Found out my grandma's meatloaf recipe existed because of a 1943 ration book

I was digging through her old cookbook last month and there was a clipping from a wartime leaflet about stretching ground beef with oatmeal. Turns out the ration system shaped how she cooked for 40 years after, and I had no idea 3 ounces of meat per person was the weekly allotment back then. Anyone else run into family recipes that have a hidden history like that?

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patricia_green2118d ago

and honestly that ration book thing explains so much about my own family. my mom still adds cooked potatoes to everything like it's gonna stretch a pound of ground beef into a feast for six. i found her old recipe box once and there was a whole section labeled "meat stretchers" with stuff like lentil burgers and eggy bread casserole. the craziest part is we were never poor growing up, she just couldnt shake the habit of making a little meat go far. i started doing the same thing with my kids honestly, not for rationing but because it's cheaper and honestly tastes better. those old recipes are like a time capsule of survival instincts.