July 25, 2012

Speak of the 1950s deviled eggs

Last month we delved into potato salad with a delicious, ingredient rich recipe from the 1940s. Today we're going to spend a little while with another summertime party, picnic, and cold cut based supper staple: the deviled egg.

Where exactly deviled eggs got their start is hard to say, as foods that included a notable hit of spice or piquancy have been called "deviled" since at least the 18th century, and stuffed/filled eggs have likely existed for that far back (if not longer), given how popular eggs have been throughout many cultures around the world for centuries.

Known, less commonly as salad eggs, eggs mimosa (no relationship to the drink), and dressed eggs, deviled eggs appear in scads of yesteryear cookbooks, and really began to gain in popularly from the 1930s onwards (with, I'd venture to say, the 1950s being their heyday). I'm sure that this is due in no small part to the fact that refrigerators were becoming more commonplace and thus eggs (especially ones that had been prepared with highly perishable ingredients like mayonnaise) could be safely stored in a chilled environment until they were ready to be served.

Much as with many other summertime finger foods and salads, most people put their own subtle spin on deviled eggs, though at its heart this relatively simple recipe remains fairly similar across the board. Hard boiled eggs are partnered with mayo, Miracle Whip or salad dressing cream, various seasonings, and often mustard. A sprinkling of paprika (or for those who like it extra spicy, chili powder) is commonplace, but not always a given.

In today's 1950s recipe for Deviled Eggs, the ingredient list is kept to a relative minimum, but there's no shortage of taste of crowd pleasing appeal here (especially since this recipes lends itself to being multiplied to your heart's content).


Vintage 1950s Deviled Egg recipe


{A smile-inducingly fun illustration accompanies this 1957 recipe for Deviled Eggs, making it one that's worthy of printing out and pasting into your book of favourite recipes. Image via Charm and Poise on Flickr.}




I adore sweet relish, so I'd likely up the content there a little if following this recipe. If I was in the mood to deviate, I might ditch the ketchup and relish, and swap the yellow mustard for honey, Dijon, or grainy, swirling in a small handful of freshly picked chopped chives, parsley, basil, or tarragon. A dash of Worcestershire sauce can also be a wonderful savoury note to include in the filling when making this classic finger food.

If you like your Deviled eggs to be especially "evil" (aka, sizzlingly hot), you can always toss in a splash of tabasco, chili, or sweet chili (awesome with a little lemon grass) sauce, not to mention cayenne pepper, fresh or canned chili peppers, onions, or hot salsa.

If on the other hand, you prefer an stuffed egg that veers closer to being angelic, forgo the fire and stick with creamy, mild ingredients such as sour cream, French dressing, dill, pimentos, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, finely chopped celery, grated carrot, sun dried tomatoes, roasted garlic, or shredded cheese (such as cheddar, Swiss, or Havarti).

There's really no limit to the array of ingredients you can plunk down inside of a hollowed out half a hardboiled egg, and therein lies so much of the fun and appeal of this classic, quick-to-prepare, much beloved appetizer which, perhaps due to its name, is more than a little tempting to both make and consume!

18 comments:

  1. Cold eggs are not my thing. They give me the willies. My boyfriend on the other hand *loves* spicy deviled eggs. I never knew how simple they were to make!

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  2. Oh, that devilish egg illustration is adorable.
    Hmm... I think my family's Deviled Egg recipe uses mayo, dried mustard (for the kick), processed mustard, paprika, salt, pepper, ...and maybe celery seed? Some other spices that I don't remember! And we top ours with chives if we're feeling fancy.

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  3. I could eat my own weight in devilled eggs, Cool Hand Luke style, if my better judgement didn't keep me to a modest one or two! Why are they so good? I love the little illustration on this recipe card; thanks for the midmorning "tastespiration"! :)

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  4. I remember when I was a child seeing a recipe for devilled eggs in an old cookbook of my mothers, which probably dated from the 1950's. They were arranged on a bed of lettuce, and I thought they looked the height of sophistication! Alas, I have yet to try one. As you saw from my blog, we are now enjoying the sunshine. Perhaps I should whip up some Devilled Eggs as an al fresco snack.

