How to Make 1980s Rectangular School Lunch Pizza
Max MillerofTasting Historynostalgically prepared the iconic rectangular pizza that was served in school lunches during the late 20th century using a recipe he found in Quantity Recipes for School Food Service", a 1988 US Department of Agriculture booklet that was distributed to schools across the country.
If you grew up in the 80s and 90s herein the US then you probably rememberPizza Day at school. For me it was alwayson Fridays and it wasn't just any pizza but the iconic rectangular pizza that I'llbe making today using the original recipefrom 1988.
As he was preparing the recipe, Miller talked about the history of school lunches, noting how it began in 1969 with free breakfasts that were given to kids before school by the Black Panthers, which started locally in Oakland, California, and then spread across the nation. Unfortunately, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover felt that this was an underhanded ploy by revolutionaries who wanted to take over the government.
So this breakfast program thatthe Black Panthers were doing was happening allover the country, and it got really, really big.So big that it grabbed the attention of the FBIDirector J. Edgar Hoover... And this program that gave children free breakfast wasso successful that Hoover decided it needed to bestopped.
While Hoover attempted to squelch this program, the desire still remained. This led to the government voting to implement school lunch programs across the country. Unfortunately, this type of program was often the victim of budget cuts. In fact, one Reagan USDA aide floated a very bad idea that was never implemented, but was certainly memorable.
Well one personhad the idea to change the nutrition standards alittle bit which would allow relish and ketchup tobe considered a vegetable. Now that was a bad ideaand unfortunately somebody wrote it down, and itdidn't get removed. Now it never actually becamepolicy but the whole ketchup is a vegetable thingdid get out into the public, and there was severeblowback, rightly so.
As he concluded the history of school lunches in the United States, Miller found that the pizza was ready. He cut it into nine rectangles, pulling out a piece for himself. Miller got a very nostalgic look on his face as he bit into the slice, stating that it's just how he remembers it.
Tastesjust like it. You can like- all of those herbsare exactly the same as they were. I thinkmaybe it tastes a little fresher than I remember,like the flavors are a little heightened butthat's that's them. This is the pizza...So if youare nostalgic for this pizza might I suggest youmake it. It's pretty cool to taste this flavor,because I don't think they make it anymoreat least not like this at schools andkudos to all the lunch ladies and lunch men out theretoday and from my past.
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