Calling Vegetables Into Service
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When General Mills published its Betty Crocker booklet Your Share in 1943, American citizens were rationing foods along with all the Allies. Even though food was more readily available in the US, there was a national effort to send as much as possible to troops and to other nations.
Rationing was significant in places like the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand but it wasn’t as severe as in locations where the fighting was taking place. For example, a homemaker in New Zealand might have had eight ounces of butter per week, compared to two ounces in England. Part of this had to do with Britain’s geography—even before the war they were importing the majority of their food. For this island nation, Dig for Victory was more than a campaign slogan—it was a movement toward survival.
Vegetables Join the War Effort
Nevertheless, rationing was serious business in all Allied nations because it was a matter of loyalty. Homemakers were not immune to the rallying cries to use food carefully without waste. Your Share provided helpful tips and recipes in military terms. Vegetables must “pass inspection” and “be inducted.” Homemakers were to “prepare for combat” and be sure to “prevent mass execution of vitamins.” The booklet even gives general strategies and commando tactics for vegetables.
This may have been a bit silly, but in 1943 the treachery of Pearl Harbor was still fresh. Millions of families had loved ones fighting on another continent. The battle was fierce, and it was far from certain who would win. It was all hands on deck, even in small family kitchens, to maintain morale and stay the course.
Perhaps this is why families gathered at the dinner table to eat so many vegetables and so little meat. It must be the reason why young and old tucked into fried vegetable pancakes instead of insisting on roasts or fried chicken, or any of the other delights that had been so commonplace before the war.
Wartime Victory Pancakes
The recipe I’m sharing here was one way to use the more readily available vegetables. As originally written, it isn’t clear how much fat to use for frying, or what kind of fat to use. I cooked these three ways—first, with a small amount of butter. Ghee or some other solid fat would have been better, as the pancakes require enough heat and time for the butter to get too hot. Next, I semi deep-fried them in a quarter cup of avocado oil. This worked well but it was more oil than necessary. The pancakes don’t absorb much oil and it was easy to splash the hot oil out of the pan.
What worked best was to fry the pancakes in about two tablespoons of oil. This was enough to brown nicely and give a crispy texture (the first batch, in butter, were softer and not crispy). The pancakes keep some of the green color of the vegetables but have a mild flavor that would work with lots of other dishes. The recipe says to serve them either plain or with cheese sauce—the sauce would add another level of complexity to them and make them hearty enough for a main dish. They would even be good with gravy, either plain or with a bit of shredded meat added in.
The Quiet Dignity of Making Do
While these humble pancakes would never have been a stellar dish, they are wholesome and filling, and would have provided the calories, energy and nutrients people so urgently needed during the war. They are easy to make and they are tasty. They could even be fried in fun shapes to encourage children to eat more vegetables. To be sure, most people probably longed for the pre-war days when all their favorite foods were in plentiful supply, but they set themselves to make the best of what they had.
Back in 1943, recipes like Victory Pancakes were business as usual for a people determined to save the world from evil dictators. Who would have thought carrots and potatoes could be a part of that?!
Victory Pancakes
An easy way to incorporate vegetables into a quick dinner. These can be served plain or with cheese sauce.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Put the vegetables through the fine blade of a food chopper.
- Transfer vegetables to a mixing bowl. Blend in eggs.
- Sift flour, baking powder, salt and pepper together. Stir into vegetables and mix well.
- Drop by spoonfuls into hot fat in skillet. Fry on both sides until golden brown. Serve plain or with cheese sauce.
References
General Mills. Your Share: How to Prepare Appetizing, Healthful Meals with Foods Available Today. Minneapolis, MN: General Mills, Inc., 1943.
“Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. When he calls to Me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”
Psalm 91:14-16