Southern Food In The 1930's

Food brings people together and it plays a major role in Southern culture. This is evident in Harper Lee’s Southern novel, To Kill A Mockingbird which is set during the Great Depression. Food is a main ingredient throughout the novel helping to move the plot along and teach lessons. Samuel Truett Cathy, the founder of Chick-fil-A, said it best, “Food is essential to life, therefore make it good”. Every region of the United States has distinct dishes, but the South gets the blue ribbon award for the best food. The cuisine of the South has not only been shaped by Southern cooking and food, but also by the Great Depression and food inventions of the 1930’s.

Southern cooking is possibly the most diverse and has the most unique styles of cooking in the United States. The South is made up of many regions and each region is characterized by its dishes. The blending of recipes and techniques from Native

which impacted Southern cuisine. A big hit were candy bars. Snickers, named after a family horse, was one candy bar introduced during the 1930’s. Others included, Kit-Kat, Crunch, Payday, 5th Avenue, and 3 Musketeers. Salty snacks like Fritos, Lays potato chips, and Cheese Puffs also made their debut. Other newcomers were Bisquick, Spam, Kraft Miracle Whip, Heinz, Ritz crackers, Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup and Chicken noodle soup, Kraft mac n cheese, Twinkies, Tootsie pops and Tollhouse chocolate chip cookies. Many of these foods helped make meals faster to cook and life a little easier during the Great Depression. Bisquick helped Southern cooks spend less time in the kitchen and quickly became a staple in everyone’s pantry. Many Southern casseroles use Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup or Kraft Miracle Whip, topped with either chips or Ritz crackers. The 1930’s was a huge food decade that influenced Southern cuisine.