It’s 1936, and the USA is deep into the Great Depression. So, no, life is not great for most Americans. However, the companies keep trying recipes that feed a family for very little.
You might also not eat a lot either, but it is better to have something than nothing. And the spread is creamy, so it covers the bread far better than you might think it will.
When I came across this scanned-in recipe from the 1936 edition of Mary Dunbar’s Favorite Recipes Jewel Tea Co Booklet, I knew I had to try it. We cannot have peanut butter in our house, but unsweetened Sunbutter works the same.
I came of age with a Dad who grew up at the tail end of the Depression, and he really loved deviled ham. He’d make sandwiches with mayo on the bread, and the ham spread thickly. It is salty, so cutting it with other ingredients helps a lot.
As I mixed the recipe, I realized this was doable on the trail, not just as a day hiker’s or first-day-out sandwich. I have included notes on making it shelf-stable.
Here’s a nerd-y fact:
Underwood started producing deviled ham in 1868. In 1870, the company trademarked the devil logo used on the can, and it is now the oldest trademark for a food product still in use in the United States. Those little cans keep plugging along, decade after decade.
If you live in an area with younger generations, you may have a harder time sourcing it. Where we live, there are plenty of retirees, so it is nearly always stocked. Look at the canned meats in grocery stores.
And most of all? Before you go “EWWWWW” try it. It works in a very savory way. My Dad would have loved it, to say the least.
Hiking Sandwich Filling
Ingredients:
- 4.25-ounce can of deviled ham
- ½ cup unsweetened peanut butter or Sunbutter
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 4 tsp yellow mustard
Directions:
Mix the ingredients well. Chill the mixture and let the flavors combine for at least 30 minutes.
Store the spread in the refrigerator until needed.
Spread on bread or tortilla wraps. Wrap sandwiches and chill till time to leave. You could freeze them, and they will thaw as you hike. However, with the preservative and salt, I wouldn’t worry overall, outside of hot weather.
Notes:
To make it shelf-stable, carry the can of deviled ham (it has a pop-top lid). Tuck in packets or tubs of peanut butter (3 of these would work great), mayo packet (usually about 1 Tablespoon worth per packet) and mustard packets (mustard is usually 1 teaspoon worth).
The original serving size would have been very little, just over a Tablespoon worth of filling. Unless your bread was the size of high tea sandwiches, this was not a lot. So I say, make a large batch like I did …. and enjoy a filling sandwich.
If you like old Great Depression recipes, I make them on our homesteading site.
~Sarah