1970s Party Food

The resurgence of 1970s fads and trends has gone beyond music and fashion. People celebrating the retro style are also interested in hosting 1970s-themed parties offering food that was popular during that decade. Parties during the 1970s were intimate and social times, and there was a lot of emphasis on food eaten in close quarters, where you could gather around a table and converse with the other guests. Dinner parties especially celebrated particular 1970s food.

Fondue was a common 1970s party food.Fondues were the quintessential 1970s party food. These were based on cheese or broth. These liquids were kept hot in fondue pots, and skewered foods such as meats, bread cubes and vegetables were cooked in the liquid, or simply dipped in. Chocolate fondue was made for dessert, with cookies, cake cubes and fruit for dipping.

Eggs weren't just served for breakfast during the '70s; they made many appearances as party food. Quiches, including quiche Lorraine, and mushroom and tuna quiches, were popular for any kind of sit-down party. Deviled eggs were a common appetizer, and tuna omelets were served for dinner parties.

Small foods skewered on toothpicks were popular 1970s party foods. These included chafing dishes filled with meatballs, cocktail weenies, water chestnuts wrapped in bacon and baked, and bits of pineapple, ham and cheese threaded together onto a single skewer and shoved into a foil-wrapped grapefruit half for presentation.

Many ham recipes were also brand-driven, as Hormel released ham recipes in print ads for Guaranteed Ham. Popular ham recipes included ham loaf, ham paté in aspic, melon balls or wedges wrapped in ham, ham spread on rye bread, mushrooms stuffed with ham, ham tarts and even whole glazed hams for party buffet tables.

Pineapple recipes were popular, especially after the Dole company released a cookbook featuring recipes using pineapple. Common pineapple recipes included cheese balls, pineapple upside-down cake and broiled pineapple appetizers. Pineapple was also used extensively in desserts, especially in molded jello salads and ambrosia.

Molded Jell-o salads and ambrosia, both harboring different combinations of whipped cream, nuts, mini-marshmallows, grated carrot, cranberries and pineapple, were popular desserts, but molded salads could be found in every course of a dinner party. Molded aspics containing fish, vegetables, eggs or different meats were served as first and main courses.

Cheeses, including flavored cheese ballsAdvertising geared toward kids also led to the success of candy and snacks, and many of these types of food were introduced in the 1970s and populated party tables throughout the decade. These included Pop Rocks, Starburst fruit chews, Munchos and Orville Redenbacher popcorn. General snack foods included onion dip made with soup mixes, corn chips, guacamole served with chips and vegetables, seven-layer dip (made up of taco meat, guacamole, chopped tomatoes, sour cream, shredded lettuce, salsa and grated cheddar cheese), and cracker and cheese plates.

Fruit punch was a memorable 1970s beverage, but brand-name drinks were also popular, including Tang, Snapple, Fresca and Country Time lemonade for children's parties. Adults drank clam juice on the rocks and sangria.