Wherein our Heroine Learns That There Are An Alarming Number of People Who Have Never Eaten Tuna Casserole

Yesterday evening I had plans to watch The Best TV Show Ever with my friend Tintern. I inquired whether he thought a tuna casserole would be appropriate fare for the night's activities. Imagine my surprise when I received this text message in response: I've never eaten tuna casserole.

After I recovered from my shock and picked my lower jaw up off the floor, I set to work preparing one. While my noodles were cooking, I got a phone call from my friend in Minnesota. I jokingly made reference to the tuna casserole shock I had just received and Sara confessed to me that she'd NEVER HAD IT EITHER.

So then, that got me to thinking... is Tuna Casserole really an All-American staple or did I just have a warped childhood?

I did a little research and discovered that canned tuna dates back to the early part of the century. However, the first known recipe for Tuna Casserole was published in 1941 by the Campbell's Soup Company. Apparently they developed Cream of Mushroom soup explicitly for use in Tuna Casserole. (Does anyone actually use it for soup? Or is it like Lipton's Onion Soup mix which, as far as I can tell, no one uses for anything other than dip. Or on a rare occasion, meatloaf.)

Casseroles, which refer to the dish in which they are cooked, were heavily promoted during the Depression and the Second World War as economical and nutritious meals. Later, in the 1950's they remained popular dinner options for the time-pressed housewife. The 70's brought about the advent of Hamburger (and Tuna) Helper which further streamlined the making of this popular dish.

An informal office and email poll today shows that most people seem to have grown up eating Tuna Casserole at least once, usually more often. Thank goodness.