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By Lisa Sharp1 Comment
These 1940s ration recipes are a look into the past and the struggles of rationing during WWII. Try one of these vintage desserts or dinner recipes today!
During World War II rationing was implemented by many governments in an effort to make sure that military and civilians had fair access to scarce resources.
Rationing systems varied by country buttypically involved the government issuing ration books and coupons or stamps to households that could be exchanged for specific goods at designated shops. The number of coupons or stamps a household received was based on its size and composition, and they were typically limited to a certain amount per week or month.
In the United States, rationing began in 1942 and lasted until 1947, though most ended in 1945. Sugar was rationed until 1947. The rationing system covered a wide range of goods, including meat, dairy products, sugar, coffee, and gasoline. Families were issued ration books, which contained stamps for each type of product. The stamps had to be used to purchase the corresponding item, and once the stamps were used up, families had to wait until the next month to receive their next ration.
In Britain, rationing began in 1940 and lasted until 1954, long after the end of the war. The system covered a similar range of goods as in the United States, but the British government also rationed clothing and household goods such as soap and washing powder. Families were issued ration books and had to register with a local shop to exchange their stamps for goods.
Rationing was a significant hardship for many people during the war, as they had to adapt to a restricted diet and limited access to essential goods. However, it was also seen as a necessary sacrifice for the war effort, and many people supported the system as a way to ensure that resources were fairly distributed.
In addition to rationing, many countries also implemented other measures to conserve resources during the war. For example, governments encouraged people to grow their vegetables in victory gardens, people were also encouraged to keep animals like rabbits and hogs for food, and they introduced recycling programs to collect scrap metal and other materials for use in the war effort.
Reading wartime cookbooks is a really good way to see what it was like to try and feed a family with rations. It could be very hard and often people were left feeling hungry and many didn’t agree with how food was rationed. Some even bought extra food on the black market.
Many ration recipes have survived and are still enjoyed today. They are still a great way to save money and make your food go further.
1940s Ration Recipes
Give these ration recipes a try for a look at our past and a time when people had to get creative to feed their families while helping the war effort.
This old-fashioned ice box cake uses chocolate wafer cookies and whipped cream to make a delicious “cake”. Also known as “Zebra cake”, these types of cakes became popular during the war era because of sugar rations.
Also known as War Cake, Wacky Cake is mixed in the pan that it's baked in. And it has no eggs, milk, or butter due to the rationing of those ingredients. It's moist and tender and perfect with a cup of coffee.
A British dish that is eaten for breakfast, lunch, a snack or dinner, beans on toast has kept UK families sustained for years. It was very popular during wartime.
The classic World War 2 cheap vegetable pie with a delicious shortcrust pastry crust and loaded with lots of seasonal root vegetables. One of the best rationing meals during World War 2.
This is a recipe much like the National Loaf which was a bread made from wholemeal flour with added calcium and vitamins. It was created to help with the shortages of white flour and sugar.
Grandma's War Time Orange Drop Cookies are an old family favorite dating back to the second world war when rationing was in force. Grandma always came up with a great cookie for everyone enjoy!
I have ordered some wartime cookbooks and will be sharing more ration recipes over time so be sure to stick around. If you sign up below you will not only get a vintage dessert e-cookbook for free, but you will also get to see more vintage recipes and homemaking.
A typical weekly ration per person, when at its lowest level, was butter 4oz; bacon and ham 4oz; loose tea 4oz; sugar 8oz; meat one shilling-worth; cheese 1oz; preserves 8oz a month. By 1942, most foods were rationed except vegetables, bread, and fish.
Supplies such as gasoline, butter, sugar and canned milk were rationed because they needed to be diverted to the war effort. War also disrupted trade, limiting the availability of some goods.
The book had four colored stamps. Green and blue stamps were used for processed foods such as canned and bottled fruits, juice, vegetables, soup, baby food, frozen food, spreads and dried foods. Red stamps continued to be used for meat. Black "spare" stamps were set up for future changes.
The creativity that blossomed during the Great Depression carried on into the 1940s, as wartime rations necessitated substitutes and ingredient-stretching techniques — eggs and vegetables made popular replacements for meat, while meat-stretching recipes such as meatloaf and tomato-based soups became commonplace in the ...
Even though thousands of items became scarce during the war, only those most critical to the war effort were rationed. Key goods such as sugar, tires, gasoline, meat, coffee, butter, canned goods and shoes came under rationing regulations. Some important items escaped rationing, including fresh fruit and vegetables.
Rationed Foods. The categories of rationed foods during the war were sugar, coffee, processed foods (canned, frozen, etc.), meats and canned fish, and cheese, canned milk, and fats.
A: Millions of ration books were issued during World War II. They were intended to prevent the hoarding of such goods as coffee, sugar, meat and other items in short supply due to the war. Ration books generally sell in the $5 to $25 range, but unlike savings bonds, you can't cash them in as you wish.
Sweet rationing began during the dark days of World War Two on 26 July 1942 when people had a weekly ration of just 2 ounces of sweets or chocolate. A month later the ration was doubled for eight weeks and then cut back to 3 ounces a week.
At first, the meals were stews, and more varieties were added as the war went on, including meat and spaghetti in tomato sauce, chopped ham, eggs and potatoes, meat and noodles, pork and beans; ham and lima beans, and chicken and vegetables.
Every American was issued a series of ration books during the war. The ration books contained removable stamps good for certain rationed items, like sugar, meat, cooking oil, and canned goods. A person could not buy a rationed item without also giving the grocer the right ration stamp.
War ration book no. 3, valid September 1943, included 8 pages of stamps, four for meat rationing, and four for a clothing rationing program never put into effect. Some clothing stamps were eventually validated for shoe rationing.
To get your classification and ration stamps, you had to certify to a local board that you needed gas and owned no more than five tires. The “A” sticker is the most common of the WW2 gas ration stickers, and was issued to the general public and entitled the holder to four gallons a week.
Other favorites of the time were Bazooka Bubble Gum, Licorice candies, Turkish Taffy, DOTS Candy, Jolly Ranchers, Whoppers Malted Milk Balls, Mike & Ike, and Rain-Blo Bubble Gum. Snacks that emerged during the '40s include Cheerios, Raisin Bran, Chiquita Bananas, Junior Mints, Almond Joy, V8, and Cheetos.
Homemade lye soap was put in the bottom of the dish pan. Hot water from the teakettle was poured directly on the soap to make suds. Cold water dipped from the water bucket was added to the dish water to make a comfortable temperature for the hands. Some women had a metal utensil to hold the soap.
Gasoline was rationed starting in May of that year, and by the summer even bicycle purchases were restricted. The government began rationing certain foods in May 1942, starting with sugar. Coffee was added to the list that November, followed by meats, fats, canned fish, cheese, and canned milk the following March.
Rationing remained in effect until the early 1950s. Meat was the last item to be derationed and rationing ended completely in 1954, nine years after the war ended.
You could be kind and blame this lack of British culinary skill on rationing, since rationing continued even after the end of World War II. Indeed, when the Queen came to the throne in 1952, sugar, butter, cheese, margarine, cooking fat, bacon, meat and tea were all still rationed.
Introduction: My name is Carlyn Walter, I am a lively, glamorous, healthy, clean, powerful, calm, combative person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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