhibits a challenge in how many unique ways cherry flavor can be infused into one cake. Its components consist of layers of chocolate cake that have been thoroughly soaked with kirsch (a cherry spirit) and topped with maraschino cherries. Some iterations even have sour cherries stuffed between each layer. If you’re a fan of cherries, this is the dessert dish for you! Though it was first invented in 1915, its popularity soared in the US in the 1970s.[2]
- Pineapple Chicken
Anything and everything pineapple seemed to hit the spot for the 1970s American. With a fascination for Polynesian culture and cuisine, alongside the rise of tiki bars, the pineapple became a staple ingredient of sweet and savory dishes alike. [3]
- Quiche Lorraine
How could we talk about 1970s cuisine without mentioning quiche? This savory egg custard bake topped with a flakey crust made its way into the homes of many family dinners around the table. Nestled in a buttery, rustic crust, your quiche could be filled with sweet onions, bacon bits, and cheese.
Rediscovering the recipes that bring you back home can be a fulfilling and rewarding activity, especially when you can pass on these wonderful tastes and smells to the next generation. When it comes to your retirement, you’ll likely want to make sure you can live it to its fullest potential without having to take extra time to manage every aspect of your finances just so you can afford the retirement you worked so hard to achieve. Sign up with us for a complimentary review of your financial plan today to get one step closer to living the retirement you deserve.
