8 Old-School Picnic Foods That Were Big In The 1950s

There's nothing like a picnic. Picnics have certainly looked different over the decades. Indoor picnics used to be all the rage before the 20th century, when eating outdoors became a leisurely pastime. The spirit of a picnic, however, has always been in its food — and picnic food really has not changed all that much when you really think about it.

Sandwiches, cold fried chicken, salads, creamy desserts: These have been on blankets in the great outdoors for more than a century in the United States. These staples defined no decade better than the 1950s. Though we may not be as accustomed to the jellied salads and desserts as the average picnic-goer 70 years ago, the essence of these dishes live on, and are essential to our picnics today. Something green, something fresh, something sweet: It wouldn't be a picnic without these elements. As it turns out, these old school picnic foods from the 1950s scratch those same itches.

If there was any single dish that had to be on this list (or any 1950s-themed list for that matter), it is ambrosia salad. It is a slightly preposterous amalgamation of everything you love about food from the '50s: canned fruit, marshmallows, and a befuddling addition of nuts all held together by an ever-so-slightly pink goo, tinged by the colorful components of this salad. It was a standard at roadside picnics and potlucks in the middle of the century.

The goo in question is a subject of debate among Midwestern ambrosia aficionados. Though the exact origins of the dish are unclear, there is a split between those who use sour cream, and those who use cool whip or whipped cream. Both options bind the salad together in a creamy cloud. Go with sour cream for some tang; fold in whipped cream for a salad that's a little sweeter. It is also up to the creator of this wonderful hodgepodge whether to serve it on the side of your meal or for dessert. Some even suggest treating ambrosia salad as a palate cleaner between courses, if the salad can be considered cleansing.

Much like ambrosia salad, tomato aspic might be slightly alien to the modern picnicker. Essentially a gelatinized log of tomato juice, this dish eats like a congealed version of gazpacho. Feel free to upgrade tomato aspic just as you would that dish. Maybe a watermelon and tomato gazpacho could be great inspiration for the tomato aspic destined to be the star at your next picnic.

If you're confused about how to tackle this dish, both literally and spiritually, just know you're not standing alone. Many versions have celery, onion, and lemon juice for some zing; in this sense it also evokes a Bloody Mary, like this ultimate recipe that has hot sauce for some zing. You can add whatever you want to your tomato base, which is cooked and then combined with gelatin bloomed in cold water. It was tougher to find a cookbook without a recipe for tomato aspic in it than otherwise in the 1950s; a slice of this molded salad was just the ticket in the sun-drenched picnics of yore.

A classic at old-school get-togethers, ribbon sandwiches earn a place on any spread for their presentation alone. As their name implies, ribbon sandwiches are tall, multi-layered sammies that are cut into thin portions, making them perfect for a crowd. Besides their visual extravagance, ribbon sandwiches also contained two sandwich fillings for the price of one. These would often be egg salad, pimento cheese, tuna salad, or any number of creamy sandwich mixtures.

Ribbon sandwiches are similar to another throwback sandwich from the 1950s, the frosted sandwich loaf. That was another layered sandwich, except this time it is frosted with cream cheese and served as a whole loaf. The best thing about these old-school sandwiches is how adaptable they are; you finally have reason to combine those two oppositional sandwich fillings you always believed would taste amazing together.

Back in the day, cookbooks seemed determined to have you bring leftover fried chicken to a picnic, with culinary mainstays like James Beard, as well as The Good Housekeeping Cook Book from 1944, recommending the crispy dish. It was a wildly popular choice, simple enough to bring for a larger gathering but hearty enough to feel special. Surprisingly, the fried chicken skin stays crispy, unlike many other fried foods. For those wary of what's lost when you take away the comforting heat of chicken fresh from the fryer, you are encouraged by years of picnics from the 1950s to make the leap.

Cold fried chicken became popular in the middle of the century for its simplicity — the crispy coating was flour plus a handful of spices, if one was feeling frisky — and eventually because of chain restaurants like KFC, which gave you a bucket for none of the work. If you want to live like they did back then, consider making your own with these ingredients that will take homemade fried chicken to the next level. Just remember to let it sit for an hour or two in your cooler, so you get that perfect chilly crunch.

It wouldn't be a cold fried chicken picnic without some dipping sauces — perfect if you're worried there won't be enough bugs flying around your party. To complete your vintage picnic spread, make a batch of this homemade ranch dressing to drench your chicken in.

Pineapple upside down cake screams retro glory: a cake that looks caramelized but springy, with rings of golden-brown pineapple and a beaming maraschino cherry in their centers, like a bouquet of flowers that you can eat. It is an American classic, with the first recipes popping up about a hundred years ago. Though these early renditions were more of a delicacy, a few decades later they were a homey dessert popular at picnics, campgrounds, and parties.

This vintage treat is actually an easy three pantry ingredients away if you have a boxed yellow cake mix you're dying to make use of. If pineapple isn't your thing, this is a cake that is easy to adapt to any fruit. You can also add nuts (another midcentury staple), or shrink the cake down into cupcakes as well. Instead of maraschino cherries, you could instead top with Luxardo cherries, a deeper, more complex cocktail cherry that will bring a boozy flair to your picnic.

Deviled eggs, like their name suggests, are so dangerously enticing that you may eat them like popcorn. At your next '50s-inspired picnic, make sure to bring a boatload of these bite-sized appetizers. They are quite easy to make: You scoop the yolks out from hard-boiled eggs and combine them with mayo, mustard, and seasonings. Before the height of their popularity in the 1950s, deviled eggs were made with butter rather than mayo; the skyrocketing popularity of the creamy pantry staple eventually replaced it.

Back in the day, the mixture was likely kept austere, rather than extravagant. However, nowadays it is not just common but expected to see bacon, jalapeño, chili crisp, or any number of spicy-sweet condiments drizzled on top or mixed within.

For a fiendish alternative, try old bay seasoning in your deviled eggs, a smoky spice mix that your eggs are begging for. They will be the star of your picnic.

Don't let tuna, chicken, and eggs have all the creamy fun: steak belongs in a mashed salad just as much as they do, at least according to party- and picnic-goers in the midcentury United States. This was a delicious no-waste use of leftover pot roast or roast beef, which was ground up and combined with celery, onion, relish, mayo, and any other regulars in your carnivorous salad rotation. Some also used corned beef for something a little saltier and tangier.

This was occasionally made as an aspic salad, similar to everyone's favorite way to use tomato juice, seen above in this list. However, it is just as delicious as a spreadable sandwich filling. Some also combine it with hard boiled eggs, to make an egg salad hybrid. Either way you cut it, roast beef salad was a creative way to use your leftovers, and, like many other items on this list, can be adapted to any kind of flavor combinations you want.

These are a classic for a reason. Creamy, extremely vanilla-y ice cream hugged between two fudgy and thin chocolate wafers were an excellent treat for a summertime picnic. They were found everywhere, especially roadside stands, fairs, and ice cream parlors. They were also quite cheap; for just a few cents, you could get your hands on one of these bad boys several decades ago. A popular iteration was a tricolored Neapolitan sandwich between a plain wafer, with strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate ice creams oozing through your fingers.

Can't get enough of nostalgic deliciousness? Buy some danish pastries from the store and make your own old-school treats to level up your ice cream sandwiches. There are as many variations on these picnic desserts as there are people in the world; play around with ice cream flavors (like chocolate, cinnamon, or vanilla) and cookies, pastries, doughnuts, or cakes to complete the sandwich.