Dinner parties aren’t everyone’s idea of a good night: there’s the organizing, the cooking, the timing, and the hosting. That’s if you’re the host. If you’re a guest, they’re easy enough (if you’re with people you like). If you want some ideas for a decade-themed dinner party, are something of a food historian, or just like to laugh at times gone by, here are some highlights from historic dinner parties – one for each decade until the turn of the century.
1960s – Three-Cheese Fondue
For the uninitiated (or the dairy-free), fondue is melted cheese that arrives on your lucky guests’ table in a pot over a stove. ‘60s folk would dip their bread into a communal pot using long forks and enjoy the tangy, nutmeggy, salty cheese goodness – controversial, diet-wise, but a Healthline registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN), among other medical experts, has said eating cheese may help prevent osteoporosis and heart disease.
Anyway, back to ‘60s: cheese fondues were so hyped by the end of the decade that they were an established party food by the ’70s. But there were other delights too…
1970s – Galliano Cake
The 1970s were crazy for the Galliano cake, or Harvey Wallbanger cake. If you don’t like orange, you probably won’t like it. But if you do like orange and grand (and slightly peculiar) cake designs, it might be the perfect dessert.
The Spruce Eats writer Peggy Trowbridge Filippone suggests putting on some Beatles (arguably more appropriate for the ‘60s, to be fair), lighting pillar candles, and enjoying a fondue pot. That’s probably not all necessarily as long as you like cakes and orange.
1980s – Chicken Kiev
Chicken Kiev has survived the decades since, but it was particularly popular in the ’80s. Butter, garlic, parsley (or other herbs), Parmesan cheese, eggs, and flour (plus more flour in the form of breadcrumbs on top) made this one of the most popular dishes in the UK.
It was so popular, in fact, that the British Office of National Statistics used it to measure inflation (per Indian Express). It was, according to The Economist, “suffused with continental glamour” and a symbol of aspiration among the lower-middle classes.
1990s – Balsamic Vinegar
Balsamic became all the rage the next decade, with people drizzling vinegar over mushrooms, peppers, pine nuts and whatever else they could find. The fancier hosts tried out things like sun-dried tomatoes and goat cheeses. Balsamic vinegar is still popular (the global market size was forecast to hit 2.17 billion by 2019 – who knew?).
Dinner décor and ornaments through the decades
Other foods, as well as certain décor and music, have been popular throughout these decades. Silver candlesticks, for example, have been a staple of Jewish dinners at the time of Shabbat. These candlesticks are also known as neshek in Hebrew, a sort of acronym that means “neirot Shabbat kodesh” (holy Shabbat candles). Modern Shabbat candlesticks are often designed using traditional materials like silver.
Other cultures, including Islamic cultures, appreciate candles and light as a sign of knowledge and guidance. Plenty of modern dinner parties still feature candles; just last year Elle Décor reported, “candle-lit dinner parties are still de rigueur”.
Tableware has perhaps changed more dramatically. In the 1960s, geometric and floral patterns were popular, with the pizzazz generally matching guests’ outfits. The 2020s are relatively refined, with muted colors and simple silhouettes often preferred in clothing, and décor generally being “quieter”.
Some things, though, will be forever popular: The Beatles were streamed 1.7 billion times in the first 11 months of 2019 alone – the band are a phenomenon among Gen Z, about 60 years after they and cheese fondues broke big.