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Squirrel stew, jelly beans, and hoecakes: Here are all 46 presidents’ favorite foods<!-- wp:html --><p>US President Joe Biden carries an ice cream cone as he leaves Jeni's Ice Cream in Washington, DC, on January 25, 2022.</p> <p class="copyright">SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images</p> <p><strong>Presidents of the United States have had some eccentric choices for favorite foods.</strong><br /> <strong>From squirrel stew to cheeseburger pizza, these commanders-in-chief didn't let their time in office change their tastes.  </strong><br /> <strong>Here are the favorite foods of all 46 presidents. </strong></p> <p>Presidents have hundreds of staff members to cater to their every whim during their time in the White House. </p> <p>Though the Executive Mansion hosts some of the country's most exclusive and upscale dinners, each president has different tastes for everyday fuel. </p> <p>The recorded favorites of each president seem to stem from choices made by first ladies, food trends at the time, and comfort food to stay consistent through a rocky administration. </p> <p>From squirrel stew to cheeseburger pizza, here are all 46 presidents' favorite treats: </p> <div> <div class="slide">George Washington: Hoecakes <p class="copyright">VCG Wilson/Corbis via Getty Images, Found Image Holdings/Corbis via Getty Images</p> <p>The first president loved <a href="https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/hoecakes-and-honey/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hoecakes topped with honey</a>, an early version of an American breakfast classic that originated as a Native American recipe. </p> </div> <div class="slide">John Adams: Hard cider <p class="copyright">Stock Montage/Stock Montage/Getty Images, Carl D. Walsh/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images</p> <p>Adams picked up the habit of drinking <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/john-adams-daily-routine-2017-7#as-a-student-at-harvard-adams-picked-up-one-peculiar-habit-drinking-a-morning-gill-of-hard-cider-he-later-wrote-that-he-would-never-forget-how-refreshing-and-salubrious-he-found-the-beverage-in-college-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a morning "gill" of hard cider</a> while attending Harvard and <a href="https://affiliate.insider.com/?amazonTrackingID=biauto-58926-20&postID=5ce3f6d1021b4c1b5047e162&site=bi&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FJohn-Adams-David-McCullough%2Fdp%2F0743223136%3Ftag%3Dbisafetynet2-20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">later wrote</a> that he would "... never forget how refreshing and salubrious" he found the beverage in college.</p> </div> <div class="slide">Thomas Jefferson: Mac and cheese <p class="copyright">GraphicaArtis/Getty Images, Deb Lindsey For The Washington Post via Getty Images</p> <p>Jefferson <a href="https://www.monticello.org/site/research-and-collections/macaroni" target="_blank" rel="noopener">discovered macaroni</a> during his European travels and is credited with popularizing the food in the US after he brought a machine for making the pasta back from Naples, Italy. </p> </div> <div class="slide">James Madison: Ice cream <p class="copyright">GraphicaArtis/Getty Images, Kris Connor/Getty Images for NYCWFF</p> <p>While it's hard to pin down one favorite food for Madison, first lady Dolley Madison <a href="http://www.pbs.org/food/features/ice-cream-founding-fathers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">popularized the frozen treat</a> during her time in the White House and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/james-madison-daily-routine-2017-7#its-unclear-if-madison-himself-had-a-favorite-food-food-timeline-a-food-history-website-explains-that-while-the-founding-fathers-culinary-preferences-are-not-necessarily-clear-most-of-the-couples-feasts-would-feature-a-mix-of-virginian-fare-and-french-cuisine-12" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the president</a> was one of its top consumers. </p> </div> <div class="slide">James Monroe: Spoon bread <p class="copyright">Photo12/UIG/Getty Images, Scott Suchman/For the Washington Post</p> <p>Monroe stayed true to his native Virginia by snacking on spoon bread, <a href="http://lincolnslunch.blogspot.com/2009/11/james-monroe-virginia-spoon-bread.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">which is similar to a bread pudding</a>.