As I wander around this city, day and night, delving into the "mysteries of history" that normally compose this column, sometimes I run across things that are so strange and unusual that I feel compelled to share them with my half-dozen readers, even if they are not unique to the Bluff City. And so, I bring you this vintage ad, from the 1960s, for a remarkable product from Kraft.
They called it ... Potato Fudge.
I'm sorry the image is somewhat grainy, but you can clearly see how delighted the children are to find their mother (or father, who knows?) slathering a big dollop of Potato Fudge onto a baked potato. And if you think that's ALL the children will be eating for dinner, well, you're wrong — their thoughtful parent has also provided them with two healthy sprigs of parsley.
So what was Potato Fudge, exactly? I'm not entirely sure. The Kraft copywriters tried to explain it by offering these instructions for its proper use:
"Into the heart of a split, hot baked potato spoon a big swirl of Kraft's Potato Fudge. That chocolatey, gooey goodness your kids crave will melt right in — putting a smile on the mouth of even the most finicky eaters. Kids love the taste, and you'll love the healthy vitamins and minerals they get from the natural goodness of nature's potato, the Potato."
No, you didn't misread that. They actually said: "... the goodness of nature's potato, the Potato."
Well, gosh, what other kind of potato do you have?
Now, if spooning this "gooey goodness" onto "nature's potato, the Potato" eventually lost its appeal — if, by some chance, it failed to "bring a smile to the mouths" (not their faces, mind you, but just the mouths) of your children, the good folks at Kraft offered two other dinner options for this product.
First of all, you could entice them to the table with Fudge Nugglets. Simple to prepare, these were just baked potatoes, sliced and diced into cubes, and then blended with, yep, Potato Fudge. If they wasn't enough gooey goodness for them, you could even sprinkle cocoa on this tasty dish. Because nothing goes better with potatoes than ... chocolate.
But really, the greatest dish of all — and it's a mystery why this was never served in Memphis' finest restaurants — was called "The Sow Trough." Can you tell from the illustration (at right) what this is? Why, just whip up some mashed potatoes in a mixing bowl, and then just add spoonfuls (or spoonsful, if you prefer) of Potato Fudge. The result? "Your kids will snort, wallow, and roll in the rich, chocolately flavor."
And really, isn't that the greatest compliment that anyone can give to a cook — when you "snort, wallow, and roll" in the dish they have prepared for you?
And look ... just in time for Thanksgiving — an all-new Butterscotch Flavor!
