Food during the 80’s was not as exotic or glamorous as it is today. However, among the 70’s and 80’s food trends there were some iconic meals that have become popular in our culture but are now considered outdated.
There were many foods that became popular during the 80’s but have become a thing of the past. However, some can still be found today. Here are some of the foods that were popular throughout the 80s:
Vol au Vents
The ’80s were often referred to as the decade of decadence, and when it came to fashionable food, the most popular one was the French Vol au Vent. The origin of this form of French cuisine goes back to the eighteenth or early nineteenth century, invented by Marie-antoine Carême.
The delicious vol au vents are light and bite-sized puff pastry cases. Fill them with either sweet or savory fillings. It is an excellent way to enjoy a piece of pie filled with meat without needing a knife and fork.
Sloppy Joes
It may not seem like something very refined, but this mixture of ground meat, ketchup, onions, and Worcestershire sauce became a staple in many American homes during the 1980s. The original idea of this sandwich is unknown.
But the legend says that the current version of this sandwich originated from a man from Iowa, who made the original sandwich attractive by calling it a loose meat sandwich. Nowadays, sloppy joes are just as popular as they were in the past. Among the many variations of sloppy joes are sloppy joe fries, sloppy joe nachos, and sloppy joe pizza.
Seven-Layer Dip
While not completely extinct, this beloved dip became a part of the then booming Tex-Mex cuisine into something completely new. At that time the nation was discovering dressings and vinaigrettes, we also discovered dips. During the 1980s, packet-based ranch dips, spinach artichoke dip, and guacamole were all popular.
In the first printed version, the dip was even called the ‘Tex-Mex dip’. The aforementioned dip is one of many that became very famous in this decade, including those made with ranch packets, spinach artichoke dip, and avocado dip (or, as we like to call it these days, guacamole).
Impossible Pie
“Impossible pie” may sound like a dessert that is both mysterious and elusive. In reality, though, it was really just a catchall marketing term for anything that uses Bisquick as a crust. Its name comes from the fact that it is impossibly easy to make a pie this way.
The crust comes together as if by magic, and there is no need to fuss with or roll out the dough. It can be sweet, like buttermilk pie, brownie pie, cheesecake, or savory, like cheeseburger pie, bacon pie, and quesadilla pie.
Dirt Cakes or Dirt Cups
Many people will remember the classic childhood mix of crumbled oreos, instant pudding, cool whip, and cream cheese. Especially if you are from the Midwest, where the combination first originated. The recipe exchange column is still going strong, and it was very popular in the 1980s after it was printed in a recipe exchange column.
This dessert is called “dirt cakes” or “dirt cups” due to how it ends up looking like a cup of dirt with a worm jutting out of the dirt. Of course, the recipe would call for gummy worms or something equivalent to that.