</p> </div> <div class="slide">John Quincy Adams: Fresh fruit <p class="copyright">Stock Montage/Getty Images, Herb Swanson/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images</p> <p>Adams is credited with a simple and healthy favorite of <a href="http://www.foodtimeline.org/presidents.html#jqadams" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fresh fruit</a>. </p> </div> <div class="slide">Andrew Jackson: Leather britches <p class="copyright">Stock Montage/Getty Images, Dayna Smith/for the Washington Post</p> <p>Jackson's favorite dish has nothing to do with sturdy pants but is a term for <a href="http://www.foodtimeline.org/presidents.html#jackson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">green beans cooked with bacon</a>. </p> </div> <div class="slide">Martin van Buren: Oysters <p class="copyright">Hulton Archive/Getty Images, George Rose/Getty Images</p> <p>The half-shell snack was <a href="http://www.presidential-power.org/president-martin-van-buren.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">just one of</a> van Buren's favorite foods, in addition to <span>doughnuts, raisins, figs, and meat. </span></p> </div> <div class="slide">William Henry Harrison: Squirrel stew <p class="copyright">VCG Wilson/Corbis via Getty Images, Muhammed Enes Yldrm/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images</p> <p>Harrison's proclivity for nature might have contributed to his <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/when-presidents-used-food-for-votes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">taste for squirrel</a>, which was a common protein at the time in a variety of dishes. </p> </div> <div class="slide">John Tyler: Indian pudding <p class="copyright">Stock Montage/Stock Montage/Getty Images, Ben McCanna/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images</p> <p>This <a href="https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/indian-pudding" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cozy dish</a> with spice and ice cream is <a href="http://www.foodtimeline.org/presidents.html#tyler" target="_blank" rel="noopener">similar to</a> popular English desserts flavored with raisins and currants. </p> </div> <div class="slide">James Polk: Cornbread <p class="copyright">Universal History Archive/Getty Images, Deb Lindsey For The Washington Post via Getty Images</p> <p><a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-to-make-president-james-k-polks-cornbread" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cornbread</a> was a tribute to Polk's Tennessee roots during his time in the White House, much of which was spent entertaining alongside his wife, Sarah. </p> </div> <div class="slide">Zachary Taylor: Calas <p class="copyright">Stock Montage/Getty Images, Jeffrey Greenberg/UIG via Getty Images</p> <p>Taylor's <a href="http://www.foodtimeline.org/presidents.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">taste for Southern and Creole food</a> led him to calas, which are similar to the treats consisting of fried dough covered in powdered sugar now known as beignets. </p> </div> <div class="slide">Millard Fillmore: Soup <p class="copyright">Library of Congress/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images, Klaus-Dietmar Gabbert/picture alliance via Getty Images</p> <p>Fillmore <a href="https://www.theawl.com/2012/06/all-the-presidents-menus/#.lxtiaxe02" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was a fan of hearty foods</a>, including b<span>eef stew, mock turtle soup, fish, ham with macaroni, duck, chicken, pigeon, and larded sweetbreads.</span></p> </div> <div class="slide">Franklin Pierce: Fried clams <p class="copyright">Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images, Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via Getty Images</p> <p>Pierce's taste in food was <a href="http://www.foodtimeline.org/presidents.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">true to his New England roots</a> and included fried clams, clam chowder, and apple pie. </p> </div> <div class="slide">James Buchanan: Cabbage <p class="copyright">Charles Krupa/AP, Bettmann/Getty Images</p> <p>Buchanan had a taste for finer cuisine, including French dishes that had just arrived in America. However, he also counted <a href="http://www.foodtimeline.org/presidents.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cabbage</a> among his consistent favorites. </p> </div> <div class="slide">Abraham Lincoln: Bacon <p class="copyright">Stock Montage/Getty Images, Pontus Johansson/Getty Images</p> <p>Lincoln also cited gingerbread cookies among one of his closely held favorites, but was a reliably hearty eater and <a href="http://www.foodtimeline.org/presidents.html#lincoln" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fond of bacon</a>. </p> </div> <div class="slide">Andrew Johnson: Hoppin' John <p class="copyright">PhotoQuest/Getty Images, Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe via Getty Images</p> <p>Southerner Johnson's <a href="http://lincolnslunch.blogspot.com/2013/12/andrew-johnson-hoppin-john.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">comfort-food favorite</a> is <span>made with black-eyed peas, rice, chopped onion, sliced </span>bacon<span>, and salt. </span></p> </div> <div class="slide">Ulysses S. Grant: Rice pudding <p class="copyright">Stock Montage/Getty Images, Deb Lindsey For The Washington Post via Getty Images</p> <p>Ulysses S. Grant kept things simple with his favorite — rice pudding.