Category: Great depression

Over 25% of Americans were unemployed during the peak of the Great Depression, profoundly impacting family budgets and daily meals. The 1930s saw a dramatic shift in breakfast habits, moving away from elaborate morning spreads toward resourceful, inexpensive dishes that prioritized sustenance over luxury.

Available calories in the American diet grew by an estimated 18% between 1909 and the end of the century. This increase, however, did not occur evenly across the board, and the amount of calories people consumed varied dramatically depending on their socioeconomic status during the challenging decade of the 1930s.