Found a 1950s cookbook with a recipe for 'jellied meat loaf'

I was at a thrift store in Decatur last Saturday and picked up this old cookbook called 'Savory Suppers from the Fifties' for like 2 bucks. The cover has this faded pink pattern and a picture of a wobbly looking salad. Skimming through it, I hit a recipe titled 'Jellied Meat Loaf' that uses lime gelatin and ground beef mixed with celery. It sounds absolutely terrible, but I couldn't stop reading the instructions. Has anyone else found old cookbooks with recipes that seem completely wrong by today's standards? What was the weirdest one you came across?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_logan5d ago

I remember reading somewhere that back in the 50s they used gelatin in everything because it was seen as this fancy, modern ingredient. That jellied meat loaf sounds like a nightmare though, I can't imagine lime and beef going together at all.

the_nancy5d ago

Wait, you're telling me lime and beef was actually a thing people tried? I used to think all those vintage recipes couldn't be that bad, like sure they're weird but someone must have enjoyed them. But after seeing some of those old cookbooks online I totally changed my mind. That gelatin phase was something else, they really thought adding jiggly meat to everything was peak sophistication. Makes me grateful for plain old meatloaf without the green stuff.