School food brings back strong memories

Researchers Hillevi Prell and Cecilia Magnusson Sporre have taken a closer look at food and taste memories from school meals in 246 adults who went to school between the 1940s and the early 2000s. Participants share both positive and traumatic memories associated with different dishes, such as the beloved spaghetti with minced meat sauce and the hated liver stew.

In Sweden, free school lunches have been served for over a hundred years and it is the largest of all public meals that most people have a relationship with. From the beginning, a very simple meal consisting of gruel or porridge was served. During the 70s it was mostly home cooking, such as black pudding, brown beans with pork, cabbage pudding and pea soup. During the 1980s, food prices rose and dishes became simpler and cheaper, such as sausages and mashed potatoes or milk and cereals.

Sustainable food - a strong trend

In the 1990s, international influences began to take their place in school kitchens with dishes such as tikka masala and kebab stew, which have displaced more classic home cooking.

"When the traditional home cooking disappears, we risk losing an important part of our food cultural heritage. At the same time, traditional Swedish home cooking is quite heavy food which usually suits those who work hard physically. Therefore, it would be exciting if the household classics came in new plant-based variants, says Hillevi Prell," diet economist, Senior lecturer in nutrition science at the Department of Food and Nutrition and Sport Science.

In today's school kitchens, more plant-based, sustainable food is a strong trend. At the salad buffet there is much more to choose from and it is common for students to choose two dishes, one of which is always vegetarian.

"In the past, you had to have a certificate from home that showed you were a vegetarian. It was seen as a special diet. Today, school kitchens discuss how often you can have completely vegetarian days, even though there are both students and parents who oppose this and think that meat should always be served," says Cecilia Magnusson Sporre, Senior University lecturer at the Department of Food and Nutrition and Sport Science.

Tricks to hide food

Some of those who responded to the survey testified to how important the school meal was, that it was a lifesaver because it was the only cooked food they got.

"The school meals were also important for the social community, even if the students often felt very controlled by the school kitchen staff, who forced them to eat. Throwing away food was not an option," says Hillevi Prell.

The participants in the study tell how they developed different tricks to hide food that they didn't want to eat. Sandwiches with butter were stuck under the tables, food was tucked away in napkins and flower pots, and people became experts at looking after the school kitchen staff turned away.

The time pressure, when many students have to eat in a short time, was also perceived as a big problem. It is also something that appears in several contemporary studies about the school meal

"Often you have too small canteens and the children don't have time to eat more, because then you have to queue again and then the time is up," says Hillevi Prell.

Many demands on the school meal

The school meal must live up to many different demands. It must be sustainable, nutritious and cheap. Another challenge is that we have students from all over the world with different taste preferences. In addition, the number of special diets and adapted meals for medical and religious reasons has increased.

"It is impressive to see what you still manage to achieve within the school meals with such small funds," says Cecilia Magnusson Sporre.

By: Ragnhild Larsson