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  5. Oh, yum! I have enjoyed homemade deviled eggs since I was a girl. I love the ones my Mom makes. And a man I know used to make one of best tasting deviled eggs!!

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  6. Devilled Eggs are something which evoke happy memories of childhood with BBQ's on long lazy hot Summer days. Mum made the best devilled eggs around based on a very similar recipe too.

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  7. I am vegan, and I just read this ENTIRE post. Interesting is interesting! And savory foods are kind of generally fascinating to me. Is that strange? I made too much walnut-mushroom pate last week, so I blended it with some non-dairy milk, poured it over leftover finger sandwiches and potatoes, and baked it. Best Leftovers Casserole ever! So I guess what I'm getting at is that if there's a way to make a vegan approximation of a deviled egg, I'm going to figure out what it is...

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    1. Hi Cammila, I love your approach to reading about food. I totally agree, interesting is interesting sometimes, even if something doesn't apply to you. I actually developed an egg allergy a few years ago and haven't been able to eat them since with out getting very sick, so I'd be all for a vegan version of deviled eggs, too (I'd just need it to be gluten-free, as I have celiac disease). If you stumble upon a great recipe, please let me know, I'll test drive it right it! :)

      ♥ Jessica

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  8. Isn't that illustration fabulous! Yes I need to eat more eggs and those 'evil' ones are callin to me....love to you across the miles...

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  9. hay :) thank you so much for you sweet comment on my blog! :) it really meant allot to him and I to hear that from you :)

    oh my goodness i love deviled eggs!! :) im going to use this recipe for my next get together with my friends!! :) you always seem to find the most yummy vintage recipes!! :) i cant wait to see the next one you find :)

    biggest hugs and best wishes,
    TheRitzyFlapper (Alicia)

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  10. I am going to make these this weekend for a baby shower. I've actually never eaten devilled eggs and always wondered what they are when I see them in a film! That's a very cute vintage recipe right there!

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  11. Oh what an interesting recipe!! I have never tried them with relish or mustard or ketchup before.

    I hope that you are doing fabulously well! :D I love your avatar photo; so glamorous! :D

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  12. I've never had deviled eggs made with anything other than mayo and a bit of paprika. I think I am going to have to get more adventurous and try some of the different ingredients you mentioned!

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  13. As a fan of deviled eggs, I love this post and your suggested fillings! My favorite filling is bacon, lettuce and tomato mixed into the traditional mayo and mustard... cut with a little slice off the bottom of the egg so that it stands on end and is filled from the tip of the egg rather than the traditional method of slicing long-ways. Wonderful image and recipe above! Have you seen the fun deviled egg platters of the 50s? Keeps them from slipping around on the plate.

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    1. Hi Ann, that sounds absolutely marvelous - like a Deviled BLT! Tony would go bananas for that recipe, so I'll definitely have to make it for him (I actually can't eat eggs myself anymore since developing a nasty allergy to them a couple of years ago) really soon. Thanks so much for the great idea!

      Indeed I have seen those delightful mid-century deviled egg plates. I'd love to find one while out thrifting some time to use not only for ages, but other fun, teeny-tiny nibbles, too.

      ♥ Jessica

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  14. Just discovered your site, so I'm late in commenting. I live in the Deep South and deviled eggs are something we have very often. I make mine with mayo, brown mustard and crumbled fried bacon. My son likes them with a little dill pickle relish in them as well, so I add some to about 1/4 of the eggs. I have a big family so I usually boil the whole carton of 18 eggs and devil them. Now I want some! I think I'll go make some up.

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    1. Thank you very much for your sharing your thoroughly delicious sounding version of deviled eggs. I know that my husband would go wild for them, so I'll be making your recipe for him in the very near future.

      Thanks again & have a fantastic week,
      ♥ Jessica

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