The Strange Depression Era Sandwich Combination That Was All About The Pineapples
The Great Depression, which lasted from the stock market crash of 1929 until the United States entered World War II, may have been the low-water mark of American culinary history. Sure, we sneer at mid-century Jell-O salads and try-hard '70s dinner party foods. But during the Depression, people were trying to get by on very little money and they came up with some, shall we say, unusual concoctions which don't sound particularly palatable by modern standards. Case in point: a pineapple anchovy cheese sandwich.
The recipe for this sandwich comes from a pamphlet called "Five Feet of Flavor: A New Style" which was published by the Hawaiian Pineapple Company (parent company of Dole). The pamphlet had several printings, but this sandwich featured in the 1935 edition. It's made by combining anchovy paste and cream cheese, spreading it on a slice of buttered bread, and topping it with canned pineapple. YouTuber Sandwiches of History gave this dish a big thumbs-down, tossing it in the trash after one bite and rating it a 2 out of 10. Turns out, anchovy paste just doesn't work that well with pineapple and cream cheese ... go figure. I mean, I'm an anchovy fan, but I'm pretty sure even I wouldn't enjoy this combo.
Pineapple recipes were plentiful during the Great Depression
Even though sales of canned pineapple slumped during the Great Depression, the canned pineapple industry fought back by launching what would prove to be a successful advertising campaign. Promotion efforts extended to publishing recipe booklets like "Five Feet of Flavor" (apparently, one can of pineapple holds five feet of pineapple spears if you lay it out end to end).
A 1930 publication by the Hawaiian Pineapple Company titled "The Kingdom That Grew Out of a Little Boy's Garden" not only contained a brief history of the company (founder James Dole being the titular "little boy"), but offered a selection of recipes including a pineapple-macaroni luncheon salad, a pineapple omelet, and a mixed grill consisting of canned pineapple, sausages, sweet potatoes, and mushrooms. There were also desserts such as pineapple soufflé and pineapple pudding as well as a selection of novelties like pineapple-rhubarb marmalade and tea sandwiches filled with pineapple and marshmallows.
A later Hawaiian Pineapple Company publication, 1934's "Morning, Noon, and Night," offered up 67 more recipes in which canned pineapple played a starring role. These included Hawaiian-style chicken and ham, pineapple curry (or "currie") sauce, and pineapple ice cream. There was also a tasty-sounding "Broadway Cocktail" which combined pineapple juice, raspberry syrup, and cream as well as a pineapple tapioca whip that may have been the very first pre-Disney version of Dole Whip. Not quite the same thing, since it wasn't a frozen dessert, nor does the current version include tapioca. Still, it was made with Dole pineapple and the company styled it a "whip," so that's got to count for something.