It seems that aspic – that clear, savory jelly, not to be confused with Jell-O – was ever present in the cookbooks of the 1950s. It surrounded fruits and vegetables, eggs, poultry, even fish. If it was edible, it could be suspended in gelatin and pass as a midcentury dinner party “treat,” assuming you held a very broad definition of the word.
The idea today, of course, doesn’t just seem silly; it’s downright stomach-turning. But talk to an older family member like a grandmother or an aunt, and at least one of them will brag about her “famous” gelatin concoction that can be found at every family gathering (usually untouched). How did the idea and execution of aspic dishes come about, and why do they make us chuckle and cringe?

There’s always room for Jell-O

First of all, a distinction must be made between aspic and its more popular cousin, Jell-O. Though both are made using gelatin, which itself is made of animal collagen (read: cartilage and bone), the powdered gelatin dessert with sugar added was invented in 1897, and, within its first decade of existence, marketed as “America’s Favorite Dessert.”

Aspic, meanwhile, is simply the savory jelly version, made with fish stock or meat stock. Unlike Jell-O salads, which still make appearances at potluck dinners or family gatherings, the aspic’s time on Americans’ dinner plates has largely passed. Both Jell-O and aspics can be molded into decorative shapes, and aspics are usually clear, though some are amber in color. Before refrigeration, aspics were used to protect food from air. Delicate and sliceable aspics (two of the three types of aspic), enhance the food’s flavor; some cooks even use aspics as a decoration (decorative aspic is the third and final type), according to author Wayne Gisslenen’s book “Professional Cooking.”

“Aspic looks kind of weird, kind of futuristic, but at the same time kind of old school,” writes Samantha Maxwell of Tasting Table, a fan of the dish. “But there’s also that unfair association with all those weird Jell-O salads that float around the Internet every few months. These negative impressions mean that some of us will never get to savor the fun, jelly-like joy that is quality aspic.”

If you’ve ever had bone broth, you might already know the taste of aspic (a French version is called “chaud froid,” which translates to “hot-cold,” a reference to boiling the meat broth to let it chill and congeal, Maxwell notes).

Wiggly, jiggly … and savory

The earliest references to meat aspics in recipes and texts related to coking appear as early as the 8th century, and vegetable aspics soon followed. By the early 19th century, aspics were popular in Europe. According to MyRecipes, in the centuries before the Industrial Revolution, aspic was considered “haute cuisine”  something only the wealthy consumed. But by the mid-19th century, gelatin became easier to produce, thus it became more widely available and more cost-effective to those who wanted to give the exotic dish a try. And at the dawn of the 20th century, aspics gained a following in the United States. At the height of its popularity in the mid-20th century, celebrity chef Julia Child introduced many Americans to the dish.

“Of course, eating these foods in what we now consider to be a Jell-O mold might seem like a strange practice these days,” Maxwell notes, “but at the time, aspic was at the height of dinner party trendiness.”

Unlike Jell-O, which is relatively simple and quick to prepare, aspic is quite labor-intensive, Maxwell continues.

“Aspic takes so long to make because the cook must boil the bones and cartilage long enough to release the gelatin that gives aspic its signature jiggle,” she writes.

By the 1960s, however, aspics were falling out of favor with the public, instead being relegated to the category of “cringe-worthy, bizarre recipes of yesteryear” sections of America’s cookbooks. So, while it doesn’t appetize us – especially the aspics centered around cuts of meat – the aspic has never failed to entertain, shock, and even make us chuckle.