</p> </div> <div class="slide">Rutherford B. Hayes: Cornmeal pancakes <p class="copyright">National Archives/Newsmakers, Spencer Weiner/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images</p> <p>Hayes enjoyed this simple but hearty dish during his presidency and his <a href="https://www.rbhayes.org/hayes/the-recipes-of-lucy-webb-hayes/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wife's recipe</a> for these Civil War-era pancakes has been preserved for diners of today. </p> </div> <div class="slide">James Garfield: Squirrel soup <p class="copyright">Brady-Handy/Epics/Getty Images, Muhammed Enes Yldrm/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images</p> <p>Garfield was the second president to count squirrel as one of his favorite meals, which is nearly unheard of today. </p> </div> <div class="slide">Chester Arthur: Mutton chops <p class="copyright">Bettmann / Contributor via Getty Images, Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images</p> <p>Arthur's meal of choice matched his facial hair style, as both were known as mutton chops. </p> </div> <div class="slide">Grover Cleveland: Pickled herring <p class="copyright">Library of Congress/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images, Natasha Breen/REDA&CO/UIG via Getty Images</p> <p>Cleveland was a bachelor when he entered the White House in 1884 and <a href="https://www.thirteen.org/wnet/historyofus/web12/features/bio/B06.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told a friend</a> he wished he could pass up the luxurious meals for <span>"a pickled herring, a Swiss cheese, and a chop instead of the French stuff."</span></p> </div> <div class="slide">Benjamin Harrison: Corn <p class="copyright">Library of Congress/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images, Getty Images</p> <p>Harrison's beginnings in Ohio and Indiana put him in the middle of the country's main corn production region and shaped his <a href="http://lincolnslunch.blogspot.com/2011/06/benjamin-harrison-and-american-corn_14.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">favorite foods</a> for years to come. </p> </div> <div class="slide">William McKinley: Meat and fishFormer President William McKinley, who was the source of President Donald Trump's "Tariff Man" moniker. <p class="copyright">Hulton Archive/Getty Images, Natasha Breen/REDA&CO/UIG via Getty Images</p> <p>It was written that McKinley and his wife were simple but hearty eaters, and "<a href="http://www.foodtimeline.org/presidents.html#mckinley" target="_blank" rel="noopener">liked plain food</a>, in substantial quantities."</p> </div> <div class="slide">Theodore Roosevelt: Steak and gravy <p class="copyright">Hulton Archive/Getty Images, Dixie D. Vereen/For The Washington Post via Getty Images</p> <p>Roosevelt was an <a href="http://www.foodtimeline.org/presidents.html#mckinley" target="_blank" rel="noopener">adventurous eater</a> and ate as one would expect a hunter would, counting wild game and steak among his favorites. </p> </div> <div class="slide">William Taft: Steak and potatoes <p class="copyright">MPI/Getty Images, DeAgostini/Getty Images</p> <p>Taft, who came to be known as the heaviest US president in history, was a hearty and classic eater, relying on favorite staples of steak and potatoes. </p> </div> <div class="slide">Woodrow Wilson: Chicken saladPresident Woodrow Wilson wanted to build a case against the Bolsheviks. <p class="copyright">Stock Montage/Getty Images, Deb Lindsey for The Washington Post via Getty Images</p> <p>Wilson was a simple eater, and the only <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-to-make-presidential-chicken-salad" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stand-out favorite</a> a former housekeeper could recall beyond classic breakfast foods was chicken salad. </p> </div> <div class="slide">Warren G. Harding: Chicken pot pie <p class="copyright">Topical Press Agency/Getty Images, Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post via Getty Images</p> <p><a href="https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/warren-g-harding" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Harding's rollercoaster</a> presidency might have pushed him toward the comfort-food favorite of a <a href="http://www.foodtimeline.org/presidents.html#harding" target="_blank" rel="noopener">chicken pot pie</a> that points back to his roots in the Midwest. </p> </div> <div class="slide">Calvin Coolidge: Apple pie <p class="copyright">Mansell/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images, Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images</p> <p>Coolidge was a casual but adventurous eater, <a href="http://www.foodtimeline.org/presidents.html#harding" target="_blank" rel="noopener">counting</a> Vermont country pickles, Mrs. Coolidge's Chicken Chop Suey, chicken chow mein, and apple pie made