Foods we fell in love with in the 1960s (2024)

The scrumptious Sixties

The swinging Sixties were a time of social transformation and innovation which was reflected in the foods we ate. From pre-packaged treats such as Snack Packs and SpaghettiOs to luxurious seafood dinners and extravagant desserts, these foods became fashionable in the 1960s.

Lane cake

Mentionedin Harper Lee’sTo Kill A Mockingbirdin 1960, lane cake is about as Southern as it gets. A big and boozy fruit cake, it consists of layers of light sponge and a sticky pecan, bourbon, coconut and peach filling. The whole thing is covered in apeach schnapps frosting.

Domino's

The largest pizza delivery chain on the planetwas founded in Michiganin 1960. Thanks to the world’s insatiable appetite for a takeaway slice, Domino's and itslong-running marketing schemeTwo for Tuesday are still going strong.

Quaker Oats

French cuisine

WhenMastering the Art of French Cooking, by chef and author Julia Child, was published in 1961, it became a runaway bestseller. Americans embraced all things Gallic and dishes such beef bourguignon – beef stew made with red wine, beef stock, carrots, onions, garlic, bouquet garni, pearl onions, mushroomsand bacon– were a hot topic.

Coffee-Mate

Although non-dairy creamers appeared on the American market from the early 1950s, it was Coffee-Mate –launched in 1961– that garnered greatcommercial success, in part because it dissolved better in hot liquid. Benefits of Coffee-Mate include its long shelf life and its appeal to people who are lactose-intolerant. It remains the biggest-selling creamer in the US.

Sprite

Cola’s lemon and lime cousin Sprite started life in Germany as Fanta Klara Zitrone before being introduced to America in 1961, as a competitor to rival 7Up. It has always come in arefreshing green bottle or can (similar to 7Up) and isinstantly recognisable.

Smash

At the start of the 1960s, Dutch-Canadian food chemist Edward Asselbergs developed instant mashed potato flakes. Later,Cadbury's launched Smash in the UK, a brand thatquickly gained a loyal following from time-strapped home cooks. It's remembered for its space-themed advertising campaign which featured martians watching in confusion ashumans prepared potatoes the old-fashioned way.

Froot Loops

Pop Tarts

Pop Tarts are everything that’s good about convenience food–easy, tasty with a long shelf life. And everything that’s bad–sugary, processed and nutrient poor. But since Kellogg’s introduced the productin 1964,it hasbeen a roaring successin the US and other countries such as Canada and the UK.

Diet Pepsi

Before there was Diet co*ke there was Coca-Cola’sTab. And to rival Tab there was Diet Pepsi, which became available in 1964 and, unlike Tab, is still sold worldwide. The soda faced criticism in 2015 when the controversial sweetener aspartame was replaced with sucralose, and many fans said the taste changed.

Lucky Charms

Teppanyaki

Teppanyaki is a type of Japanese cuisinewhere foodis grilled on a flat, hot iron platein front of customers. In 1964 in New York, Benihana brought the theatrical style of eatingto the US where it’s now more popular than in its home country.

Buffalo wings

The finer details of how this all-American finger-licking chicken dish was inventedaredisputed – but most people believeit was conceived at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York,in 1964. It's still popular today, especially while watching a big game– in fact, on Super Bowl Sunday, the US consumes a whopping 1.4 billion chicken wings.

SpaghettiOs

This kid-friendly food was invented in 1965 when Donald Goerke, who workedfor Campbell’s Franco-American brand, was challenged to create a pasta dish for children that could beeaten with a spoon.It took a number of ideas before finally settling on the O, but it's now a staple in cupboards across the country.

Texas sheet cake

Chocolate fondue

Cheese fondue was invented in Switzerland but we have Swiss restaurateur Konrad Egli to thank for the chocolate version, which wascreated in New York in the 1960s as a promotion for Toblerone. The original was made withdouble cream, kirschand melted Toblerone, with bits of cake and fruit presented around it for dipping. These days, strawberries, bananas and marshmallows dipped in regular milk chocolate is more common.

Surf and turf

This indulgent main course of seafood and red meat came aboutin the 1960sand was – and still is – incredibly popular. Lobster tail and beef tenderloin is a particularly luxurious version of the dish. A more modern iteration is the surf and turf burger, which might feature a beef patty topped with lobster meat.

Gatorade

Nowhere’s an interesting fact: Gatorade, the sports drink formulated in 1965, was named after the Florida Gators, the sports teams that represent the University of Florida. Today it's one of the leading brands and is often credited as the first-ever sports drink (althoughBritish brand Lucozadeactually datesback to 1927).

Filet-O-Fish

Cool Whip

An imitation whipped cream, Cool Whip wasintroduced to American homes in 1966and soon became a leading brand. It was a key ingredient in pies and gelatine-based puddings of the era.

Doritos

No, it’s not an urban myth – Doritos really were inventedat a Mexican-style restaurant in Disneyland. The seasoned snacks were such a hit with customers that they were produced commercially for the local market, before being rolled out nationwide in 1966.

Slushy soft drinks

For many, childhood summers were filled with ICEEs, Slurpees and Slush Puppies. But these garishly coloured beverages, responsible for giving brain freeze to millions, are a relatively recent treat. Invented by Dairy Queen owner Omar Knedlik in the 1950s, they hit shelves in 1966and are a craze that lives on today.

Tunnel of Fudge cake

This cake launched millions of bundt tin recipes (made in the distinctive ring-shaped moulds) when it won the long-runningAmerican Pillsbury Bake-Off contest in 1966. The butter, sugar, cocoa and nuts in the mix form a “tunnel” of oozingfudge through the cake as it bakes.

Crêpes Suzette

Big Mac

Ruffles

Although a patent for Ruffles was granted in 1956, it was the 1960s when the brand was sold by Frito Lay and the crinkled crisp became a household name. Still around today, the chip has ridges which makes it good for dipping. It also comes in a multitude of flavours including Sour Cream & Onion and Jalapeño Ranch.

Pringles

Once you pop, you can’t stop–never was a truer advertising slogan created. These addictive crisps were first sold in the US in 1967, and although Pringlesdidn’t make it overseas until 1991,two-thirdsof sales are now outside of America.

Fruit Stripe Gum

Starburst

Launched in the early 1960s in the UK as Opal Fruits, the individually wrapped candies came in lemon, lime, orange and strawberry flavours. It wasn't until after the fruity chews crossed the Atlantic in 1967 they were renamed Starburst for the US market.

Snack Pack

Prawn co*cktail

Tex-Mex