Sausage balls, broccoli casserole, Coca-Cola salad. These are all recipes I found in a vintage cookbook from the 1970s when perusing my local library's book sale. I am an absolute sucker when it comes to vintage cookbooks and I can't help but be completely and utterly fascinated by the recipes women used to influence their family's meals. From a cultural perspective, taking a look into how people cooked can show a great deal of what was important and trending during the time. And in the case of Coca-Cola salad, it was the influx of jello salad recipes.
What are Jello Salads?
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It's not a cookout with a jello salad. According to The State Of Jell-O Salad In America, the American jello salad (not to be confused with French aspic) has been around since 1904, when a recipe called Perfection Salad started making the rounds. The salad included cabbage and green olives and the optional mayonnaise.
In the 1960s, women's magazines gained popularity and were the perfect platform to share popular and new recipes to housewives across the country. Jell-O created a few recipes and they took off like a space shuttle.
So it comes as no surprise that everyone took to adding their own spin on the Jell-O salad, including adding in a favorite southern soft drink.
How To Make Coca-Cola Salad
If you love the taste of cherry coke, this side dish is made for you. Made with pecans, cream cheese, cherry jello, cherry pie filling, and pineapple, this congealed salad is the perfect dish to bring to your next BBQ or family outing.
To begin, dissolve the cherry gelatin in boiling water and add the cherry pie filling. Once mixed, add in the pineapple, along with its juice, and one can of Coca-Cola. Stir in the nuts and let sit in the fridge until set, about 2-3 hours. Meanwhile, whip together the cream cheese and whipped topping and dollop on the jello fruit salad and serve.
