I'm reading a fantastic book titled Fashionable Food: Seven Decades of Food Fads, by Sylvia Lovegren. It's a really entertaining look back at what we were cooking and eating in the 20s, 30s, 40s, all the way up to the 90s. There's a lot of great history and pictures here, but the best part of the book are the actual recipes you can try. Some still hold up today. Others...ahem.
Take this recipe, for example, for Banana and Popcorn Salad, from the 1920s. Lovegren calls it "The Worst Salad of the Twenties," and after you read the recipe, you'll have to agree.
Banana and Popcorn Salad
1 banana, peeled and cut in half, length-wise
1 lettuce leaf
Popcorn
Mayonnaise
Place banana on lettuce leaf. Scatter popcorn over banana and place dabs of mayonnaise here and there. Makes one serving.
I love how the recipe casually says to "scatter popcorn over banana," as if this would be something anyone would actually do in a salad. And "makes one serving?" Yeah, that's because you won't be able to get anyone else to eat it. Though I bet some of you Slashfoodies will try this, heh. Let us know how it is.

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4-03-2007 @3:48PM mrs. b said... I used to visit my great aunt on drives home from college. One time she made me a "banana salad" that was a sliced banana drizzled with mayo that had been thinned with some milk. Crazy but very tasty. I don't know about the popcorn, though.
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4-03-2007 @5:45PM Kostika said... I think I may need to do find that book now. It sounds very interesting.
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4-03-2007 @7:02PM marymary said... When I was a kid my Mom made banana salad which was a sliced banana spread with mayo and sprinkled with chopped salted peanuts, all served on lettuce leaves. And my whole family loved it!
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4-04-2007 @10:41AM Lauren said... My parents eat banana sandwiches with mayo and peanut butter. If you ask me, mayonnaise doesn't need to be placed in "dabs" on my fruit. Blech.
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4-04-2007 @11:02AM schaefc said... We, also, grew up eating Mom's special and much-requested BANANA SALAD topped with (milk-thinned) MiracleWhip and sprinkled with chopped - make that, GROUND - Planter's peanuts that used to come in small bags. (In fact, the old nut grinder remains one of my favorite kitchen "antiques".) I know that Mom, now 74, has recently updated the dressing recipe to include a little garlic powder, but I'll hafta check to see if she's ever tried it with POPCORN! (P.S. We're from Northern IL - suppose this is just a Midwest thang? Or Swedish?)
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4-04-2007 @11:27AM Jeremy Mahler said... I'm not sure what to think about this one.... wow. I might have to give it a try....
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4-04-2007 @11:31AM wynk said... That is one of the most revolting things I've ever heard. I'm a bit horrified that people have actually eaten something similar and think nothing of it. D:
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4-04-2007 @1:22PM Leslie said... What a great idea! I loved the banana salad with peanuts but I haven't been able to eat it since I developed a peanut allergy. The popcorn sounds like a great substitution!
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4-05-2007 @10:08AM Bonnie said... Last night we had a fresh spinach salad with sliced bananas, walnuts, cooked wheat berries and a really spicey orange dressing. YUM!
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4-04-2007 @5:17PM ashleystravel said... I dunno... interesting combination of salty and sweet. Could be good. I am already imagining a twist on caramel corn with banana flavoring!
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