25 Meals Our Grandparents Had to Eat to Survive!

What did your grandparents cook when money ran out and the cupboard was nearly bare? During the toughest years in American history — from the Great Depression through wartime rationing — families learned how to survive with almost nothing.
In this video, we'll revisit 25 meals our grandparents had to eat to survive, when every scrap of food mattered and creativity turned the simplest ingredients into comfort. From potato peel soup and water pie to SOS, Spam, and dandelion greens foraged from empty lots, these Depression-era recipes tell a story of strength, sacrifice, resourcefulness, and love.
These weren't recipes from fancy cookbooks — they were memories of survival, made from hope, flour, and faith. From macaroni and cheese made by hand to perpetual soup that simmered for days, cornmeal mush, milk toast for the sick, and tater tot casserole from church potlucks, each meal reveals how our grandparents stretched pennies, saved scraps, and made sure nobody went to bed hungry.
Which one of these humble dishes do you still remember from your childhood?
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