10 foods loved by U.S. Presidents

The White House menu hasn’t always been caviar & champagne. Nope, a lot of presidents had favorite foods that were surprisingly simple…or sometimes just odd. Here are ten foods that U.S. presidents loved, according to history books. Which of these would you pick to cook for dinner tonight?

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Hoecakes with honey at Washington’s breakfast table

George Washington enjoyed starting his day with hoecakes, which are essentially griddled cornmeal cakes. He always had them drenched in honey. In fact, his step-granddaughter, Nelly Custis Lewis, left behind instructions describing how he would make sure the batter went right onto the griddle & flipped once before serving it with butter.

Jefferson’s macaroni, parmesan, and a pasta press

Thomas Jefferson wasn’t shy about experimenting in the kitchen. He actually drew diagrams of a macaroni press & wrote notes on the process of how to make it. This was based on what he saw in Naples. Back in America, he often imported Parmesan and recorded recipes for macaroni & cheese.

Lincoln’s fondness for gingerbread

Once upon a time, Abraham Lincoln joked on the campaign trail about how he loved gingerbread. He also confessed that he very rarely got much of it as a kid, claiming, “I loved it better than any other man, and got less of it.” Still, it seems that gingerbread was a treat he never truly forgot.

Taft’s “possum and ’taters” banquet in Atlanta

In 1909, Atlanta threw William Howard Taft a banquet. However, it wasn’t your regular banquet, since the star of the meal was roast opossum with sweet potatoes, instead of steak or duck. Hardly something you’ll find on most plates. Even so, Taft apparently loved the meal, and this wasn’t his first time eating it, either.

FDR’s hot-dog picnic for a royal visit

You’d expect Britain’s King George VI & Queen Elizabeth to eat fancy roasts or delicate pastries when they showed up at Hyde Park in 1939. But no. Instead, Franklin Roosevelt served them hot dogs on paper plates & told them to dig in. The royals were game enough to try them.

Eisenhower’s own vegetable soup

Sure, Dwight Eisenhower was a general who later became president. Yet he also liked cooking. He had a vegetable soup recipe, where he insisted on using a beef bone for flavor & allowed it to bubble away for hours. You’d hardly expect this from a guy who commanded armies.

Kennedy’s New England fish chowder

John F. Kennedy’s love for fish chowder wasn’t a secret in his family, and he had a preference for the creamy, rich kind. It had to be packed with haddock & salt pork, as well as potatoes. For him, this was pure New England comfort food. Kennedy even sent a recipe to a young fan who asked what he liked to eat.

LBJ’s Pedernales River chili

Lyndon Johnson was president with strong opinions about chili. He wanted no beans, ever, and his recipe, known as “Pedernales River Chili,” was heavy on beef, onions, peppers & spice. He liked it so much that White House staff handed it out. However, it was hardly a mild chili. Anyone eating it would have to be prepared to sweat through a bowl.

Nixon’s cottage cheese and pineapple

Honestly, cottage cheese sounds like an odd choice for presidential food, but that’s Richard Nixon for you. Sometimes he put pineapple on top, sometimes he’d put ketchup. His last meal before resigning in 1974 was actually a simple plate of cottage cheese & pineapple, along with a glass of milk.

Reagan’s jelly beans

Ronald Reagan kept jars of jelly beans within reach almost everywhere he went, including his desk & Air Force One. He even had them during cabinet meetings. Originally, he ate them to quit smoking back when he was California’s governor…and then never stopped. The company Jelly Belly even made special colored mixes for the White House.

The following sources were consulted in the preparation of this article: