It was a time of careful shopping, empty sugar bowls and Victory gardens growing on every bit of available land. Karo syrup, honey and molasses replaced the sugar in cakes and cookies. Americans ate more chicken-the Sunday pot roast had become a fond memory.
Tires were patched and repatched; new tires were as valuable as gold and more difficult to acquire. Gasoline and shoe purchases were severely limited and required special stamps. America was at war with the Axis; it was time to tighten the belt and make sacrifices to ensure an Allied victory.
Within a year after America's entry into World War II, factories were producing armaments instead of civilian products like automobiles and electrical appliances. Shoe manufacturers made boots for the U.S. Armed Forces. Silk and nylon went into parachutes instead of women's stockings. Shortages of metals, rubber and sugar quickly appeared as Pacific supply routes fell under enemy control.
In Apri11942 the Office of Price Aministration announced sugar would be rationed --Philippine imports had been cut off and ships carrying Cuban and Puerto Rican sugar were needed for defense use. Large amounts of sugar were also required to manufacture the alcohol used in explosives. By 1943 coffee, canned meat and fish, canned, frozen and dried fruits and vegetables and fresh meat, fish, butter and cheese quickly joined the list.
On December 6, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed Claude R. Wickard to the newly created position of food administrator to supervise the rationing of consumable and usable products vital to the war effort. Wickard, well aware of his job's importance, noted during a radio broadcast later that month that "the way we manage our food supply will have a lot to do with how soon we win the war."
By early 1943 the point system for food and other commodities had become reality for most Americans. Each citizen, regardless of age, was issued 2 ration books on a specific date--set by the Office of Price Administration-each month. Blue coupons were used with cash to purchase canned foods; red went towqard meat, fish and dairy products.
Every coupon had a special point value and the total monthly point allowance was 48 blue and 64 red points. The rationing points translated into about 2 pounds of canned fruits and vegetables, about 1.5 pounds of meat and 4 ounces of cheese per person. The average family of 4 received 8 ration books, or a total of 192 blue and 256 red points per month.
Rationing was established to distribute fairly whatever food was available to home-front markets, but it did not guarantee that everyone would find the foods for which they had coupons. The military's needs were met first, so shortages of certain foods quickly became unavoidable. Points were fIgured geographically, but food supplies differed regionally, even within a state. While some cuts of meat might require 12 points per pound in Detroit, they would only require 6 points in Chicago.
Faced with inevitable shortages, housewives spent much of their day budgeting and planning meals. Their innovative ideas quickly became apparent in the recipes for sugarless or low-sugar cookies and cakes that appeared in newspapers and magazines. Other sweetening agents, such as honey, molasses, sorghum and Karo syrup, were substituted In desserts or atop pancakes and hot cereal. ~ required many cooks to fall back on Depression-era recipes that used oatmeal or soybean flour in casseroles and stews as meat extenders.
Many cookbooks were written to assist the wartime cook as she dealt with meat, sugar and egg rationing. The book "Thrifty Cooking for Wartime" by Alice B. Winn-Smith (1942, The Macmillan Company) is a charming example of the kinds of books ~ turned to for help. In the book's preface, Winn-Srnith writes, "In this book are many helpful suggestions that will make your meal planning easier while going through these experiences. After all, we owe it to our families to keep the home fire burning as comfortably as possible, while they are so willingly doing everything to protect it."
Nutritionists and cookbook authors suggested housewives serve more meatless meals, something we've discovered today is a healthy alternative, but was considered a patriotic sacrifice during the war years. Winn-Smith reminded readers, "Remember, much of the meat is needed by 'our boys,' and the use of some of these meat cuts that are less important for supplying the armed forces, definitely helps in the conservation program."