EXHIBITS
Crisis in the Kitchen : Gel-icacies: An American Delicacy
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[0] => HIST 3770 Spring 2017
[1] => no-show
[2] => student exhibit
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Gel-icacies: An American Delicacy
Post-War America was obsessed with gelatin. Nearly every cookbook had a recipe that called for gelatin. What was the cause for such passion for these so-called “gel-icacies?” [1] After the war, Americans were marrying younger and more frequently than the previous generation had. Young couples often moved away from family and into the suburbs. [2] Distance from family members meant that women had to depend less on their mothers and more on cookbooks to learn to cook. New brides were typically less experienced cooks, and gelatin recipes were a simple way to cook a meal for their families. With the plethora of gelatin molds available in stores, women could create beautiful meals without despite their lack of cooking experience. The ability to produce beautiful meals helped women fulfill their role as a homemaker.
The gelatin craze extended far beyond what a modern reader of these cookbooks might realize It seems that nearly any run-of-the-mill ingredient could be reborn as a gel-icacy. The images on this page are from a recipe book created by Knox Gelatin entitled “On Camera Recipes.” The book gives the readers tips on how to craft meals fit for TV. Vegetables were chopped and “mixed with abandon” to create a “jellied potpourri.” Even soups were reimagined in jellied form. A photo from one cookbook showed a jellied soup cut into cubes and served in a delicate tea cup. [3]
Citations
[1] Knox Gelatin Recipe Book: Eat and Reduce Plan. Utah State University Special Collections, 641.5K77. p.16.
[2] May, Elaine Tyler. Homeward Bound: American Families in the Cold War Era. 20th ed. New York, NY: Basic Books, 2008. p.23-24.
[3] Knox Eat and Reduce Plan. p. 13.
Created by Kendrick Schut