They say what goes around comes back around, but we’re still waiting for the triumphant return of medlars, sweet potato pudding, and other culinary crushes that history ghosted.

Food fads are basically edible time capsules—each one reflecting what was in style, what was scarce, and how much mayonnaise was socially acceptable.

So, until someone finally builds a tasty time machine, here’s our wish list of bygone bites we’d bring back.

1. SWEET POTATO PUDDING

Thomas Jefferson: Founding Father, inventor, dessert guy. This Colonial classic—basically sweet potato pie before it was cool—was loaded with sweet potatoes, eggs, sugar, and nutmeg. Jefferson’s version was a remix of Mary Randolph’s pudding, from her 1824 cookbook The Virginia Housewife . She also suggested making it with Irish po

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