17 Grocery Items That Used to Be Staples But Are Rare Now
Once essential in kitchens across generations, these 17 forgotten grocery staples tell a fascinating story of how our tastes, habits, and supermarket shelves have radically changed over time.
- Alyana Aguja
- 6 min read
From canned tongue to powdered milk, many once-beloved grocery staples have quietly disappeared from our shopping lists and memories. These forgotten items reflect shifting tastes, technological advances, and changing cultural norms that reshaped how we cook and eat. Exploring them offers a nostalgic glimpse into the kitchens of the past and reveals just how much our idea of “essential” has evolved.
1. Lard
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Once a beloved cooking fat in American and European kitchens, lard was used for everything from frying chicken to baking flaky pie crusts. It was prized for its richness and flavor, passed down through generations in tin containers stored under the sink. However, when vegetable oils were marketed as “healthier” in the mid-20th century, lard was pushed out and has since become a rare sight on grocery shelves.
2. Canned Asparagus
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Before fresh produce was available year-round, canned asparagus was a luxury and a salad staple. People would serve it chilled with vinaigrette or wrap it in ham as a dinner party appetizer. Today, with fresh asparagus available nearly everywhere, the soggy, olive-green spears in cans have lost their appeal.
3. Powdered Milk
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In the 1950s and ’60s, powdered milk was a backup every household had for emergencies, camping, or feeding a large family on a tight budget. It came in big boxes and mixed into something that vaguely resembled fresh milk, though the taste never fooled anyone. With modern refrigeration and improved access to fresh dairy products, most people have no reason to keep milk around anymore.
4. Cod Liver Oil
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Parents used to force a spoonful of this foul-tasting oil on their children every morning as a source of vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids. It was thick, fishy, and often dreaded, but it symbolized a time when nutrition was homemade and not just something you got from a gummy vitamin. Today, cod liver oil still exists but is rarely seen in its original form — just capsules hidden on dusty pharmacy shelves.
5. Canned Tongue
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Yes, beef tongue in a can was once a delicacy found in the meat aisle. It was sliced cold and eaten like deli meat, often served at picnics or on sandwiches. These days, the idea makes most people shudder, and it’s hard to find even in specialty stores.
6. Junket Rennet Tablets
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These little tablets were once essential for making homemade desserts like custards or simple cheese. In a time before instant pudding, Junket was a staple for turning milk into something creamy and sweet. As store-bought desserts and refrigeration advanced, these tablets quietly vanished from mainstream grocery stores.
7. Evaporated Cane Juice
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Before the dominance of refined sugar and corn syrup, evaporated cane juice was used as a natural sweetener in many households. It had a molasses-like flavor and was considered a purer, less processed choice. Now, it’s mostly relegated to niche health food aisles or replaced with more trendy options, such as agave nectar or coconut sugar.
8. Margarine Sticks with Food Coloring Capsules
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During World War II, margarine came in white blocks with a little red capsule that you had to knead in to give it a butter-like hue. Kids loved helping with the squishing process, and it became a small family ritual. Today, margarine is pre-dyed, and the novelty of DIY coloring is just a memory from wartime kitchens.
9. Tinned Brown Bread
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Steamed, sweet, and packed into a can, tinned brown bread was a New England tradition served with baked beans or on cold evenings. It slid out of the can in perfect, rigid slices — an oddity to modern eyes but beloved for its comforting taste. Now, you’ll only find it in a few regional stores or historic recipe blogs.
10. Canned Macaroni and Cheese
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Long before the iconic blue box of Kraft reigned supreme, mac and cheese sometimes came in a can — no boiling required. The pasta was mushy and the sauce thick and gloopy, but it was quick and fed hungry kids after school. It’s nearly extinct now, replaced by stovetop or microwave versions with more appetizing textures.
11. Suet
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Used primarily in British-style puddings and traditional mincemeat, suet is a raw, hard fat from around the cow’s kidneys. For a time, it was easy to find at the butcher counter or in baking sections during the holidays. Now, most modern cooks are unfamiliar with it, and recipes have been adjusted to use butter or shortening instead.
12. Canned Chicken à la King
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This creamy, savory mixture of chicken, mushrooms, and peas was a go-to dinner shortcut in the ’60s and ’70s. It was spooned over toast or rice, offering a warm, filling meal in minutes. Today, it’s hard to find outside military surplus stores or antique recipe collections.
13. Instant Whip Topping (Dream Whip)
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Before the rise of frozen whipped topping and aerosol cans, Dream Whip was a powdered mix you had to whip up with milk. It was a staple for desserts like Jell-O salads and icebox pies in mid-century America. Now, it’s mostly forgotten, a relic of when convenience had to be built from scratch.
14. Liverwurst
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This soft, spreadable sausage was once a fixture of lunchboxes and deli counters, especially in German-American households. It went on crackers, toast, or in sandwiches, and older generations still remember the taste fondly. Today, liverwurst has largely disappeared, as the American palate has shifted away from organ meats.
15. Creamed Chipped Beef
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Known affectionately (or not) as “SOS” by soldiers, creamed chipped beef on toast was a Depression-era meal that stayed popular for decades. It was salty, creamy, and comforting in a stick-to-your-ribs kind of way. These days, it’s almost vanished, remembered more for its military nickname than for its culinary merit.
16. Canned Deviled Ham
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This spicy, spreadable meat came in a little white can with a devil logo and was a go-to sandwich filler. It was especially popular on picnics or in kids’ lunchboxes before deli meats became widely available and affordable. Now, it sits lonely on the bottom shelves, if at all.
17. Figgy Pudding Mix
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This holiday dessert mix was once sold seasonally, and its warm, spiced richness was a tradition in many homes. Often steamed or baked, figgy pudding was the centerpiece of Christmas tables in the mid-20th century. These days, most people have only heard of it in carols, not kitchens.