MEMORIES:
crazyeightieschick remembers...I love Tuna Casserole.When I make it I crush up potato chips to put on top of it.Might have to ... More »
Posted on 09/27/07
PHOTOS:
Casserole as we know it today is a relatively modern invention. Once upon a time, a casserole was just the dish that it was cooked and served in; however, casserole has changed definition a bit and has become more about the food that is cooked inside it. Few dishes get to be called an icon, though tuna casserole is certainly an icon among casseroles, and among 20th century American cuisine.
Casseroles reportedly became popular during the Great Depression, when families were forced to find economical means to support their hunger-filling ends. Though commercially canned tuna was available in the early 1900s, it would take almost half a century for a majority of Americans to accept it as a potential main source of protein.
Campbell Soup Company may be a great credit (or blame, depending on how you look at it) for the creation of the tuna noodle casserole. Like many companies at the time (Chex and Chex Mix are perfect examples), they were promoting the use of their products in other recipes. In this case, Campbell’s was offering their Cream of Mushroom soup as a viable and inexpensive alternative to homemade sauces. Within a short time the public picked up on the cue and cookbooks, magazines and advertisements soon began promoting recipes for casseroles, the most famous, perhaps, being green bean casserole and the tuna noodle casserole.
Tuna casserole can be made in many variations. “Company Casserole” used big, fat egg noodles, the cream of mushroom soup, chopped hard-boiled eggs, tuna, cheese and cereal crumbs. An “excellent emergency dish” in the 1946 version of Joy of Cooking was the “Tuna, Noodle, and Mushroom Soup Casserole.” This gem was a combination of the noodles, the soup, the tuna and cornflakes. Betty Crocker even stepped in with her own version – this one including peas, and specifically requesting Wheaties on top.
The simplicity of the tuna casserole has made it a hometown staple for generations. Widely agreed upon as a comfort food, the tuna casserole has also made its way into helping others cope during stressful times. Many have found it easy to show care and concern by making a tuna casserole to bring to a loved one or neighbor, earning a place in the heart of many for the warm, tender dish. Though it may be far from gourmet, baby-boomers know what comfort it brings.
