Imagine waking up to the smell of scrapple sizzling in the pan or savoring a bowl of cornmeal mush on a cold winter morning. These weren’t unusual scenes just a few decades ago. Back then, hearty dishes like kippers, porridge made from scratch, or a stack of syrup-soaked pancakes were the stars of the morning, but today’s breakfast landscape looks completely different.
The breakfast food market is projected to experience significant growth over the coming years, with various industry reports showing growth rates typically ranging from 3-6% annually. Yet beneath these impressive numbers lies a fascinating story of forgotten foods that once ruled America’s morning tables. Eggs continue to top the list, as eggs remain a popular breakfast choice according to various consumer surveys, but what about the countless dishes that have quietly disappeared from our collective memory?
Creamed Chipped Beef on Toast
It had a nickname – sh** on a shingle – a meal of dried chipped beef and milk gravy served over toast (toast being the shingle). This hearty military-inspired breakfast was first reported for duty in the U.S. Army back in 1910, when it appeared in the “Manual for Army Cooks”. The original recipe served sixty hungry soldiers and required fifteen pounds of chipped beef.
Fondly nicknamed “S.O.S” (Stuff On a Shingle) by WWII soldiers, this hearty breakfast was once a staple in American diners. The dish provided pure comfort food that stuck to your ribs with its combination of salty dried beef swimming in creamy white sauce. It was a breakfast staple for the United States Armed Forces for many years, and if you search, you might find it still served in some diners around the country.
What made this dish so popular was its practicality during wartime rationing when ingredients needed to be stretched. Today, this protein-packed morning meal has largely vanished from mainstream menus, replaced by lighter, Instagram-friendly fare. You might occasionally spot it in small-town diners or military-adjacent restaurants, but it’s become a nostalgic memory of simpler times.
Scrapple
The breakfast of champions in Pennsylvania Dutch country, scrapple was a common morning meal during periods of war, thanks to its cheap parts. Made from pork scraps mixed with cornmeal and spices, it was pan-fried to a crisp, golden perfection. This dish embodied the philosophy of using every part of the animal during lean times.
Back in 1904, a weekly magazine called Leslie’s captured scrapple’s essence: “Scrapple is to Philadelphia what baked beans is to Boston”. The article went on to explain that during fall and winter, every Philadelphian devoured scrapple for breakfast at least three times a week. Philadelphia’s scrapple factories were shipping loaves to every state – scrapple was becoming a breakfast staple with nationwide popularity.
It is still served in Pennsylvania and neighboring states but fallen out of favor elsewhere. This dish, deeply rooted in frugality, utilized every part of the pig, embodying an ethos of waste nothing. Though its texture might not suit all modern tastes, scrapple was beloved by those who appreciated its savory flavor and satisfying crunch.
Savory Oatmeal with Salt and Butter
Forget fruit toppings and brown sugar – your great-grandparents ate their oatmeal with SALT and BUTTER! This savory approach to the breakfast staple treated oats more like a grain side dish than the sweet porridge we know today. It represented a time when breakfast foods were more practical and less dessert-like.
Sweet oatmeal gradually took over as processed sugar became cheaper and more available. The transformation happened so gradually that most people today can’t even imagine eating oatmeal without some form of sweetener. Modern restaurant menus exclusively feature sweetened versions loaded with fruits, nuts and honey – relegating savory oatmeal to the forgotten corners of culinary history.
This shift reflects broader changes in American taste preferences and the industrialization of food production. What was once a hearty, filling start to a day of physical labor became reimagined as a sweet comfort food. The savory version provided sustenance without the sugar rush, making it ideal for sustained energy throughout demanding workdays.
Wheatena Porridge
One porridge in particular took the early 20th-century breakfast table by storm – Wheatena. It was the “3-minute cereal.” Just boil it in water and you were on your way. This toasted wheat cereal became a pantry staple in countless American homes by the 1920s.
Of course, breakfast habits changed and cartoon mascots entered kitchens on sugary cereal boxes. Suddenly, Wheatena wasn’t quite as exciting. The simple brown packaging couldn’t compete with colorful cartoon characters promising adventure and fun. It’s still around, though it’s probably more familiar to vintage cereal collectors than to the average breakfast eater.
A farina type of wheat (of course) this was another porridge breakfast comfort food. Made with hot milk and often with maple syrup, maybe a little salt, it was truly a hug in a bowl on winter mornings. The warm, creamy texture provided comfort during an era before central heating was commonplace in most homes.
Popcorn Cereal
A simple and popular breakfast in the 1800s, this dish was prepared with popcorn (yes, that popcorn), milk, and a sweetener, such as a sprinkle of sugar. This might sound unusual today, but it was perfectly normal for nineteenth-century Americans to start their day with what we now consider a movie snack.
In fact, Ella Ervilla Eaton Kellogg – the wife of cornflake inventor John Harvey Kellogg, whose brother W.K. Kellogg founded the Kellogg Company – even suggested in her 1893 book Science in the Kitchen that “ground pop corn is considered a delectable dish eaten with milk or cream.” The endorsement came from someone deeply involved in breakfast cereal innovation.
