Sweet! Potatoes, That Is—How to Make 2-Potato Sweet Potato Salad

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In the United States we love our sweets! Okay, maybe a little too much. It’s been like that for a long time, at least as far back as the 1940s and probably longer. It must have been a bitter pill to swallow when sugar was rationed in May 1942.

Why Sugar Was Rationed in WW2

Sugar was the first food rationed in the US. That alone would make lot of people feel like going to war. But that was just the point—one of the main reasons the US government rationed sugar was to provide for military personnel. The fighting forces were desperate for chocolate, chewing gum, and other sweets. (And can you believe sugar cane was even used to make gunpowder and dynamite?)

Another reason was so all Americans would have a chance to purchase sugar. If not rationed, it most likely would have been available only to the richest citizens. And, we needed to send sugar to other nations in Europe whose food situations were much more precarious.

In England, each person only had between eight and 12 ounces of sugar each week. That is only enough to fill a small dish or a decent-sized sugar bowl. Combined with a lack of fats, it must have been quite the challenge to create appetizing meals.

Using Vegetables to Satisfy a Sweet Tooth

This is where sweet vegetables like carrots, beets and sweet potatoes were really able to help. They could be grown domestically and used in an endless variety of recipes.

White potatoes seem to have been the most popular but I did find one vintage sweet potato recipe in The Wartime Kitchen and Garden: The Home Front 1939-45. The chapter on “Garden Produce” includes the recipe for Sweet Potato Pudding. It is a simple recipe that only used eight ounces of potato, 1 ounce of fat, 1 egg and 2 small spoons of honey.

The sweet potato, plus a bit of fruit, would help alleviate an aching sweet tooth. My grandmother’s sweet potato pudding recipe—made long after the War—is much sweeter. It calls for a full cup of brown sugar plus an additional cup for the topping! My, how times change.

In England women on the Kitchen Front were continually being encouraged to use vegetables, both cooked and raw. Salads were an important part of this plan. They could be made in countless ways. The 2-Potato Sweet Potato Salad we enjoy at our house would have been a natural during World War 2. It could be adapted to lots of things that might have been growing in the victory garden.

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2-Potato Sweet Potato Salad

Yield 3-4

Author Harriett Sebastian

Ingredients

• 2 large sweet potatoes
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• ¼ teaspoon cumin
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• Zest of one orange (optional)
• 1-2 stalks celery, chopped
• ½ bulb fennel, chopped
• ¼ cup red onion, finely chopped
• 3-4 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

Instructions

1. Scrub sweet potatoes but do not peel. Dice into bite- sized pieces; then, boil until just soft. Drain and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine mayonnaise, olive oil, salt, pepper, cumin, garlic powder, and orange zest (if using).
3. Add sweet potatoes, celery, fennel, red onion and cilantro to mayonnaise mixture and stir lightly to coat all vegetables. Serve immediately.

Notes

Reference: Wartime Kitchen & Garden p. 142

But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him and by His stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:5