
Unfortunately, the Swiss Cheese Union crumbled after the fondue decade. The indulgent trend caught on throughout the western world. So, in the 1970s, the Swiss Cheese Union heavily pushed the consumption of fondue and published advertising campaigns depicting Swiss skiers celebrating over vats of melted cheese. In the '50s and '60s, the cartel decided to up the ante and find a way to encourage people to eat surplus cheese by the bucketload. They particularly pushed Emmental, the hole-y cheese known by many as the traditional "Swiss cheese." They set prices and dictated the volume and type of cheese that could be produced.

Following World War I, Switzerland had too much cheese, so the country's cheesemakers decided to form a cartel. The 1930s brought about classic American casserole recipes such as tuna noodle casserole and green bean casserole, thereby leaving a lasting mark on the standard Thanksgiving dinner.Īccording to NPR, the Swiss Cheese Union was an "all-powerful group of cheese makers" whose name is often met with disapproval and dismissal in Switzerland. The introduction of Kraft packaged macaroni and cheese dinners during the decade also lent itself to ample casserole recipes, per Encyclopedia. In 1934, Campbell's debuted its condensed creamed soups, including cream of mushroom, which became the default base for a "hot dish" or casserole. ("Hot dish" was essentially the Midwestern word for "casserole.") The book featured the first known "hot dish" recipe, which called for ingredients such as ground beef, macaroni, and canned peas. In 1930, a year after the Depression began, the "Grace Lutheran Ladies Aid Cookbook" was published, per Food and Wine. Smith's " Food and Drink in American History: A 'Full Course' Encyclopedia," the word "casserole" is French for "saucepan." Casseroles typically include meat, poultry, or fish a starch, such as noodles, potatoes, or rice vegetables and some kind of creamy sauce. Ambrosia remained a popular holiday dish for a few decades, facilitated by the invention of "marshmallow whip" around World War I.Īccording to Andrew F. A 1905 recipe from Estelle Wilcox's "Original Buckeye Cookbook" also included bananas and strawberries. As the traditional recipe evolved, popular ingredients included sour cream, egg whites, and maraschino cherries. Around the first decade of the 20th century, the salad expanded beyond its three base ingredients to include marshmallows and pineapple, and more closely resembled a fruit salad. The dish took advantage of "exotic" ingredients that were inaccessible or unusual prior to the late 19th century.

The first written record of ambrosia salad appeared in the 1867 cookbook "Dixie Cookery" by Maria Massey Baringer. According to the National Post, it was typically served as a side dish, rather than a dessert, with Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. Devoid of the healthier characteristics typically associated with a salad, ambrosia salad began as a luxurious combination of coconut, mandarin oranges, and sugar, per Serious Eats.
