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Every President’s Favorite Foods

Every President’s Favorite Foods

As the 44th president of the United States, Barack Obama was known as a food enthusiast and adventurous eater. He enjoyed regional American specialties like Philly cheesesteaks (with the traditional Cheez Whiz), as well as top-dollar sushi, as when he visited the legendary Sukiyabashi Jiro in Tokyo. His favorite foods, however, are half-smokes (a spicy sausage that is popular in the D.C. area) and broccoli — a vegetable that once inspired one of Obama’s predecessors, George H. W. Bush, to proclaim “I’m President of the United States. And I’m not gonna eat any more broccoli!”

Every president has had favorite things to eat, and many of them are relatively standard fare. From Ronald Reagan’s notorious addiction to jelly beans to Donald Trump’s obsession with fast food, most presidential tastes can hardly be labeled “gourmet.” (Can you answer these real “Jeopardy” clues about U.S. presidents?)

24/7 Tempo has compiled every president’s favorite foods. More than a few love that definitive American staple apple pie. Variations on corn, be it hoecakes or corn chowder, also pepper the list. Tastes are often representative of regional cuisine from a president’s birthplace. New Englander JFK loved clam chowder, James Madison prefered salt-cured Virginia ham, and Lyndon B. Johnson opted for Texas BBQ. 

We used multiple sources, including three books not available online: “The Presidents’ Own White House Cookbook,” edited by Robert Jones; “Favorite Recipes of Our First Ladies,” edited by John Carter and Sharon Carter; and “A Treasury of White House Cooking” by François Rysavy and Frances Spatz Leighton. Online sources included Food and Wine and Food Timeline, as well as numerous president-specific sites, among them Dining at Mount Vernon, Monticello, Lincoln Home, and FDR Library and Museum. The form in which each president’s name is given and his years in office come from the Library of Congress Chronological List of Presidents, First Ladies, and Vice Presidents of the United States.

Squirrel stew, a common preparation in the 19th century, was a favorite of two presidents, including James A. Garfield, who was famously assassinated only a few months into his presidency. (Here are the stories behind the deaths of 39 American presidents.)

Soups, pies, chicken, and various meats are common favorites — revealing that even the most powerful people in the world enjoy comfort food.

Source: Hulton Archive / Getty Images

George Washington (1789-1797)
> Favorite Food: Hoecakes and honey, roasted meats, hazelnuts, hot chocolate

Source: http://www.whitehouseresearch.org/assetbank-whha/action/viewHome / Wikimedia Commons

John Adams (1797-1801)
> Favorite Food: Codfish cakes, apple pan dowdy

Source: National Archives / Getty Images

Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809)
> Favorite Food: Fried potatoes, macaroni pie

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

James Madison (1809-1817)
> Favorite Food: Virginia ham, apple pie

Source: Billy Hathorn / Wikimedia Commons

James Monroe (1817-1825)
> Favorite Food: Virginia spoon bread, fried chicken with rice

Source: cassowaryprods / Flickr

John Quincy Adams (1825-1829)
> Favorite Food: Fresh fruit

Source: Hulton Archive / Getty Images

Andrew Jackson (1829-1837)
> Favorite Food: Cheddar cheese, fried ham with gravy, “leather britches” (string beans with bacon)

Source: Hulton Archive / Getty Images

Martin Van Buren (1837-1841)
> Favorite Food: Roast boar’s head, apples

Source: James Lambdin / Wikimedia Commons

William Henry Harrison (1841)
> Favorite Food: Burgoo (squirrel stew), fresh vegetables

Source: iip-photo-archive / Flickr

John Tyler (1841-1845)
> Favorite Food: Omelettes, roast game birds, “Tyler’s Pudding-Pie”

Source: National Archives / Getty Images

James K. Polk (1845-1849)
> Favorite Food: Corn pone, vinegar pie

Source: National Archives / Getty Images

Zachary Taylor (1849-1850)
> Favorite Food: Cherries, beignets

Source: iip-photo-archive / Flickr

Millard Fillmore (1850-1853)
> Favorite Food: Meat stew, “resurrection pie” (savory pie of liver, beef shank, rabbit, etc.)

Source: Mathew Brady / Wikimedia Commons

Franklin Pierce (1853-1857)
> Favorite Food: Fried apple pie, maple syrup

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

James Buchanan (1857-1861)
> Favorite Food: Turtle soup, Pennsylvania Dutch succotash, grape pie

Source: Hulton Archive / Getty Images

Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865)
> Favorite Food: Chicken fricassee, white almond cake, gingerbread

Source: Mathew Brady / Wikimedia Commons

Andrew Johnson (1865-1869)
> Favorite Food: Hoppin’ John, red rice, sweet potato pudding

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

Ulysses S. Grant (1869-1877)
> Favorite Food: Rice pudding, roast beef

Source: National Archives / Newsmakers / Getty Images

Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-1881)
> Favorite Food: Cornmeal pancakes

Source: Unknown; part of Brady-Handy Photograph Collection. / Wikimedia Commons

James A. Garfield (1881)
> Favorite Food: Squirrel soup, sour apple pie

Source: National Archives / Getty Images

Chester A. Arthur (1881-1885)
> Favorite Food: Mutton chops, turtle steak, macaroni pie with oysters

Source: cornelluniversitylibrary / Flickr

Grover Cleveland (1885-1889 and 1893-1897)
> Favorite Food: Corned beef and cabbage, steaks and chops

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893)
> Favorite Food: Corn chowder, oysters, fig pudding

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

William McKinley (1897-1901)
> Favorite Food: Omelette casserole, hot lobster salad, red flannel hash

Source: Topical Press Agency / Getty Images

Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909)
> Favorite Food: Fried chicken with gravy, roast game birds, “fat rascals” (currant biscuits)

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

William H. Taft (1909-1913)
> Favorite Food: Steak, hashed brown potatoes

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921)
> Favorite Food: Chicken salad, strawberry ice cream

Source: Topical Press Agency / Getty Images

Warren G. Harding (1921-1923)
> Favorite Food: Knockwurst with sauerkraut, chicken pot pie

Source: Hulton Archive / Getty Images

Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929)
> Favorite Food: Cornmeal muffins, veal curry

Source: Topical Press Agency / Getty Images

Herbert Hoover (1929-1933)
> Favorite Food: Corn soup, baked Virginia ham

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945)
> Favorite Food: Grilled cheese sandwiches, scrambled eggs

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

Harry S. Truman (1945-1953)
> Favorite Food: Fried chicken, chicken and dumplings, well-done steak, custard pie

Source: Moore / Getty Images

Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-1961)
> Favorite Food: Beef stew, corn pudding

Source: National Archives / Getty Images

John F. Kennedy (1961-1963)
> Favorite Food: Clam chowder, lobster stew

Source: Keystone / Getty Images

Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1969)
> Favorite Food: Texas barbecue, black-eyed peas

Source: Washington Bureau / Archive Photos via Getty Images

Richard M. Nixon (1969-1974)
> Favorite Food: Cottage cheese with ketchup, meat loaf

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

Gerald R. Ford (1974-1977)
> Favorite Food: English muffins, pot roast with red cabbage

Source: Hulton Archive / Getty Images

Jimmy Carter (1977-1981)
> Favorite Food: Grits, gumbo, red beans and rice

Source: Getty Images / Getty Images

Ronald Reagan (1981-1989)
> Favorite Food: Jelly beans, monkey bread, fudge brownies

Source: https___www.archstl.org_obituary-president-george-hw-bush-3413 / Wikimedia Commons

George Bush (1989-1993)
> Favorite Food: Pork rinds, beef jerky, hot dogs

Source: Noam Galai / Getty Images

Bill Clinton (1993-2001)
> Favorite Food: Pork rinds, Egg McMuffin, cinnamon rolls

Source: Pool / Getty Images

George W. Bush (2001-2009)
> Favorite Food: Cheeseburger pizza, Texas barbecue, huevos rancheros

Source: Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

Barack Obama (2009-2017)
> Favorite Food: Broccoli, half smokes, nachos, apple pie

Source: Michael Vadon / Wikimedia Commons

Donald J. Trump (2017-2021)
> Favorite Food: Filet-o-Fish, Big Mac, KFC fried chicken

Source: Alex Wong / Getty Images News via Getty Images

Joseph R. Biden (2021-)
> Favorite Food: Ice cream, pasta with red sauce

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