What was on the menu in the 1960s?
Food is an important part of the history of IH. Menus reflect changing tastes and nutritional ideas, as well as the changing composition of the IH community.
In this History Mystery, we look at what was on the menu at IH in the 1960s. In February 1960, the Acting Warden (Head of College) reported to the International House Council on some of the meals on offer over the course of a week. He described the meals as ‘good, and varied enough to meet reasonable requirements’ (Acting Warden’s Report, 17 February 1960). Breakfast options included ‘Sun Flakes’ and ‘Brains & bacon’. Among the dinner dishes were ‘Lentil soup’, ‘Steak & kidney pie’ and ‘Fried rice’.
Quite different from these everyday meals was the ‘commemorative dinner’ held to celebrate the opening of the Samuel Wadham Wing in 1963. This formal meal had a French flavour and included ‘vichyssoise’ (potato and leek soup), fish with ‘Germain sauce’ and ‘tomatoes farcies’ (stuffed tomatoes).
By the late 1960s, IH was looking to expand its food options. Sample winter and summer menus from 1969 include ‘moulded salmon with cucumber dressing’, ‘Wiener Schnitzel’, minestrone, ‘saratoga chips’, chicken Maryland and spaghetti bolognese. Desserts included peach gingerbread upside-down cake, fruit flummery, pineapple meringue pie, Barvarian cream and ‘Norwegian trifle’.
Unfortunately we don’t have photographs of any of these meals in the International House archival collection; but, thanks to the archives of the magazine the Australian Women’s Weekly, we can find recipes for some of them. Enjoy!