World War I, also known as “The Great War,” changed America’s role in the world. At home, it also changed how Americans ate. In 1917, future President Herbert Hoover, who was then head of the US Food Administration, pondered ways to supply soldiers with heartier meals. Certain foods, such as sugar, wheat, meats, and fats, were urgently needed for the Front and for Allied civilian populations. It became evident that food was going to be a weapon in the war.
Hoover immediately worked to get Americans to think that conserving food was the most important thing that they could do as individuals. So, he asked Americans to participate in “Meatless Tuesdays” and “Wheatless Wednesdays,” leading to more than 10 million households pledging to use potato flour and chicken instead of wheat flour and beef.
The Hoover administration later published a cookbook titled Victory Recipes of The Great War, featuring dishes such as a “camouflage roast” made of peanuts for “Meatless Tuesday,” and a lima bean “mock sausage” for “Porkless Saturday.”
PBS and Boston media producer GBH scoured more than a dozen World War I “victory cookbooks” and read hundreds of recipes from around the country to bring you a week’s worth of historical dishes. All of them meet Food Administration guidelines. So, download the free recipe cards and set your tables back to 1917!