The Great Depression's Push For Affordable Food Gave Us One Of Today's Most Divisive Condiments

When the Great Depression hit in the 1930s, much of the population struggled to make ends meet and were forced to discover alternatives to certain foods and ingredients that had become too expensive or hard to find. Many ate strange foods during the Great Depression, meals that were thrown together with whatever people had in the house, from pasta and peas to water pie. One item still found on grocery store shelves today was actually invented during this era — Miracle Whip. 

Kraft Foods reportedly introduced the mayonnaise-like condiment at the 1933 Chicago World's Fair, long after the invention of mayonnaise itself. However, it's alleged that Kraft didn't develop it themselves, but bought the recipe from a Salem, Illinois restaurant called Max Crossett's Cafe in 1931 and ran with it. The company apparently purchased the recipe, which was then dubbed Max's "X-tra Fine Salad Dressing," for $300. While that amount doesn't sound like much, it would have been the equivalent of almost $6,000 today.  

Miracle Whip came about by combining actual mayonnaise with homemade salad dressing. Both mayonnaise and Miracle Whip contain eggs, oil and vinegar, but the latter uses more water and a lot less oil, making it more affordable. Miracle Whip also contains added sugar and spices that give it a noticeably different taste than mayo, one that as you might expect, is sweeter and spicier. 

Kraft patented a special machine that whipped the mayonnaise and salad dressing ingredients into submission to make a spread. This is how the divisive condiment earned its name. The company took a chance with the launch of Miracle Whip at the height of the Depression and saw major success after first selling the product only in New England. It quickly became a nationwide best-seller and continues to be mayonnaise alternative that many reach for. While some enjoy the richer, eggier taste of mayo, some prefer Miracle's Whip's punchy tang.