And once boxed cereal came along, with its convenience, crunch, and colorful mascots, popping corn in the morning suddenly felt like way too much work. Still, next time you’re snacking on popcorn, just remember you’re only a splash of milk away from enjoying breakfast nineteenth-century style. Popcorn cereal – consumed by Americans in the 1800s, consisting of popcorn with milk and a sweetener.
Cornmeal Mush
Mush was often eaten as a breakfast food during the Great Depression because it was simple to prepare, economical, and plentiful. This humble dish sustained countless families through America’s toughest economic period. Made from cornmeal and water, it could be served hot as porridge or allowed to cool and then fried into crispy patties.
Before fancy cereals dominated breakfast tables, cornmeal mush reigned supreme! The dish represented resourcefulness and making do with what was available. If you want to make this blast from the past, be sure to use mush that has been chilled in your refrigerator, or it’ll be too soft. Fry the mush until it’s golden brown and drizzle with maple syrup before serving.
The transition away from cornmeal mush reflects America’s post-war prosperity when families could afford more elaborate breakfast options. What was once a necessity born of hardship became associated with poverty, leading to its gradual disappearance from mainstream breakfast tables despite its nutritional value and versatility.
Johnnycakes
Johnnycakes are an old-school breakfast item that you may remember your grandma making for you back in the day. These sweet, fluffy rounds of goodness are similar to pancakes but are made with a combination of flour and cornmeal, or simply cornmeal. Also known as hoecakes, johnnycakes have Native American roots that date back to the 1600s.
Native American and Colonial recipes introduced Americans to these simple cornmeal flatcakes, which could be made with basic ingredients and cooked over an open fire. Variations existed based on region, with some johnnycake recipes including milk and eggs to create richer versions. The simplicity made them perfect for frontier life.
Once a staple in New England cuisine, johnnycakes were also popular throughout the Caribbean and Newfoundland, where each locale put their own special twist on the dish. Rhode Island and other parts of New England remain the last strongholds of johnnycakes on American breakfast menus. Their decline mirrors the broader movement away from regional breakfast traditions toward standardized national foods.
Rice Pudding for Breakfast
Rice pudding wasn’t always a dessert. In some households, it doubled as a warm breakfast dish, often made with leftover rice, milk, cinnamon, and raisins. Creamy rice pudding was a comforting breakfast tradition for Scandinavian and Eastern European American families. The rice could be made ahead of time in large batches to simplify busy mornings.
It was creamy, filling, and comforting on cold mornings. Over time, it shifted into the dessert category and lost its spot on the breakfast table. This transition reflects changing American attitudes about what constitutes appropriate morning food versus evening treats.
Instant oatmeal and boxed cereals require less planning and cooking ability. The convenience factor ultimately won out over tradition. Rice pudding receded to ethnic cafes and family recipes, where tradition outweighs convenience. Today, most Americans would be surprised to learn their great-grandparents regularly started their day with what we now consider dessert.
Grapefruit
Then came the 1950s – grapefruit’s true golden age. Cookbooks and magazines shared recipes for broiled grapefruit, which became a ’50s classic. This retro breakfast fruit has become a rarity in modern morning routines. Once considered a staple for its refreshing taste and perceived health benefits, grapefruit was the sophisticated choice for health-conscious Americans.
Nowadays, grapefruit has lost the citrus spotlight – it’s more of a nostalgic cameo than a breakfast staple. The USDA reports that per-person availability of grapefruit in the U.S. dropped a whopping eighty-seven percent from 1970 to 2022. This dramatic decline represents one of the most significant breakfast food disappearances in recent history.
USDA blames it on consumer demand – we prefer the convenience of grab-and-go breakfasts and easy-to-peel tangerines, which are sweeter, smaller, and easier to eat. Its unique tartness and visual appeal made it a centerpiece on breakfast tables, but today, its labor-intensive preparation has contributed to its decline in popularity. The shift reflects our modern preference for convenience over ritual in morning routines.
Breakfast Hash
Breakfast hash has been around for centuries and is still enjoyed today, but it was particularly popular during World War II, when meat rationing required home cooks to get creative. Traditional home-cooked hash was made of chopped cooked meat and cooked vegetables, usually potatoes and onions, mixed with broth and fried on the stove.
While it was served at lunch and dinner as well, hash for breakfast was an economical way to use up dinner leftovers and stretch those precious quantities of rationed meat by adding flavorful fillers. This practical approach to cooking reflected the resourcefulness required during wartime when nothing could be wasted.
In wartime ads, Armour and Company, the first company to produce canned meat, reminded Americans that “our war needs make it vital now to save every bit of food left over,” and offered a free booklet called “69 Meat Ration Recipes” that included breakfast hash recipes using a variety of fresh and canned meats. Today’s breakfast hash, when it appears, is more likely to be a gourmet restaurant creation than a practical leftover solution.
These forgotten breakfast classics tell the story of how American mornings have evolved from practical, filling meals designed for physical labor to quick, convenient options suited for busy modern lifestyles. The loss of these foods from the American breakfast landscape is emblematic of more than just shifting tastes; it signals a fundamental shift in our relationship with the morning meal and our mornings in general. What do you think about these disappearing breakfast traditions? Would you be willing to try any of these forgotten morning meals?
