Before the rise of smoothie bowls and avocado toast, an interesting array of culinary options could be found in breakfast offerings. The breakfast foods that were made on 1960s and 1970s likely seem strange, but they provided fuel for a generation who worked paper routes, did chores, and sat through school. Let’s remember the older classics that have been slowly disappearing from American tables.
Table of Contents
- 1 1. Tang Breakfast Drink Mix
- 2 2. Liver and Onions
- 3 3. Spam and Eggs
- 4 4. Cream of Wheat with Butter and Sugar
- 5 5. Cigarettes and Coffee
- 6 6. Sugar-Coated Cereals with Full-Fat Milk
- 7 7. Prune Juice
- 8 8. Leftover Meatloaf and Potatoes
- 9 9. Raw Eggs in Milk
- 10 10. Ketchup on Everything
- 11 11. Bread and Gravy
- 12 12. Instant Breakfast Powder
- 13 13. Bacon Grease on Everything
- 14 14. Grapefruit with Sugar
- 15 15. Sardines on Toast
- 16 16. Corn Pone and Molasses
- 17 17. Coffee Milk
1. Tang Breakfast Drink Mix
The orange drink sold as a staple of the American breakfast table also happened to be the space program’s favorite orange drink. Parents loved it because of the vitamin C content, kids loved it because of the connection to space, and everyone pretended the drink actually tasted like orange juice. The bright orange drink would definitely not be accepted as food in today’s natural food movement.
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2. Liver and Onions
Especially in rural households, having a breakfast as nutritious and protein packed as this was considered the norm. It was an iron rich meal designed to give farm kids sustenance for their morning chores, which were likely much more labor intensive than most kids’ chores today.
3. Spam and Eggs
Fried Spam slices and eggs were a common breakfast meat combination. Spam was a considered a convenient meat as an alternative to bacon and ham, and it likely had a fraction of the sodium of processed foods that health conscious parents eat today.
4. Cream of Wheat with Butter and Sugar
A bowl of hot breakfast with butter and white sugar was considered the standard fare for decades. The more butter with those little melted wells the better, and parents likely did not feel horror at the combination of refined sugar and saturated fat that was considered normal.
5. Cigarettes and Coffee
A cup of black coffee and a couple cigarettes is how most adults began their day while reading the newspaper. Today’s health culture would have a fit.
6. Sugar-Coated Cereals with Full-Fat Milk
Children’s cereal like sugary Sugar Smacks and Frosted Flakes swimming in whole milk would cause today’s health-nuts to cringe.
7. Prune Juice
A glass of prune juice was a morning requirement in health-nut homes, which is something today’s kids would reject instead of skipping breakfast.
8. Leftover Meatloaf and Potatoes
Cold leftover meatloaf between two slices of white bread for breakfast was normal. So was reheated potato and egg casseroles. People thought that breakfast meant more than just rotating the same 5 danishes every week.
9. Raw Eggs in Milk
Until pretty recently, beating raw eggs into milk was totally normal. As was raw egg milkshakes (which were sometimes flavored with vanilla or chocolate syrup) as protein drinks. If someone didn’t get sick from eggs more than twice, they were considered a safe athlete or farmer.
10. Ketchup on Everything
Breakfast ketchup was a thing and it was especially normalized to put it on eggs, hashbrowns, and toast. breakfast ketchup and regular ketchup were literally one bottle. Today’s food culture would be shocked by the breakfast ketchup consumption.
11. Bread and Gravy
Working-class households often started the day with white bread dipped in gravy and a fried egg on top. This very filling breakfast was meant to stick to your ribs until lunch.
12. Instant Breakfast Powder
When mixed with milk, Carnation Instant Breakfast was considered a complete meal replacement. However, with a chalky texture and artificial flavors, it’s easy to see why kids today would not purchase this product.
13. Bacon Grease on Everything
Greasy foods could be prepared with bacon grease stored in coffee cans – common practice in households at the time as eggs were fried, toast was spread, and seasonings were added, creating the enemy of cardiologists with added intentions of grease in food.
14. Grapefruit with Sugar
Spoon and bakery sets for grapefruit became common in homes due to the presumed health benefits of eating grapefruits; ironically, health was compromised due to the addition of multiple spoonfuls of sugar on the fruit and in turn, their “healthy” breakfast choice.
15. Sardines on Toast
Sardines served on toast and topped with mustard or hot sauce provided protein for breakfast. However, the pungent scent of the dish would clear the room and even empty a school cafeteria in seconds.
16. Corn Pone and Molasses
A Southern breakfast classic was comprised of corn cakes which were drenched in sorghum syrup – the dense and often dry corn cake was made tasty due to syrup. Pancakes would likely be preferred over this by modern kids.
17. Coffee Milk
Kids were given warm milk with coffee and a splash of sugar, which transitioned them to adult “starter coffee” breakfasts; parents today would be horrified at this practice of intentionally giving children caffeine.
