Iconic dishes from the 1950s worth revisiting

It’s no secret that during the early months of the pandemic there was a collective craving for comfort food. Friends of mine, those familiar with my (not so) tiny collection of cookbooks, were asking if I had any tried and true recipes for meatloaf, tuna casserole and beef stroganoff. It seemed, for a while anyway, that the family meal had made a comeback. Had this unprecedented stay-at-home order transported us back to the 1950s, I thought, as I put the finishing touches on a green bean casserole.

Problem is, a simple Google search of “Recipes from the 1950s” yields a number of retro dishes that are anything but cool. Tuna Jell-O pie anyone? How about a jellied veal ring? There might be a reason we’ve never heard of these dishes.

But there are certainly a number of mid-century recipes and traditions worth saving.

At the heart of 1950s cuisine is convenience. This post-war era ushered in new food preservation technologies, many of which originated during the Second Wold War to support military efforts. According to the exhibit at the Smithsonian Museum called Food: Transforming the American Table: 1950-2000, food companies in the ’50s and ’60s learned to automate production in modern factories, “transforming the raw materials of agriculture into higher volumes of canned, frozen, and processed foods.” Ingredients which were once expensive or hard to find became affordable and accessible in a can, bottle or box. Yes, this was our introduction to Minute Rice, Duncan Hines cake mix, and concentrated orange juice.

Hy's steak

Developments in technology also brought “new-and-improved” time-saving appliances, as well as convenient food-saving products like cellophane and Tupperware™. Dreams of quick-and-easy cooking were realized.

While we’ve learned a lot about the perils of processed food since then, and thankfully we’re no longer reaching for the box of gelatin quite so often, we’d be remiss to overlook mid-century cuisine entirely. Some of the classic dishes made popular during the 1950s are downright delicious. With a few modern twists, these recipes deserve a place at the table. Baked Alaska, beef Wellington, devilled eggs, pineapple upside-down cake, even my humble green bean casserole – all proven crowd-pleasers.

We also can’t forget that on the list of things worth saving from the 1950s, vintage steakhouses rank high. Take Hy’s Steakhouse, for example, which opened its first location here in Calgary back in 1955.

Hy's dining room

Back in the mid 50s, Hy and Barbara Aisenstat saw an opening in the underdeveloped Calgary restaurant market and dove in, opening their first steakhouse on 4th Ave. over a women’s clothing store. Hy’s operated in this spot until 2006 before moving to make way for the Jamieson Building. They continue to serve diners today at their current location in the CORE shopping centre.

Barb Steen, general manager at Hy’s Calgary gives us a better understanding of the restaurant’s enduring charm. “Classic steakhouses are known for their dark wood, luxurious leather, stiff drinks and large cuts of beef, served with a lot of pomp and circumstance,” she says. “White tablecloths and dimly lit rooms, that feeling of richness and elegance remains. However, we’ve adapted and embraced contemporary design touches and menu development.”

One look at Hy’s menu today and it’s clear they’ve worked hard to retain the best of a bygone era. Cheese toast for two, oysters Rockefeller, steak Diane, beef Wellington, big cuts of porterhouse or bone-in rib steaks, and their famous Caesar salad (normally made tableside by a server) are just a few of their notable standouts.

Hy's cheese toast

“Tableside service has been part of Hy’s since the beginning,” says Barb. “Guests can enjoy a Caesar salad, steak Diane, bananas Foster, and other delicious items made right at the table.” Unfortunately, with the pandemic, Hy’s has had to pause their tableside service for now, but guests can be assured that each of these items are prepared in the kitchen just before service. “We are taking things in stride, always keeping our guests front and centre, and making sure their experience is in keeping with what they have come to expect from us.”

As one of Calgary’s longest-running dining institutions, Hy’s has seen a lot over the last 65 years. They can now add a pandemic to the list. If you’re looking to host a special occasion or celebrate a significant accomplishment (or maybe you just need to work out all those Don and Betty Draper fantasies), Hy’s might be the perfect backdrop. Thankfully, they’ve left the Jell-O tuna pie off the menu.

Check out these three retro recipes by Tanya Schaap: