The Favorite Foods of America’s Early Presidents

We all have our favorite foods – meals that we prefer more than anything else we might consume – and there are some things we may prefer over others, and can happily enjoy at almost every meal, there are others we’d like to pass on. When it comes to food, presidents are just like us. Each one has shown an affinity for a certain food and while it may not be something we would eat today, or perhaps we would, these dishes appeared frequently at their mealtimes.

Every president has favorite things to eat, and while many of them are relatively standard fare, there is the exception of one or two who had a fondness for squirrel stew, a common preparation in the 19th century. This list reveals that even the most powerful people in the world enjoy comfort food and have a fondness for some rather interesting dishes. (Can you answer these real “Jeopardy” clues about U.S. presidents?)

Key Points:

• Squirrel stew was a favorite of two presidents
• Many presidents have had a penchant for apple pie
• Presidents had quite the love of stews and soups

24/7 Tempo has compiled a list of early presidents’ favorite foods by consulting multiple sources, including books not available online: “The Presidents’ Own White House Cookbook,” edited by Robert Jones; and “A Treasury of White House Cooking” by François Rysavy and Frances Spatz Leighton.

Online sources included Food and Wine and Food Timeline, and numerous president-specific sites, one of which was the FDR Library and Museum, and others. 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.

George Washington (1789-1797)

• Favorite Food: Hoecakes and honey, roasted meats, hazelnuts, hot chocolate

John Adams (1797-1801)

• Favorite Food: Codfish cakes, apple pan dowdy

Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809)

• Favorite Food: Fried potatoes, macaroni pie

James Madison (1809-1817)

• Favorite Food: Virginia ham, apple pie

James Monroe (1817-1825)

• Favorite Food: Virginia spoon bread, fried chicken with rice

John Quincy Adams (1825-1829)

• Favorite Food: Fresh fruit

Andrew Jackson (1829-1837)

• Favorite Food: Cheddar cheese, fried ham with gravy, “leather britches” (string beans with bacon)

Martin Van Buren (1837-1841)

• Favorite Food: Roast boar’s head, apples

William Henry Harrison (1841)

• Favorite Food: Burgoo (squirrel stew), fresh vegetables

John Tyler (1841-1845)

• Favorite Food: Omelettes, roast game birds, “Tyler’s Pudding-Pie”

James K. Polk (1845-1849)

• Favorite Food: Corn pone, vinegar pie

Zachary Taylor (1849-1850)

• Favorite Food: Cherries, beignets

Millard Fillmore (1850-1853)

• Favorite Food: Meat stew, “resurrection pie” (savory pie of liver, beef shank, rabbit, etc.)

Franklin Pierce (1853-1857)

• Favorite Food: Fried apple pie, maple syrup

James Buchanan (1857-1861)

• Favorite Food: Turtle soup, Pennsylvania Dutch succotash, grape pie

Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865)

• Favorite Food: Chicken fricassee, white almond cake, gingerbread

Andrew Johnson (1865-1869)

• Favorite Food: Hoppin’ John, red rice, sweet potato pudding

Ulysses S. Grant (1869-1877)

• Favorite Food: Rice pudding, roast beef

Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-1881)

• Favorite Food: Cornmeal pancakes

James A. Garfield (1881)

• Favorite Food: Squirrel soup, sour apple pie

Chester A. Arthur (1881-1885)

• Favorite Food: Mutton chops, turtle steak, macaroni pie with oysters

Grover Cleveland (1885-1889 and 1893-1897)

• Favorite Food: Corned beef and cabbage, steaks and chops

Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893)

• Favorite Food: Corn chowder, oysters, fig pudding