with pork among his favorite recipes. </p> </div> <div class="slide">Herbert Hoover: Sweet potatoes with marshmallows <p class="copyright">Universal History Archive/Getty Images, Richard Drew/AP</p> <p>Hoover's favorite has stood the test of time, as <a href="https://library.law.uiowa.edu/article/presidential-recipes">sweet potatoes topped with marshmallows</a> can still be found on dinner tables across the country come Thanksgiving. </p> <p> </p> </div> <div class="slide">Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Grilled cheese <p class="copyright">Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images, Nathan Congleton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images</p> <p><span><a href="https://www.fdrlibrary.org/fdr-facts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">According to Henrietta Nesbitt</a>, Roosevelt's White House housekeeper, FDR loved grilled cheese sandwiches in addition to other classic American foods, including scrambled eggs, fish chowder, hot dogs, and fruitcake.</span></p> </div> <div class="slide">Harry Truman: Well-done steakHarry Truman. <p class="copyright">Bettmann/Getty Images, Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune/TNS via Getty Images</p> <p>Truman <a href="https://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/trumanfile/foodprefs.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was specific</a> that his steak was to be cooked well-done.</p> </div> <div class="slide">Dwight Eisenhower: The first lady's Million-Dollar Fudge <p class="copyright">Bettmann/Getty, Deb Lindsey for The Washington Post via Getty Images</p> <p>Though Eisenhower <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/12/we-made-dwight-eisenhowers-eggnog/454314/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">liked cooking</a> as a stress-reliever, he didn't mind <a href="https://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/all_about_ike/favorites/mamie's_million_dollar_fudge.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mamie's Million Dollar Fudge</a> made for him with chocolate, marshmallow, and nuts.</p> </div> <div class="slide">John F. Kennedy: Creamy clam chowder <p class="copyright">Hank Walker/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images, Jeffrey Greenberg/UIG via Getty Images</p> <p>Kennedy ate like a true New Englander, preferring the creamy clam chowder to Manhattan-style tomato based. </p> </div> <div class="slide">Lyndon B. Johnson: Chicken Fried Steak with mashed potatoes and gravy <p class="copyright">Bettmann/Getty Images, Kirk McKoy/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images</p> <p>In addition to Mexican food, corn bread, and grits, Texan Johnson tucked into hearty chicken-fried steak. </p> </div> <div class="slide">Richard Nixon: Cottage cheese and ketchup <p class="copyright">Keystone/Getty Images, Bart Ah You/Modesto Bee/MCT via Getty Images</p> <p>Nixon's unusual favorite of cottage cheese and ketchup would raise eyebrows any time of day, but the president especially liked it <a href="http://law.indiana.libguides.com/c.php?g=19848&p=112253" target="_blank" rel="noopener">for breakfast</a>. </p> </div> <div class="slide">Gerald Ford: Pot roast <p class="copyright">AP Photo/Derek Davis/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images</p> <p>Ford would follow his classic American dinner of choice with <a href="https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/grf/grffacts.asp">butter pecan ice cream.</a></p> </div> <div class="slide">Jimmy Carter: Grits <p class="copyright">Hulton Archive/Getty Images, Kirk McKoy/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images</p> <p>Though he was known for his background in farming peanuts, Carter stuck to the <a href="https://www.southernliving.com/culture/white-house-restaurant-soul-food-history" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Southern favorite</a>, which also served as the <a href="http://www.presidentialpetmuseum.com/pets/grits/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">family dog's name</a>. </p> </div> <div class="slide">Ronald Reagan: Jelly beans <p class="copyright">Bob Galbraith/AP, Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images</p> <p>Reagan was obsessed with the colorful snack, and at one point reportedly ordered <a href="http://time.com/3740459/ronald-reagan-jelly-belly/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more than 300,000</a> to be placed around the Capitol, White House, and other federal buildings each month. </p> </div> <div class="slide">George H.W. Bush: Pork rinds <p class="copyright">Michael L. Abramson/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images, Kate Patterson for The Washington Post via Getty Images</p> <p>The president reportedly caused <a href="https://parade.com/847047/aliceknisleymatthias-2/remembering-president-george-h-w-bush-through-food-his-favorite-snack-the-vegetable-he-refused-to-eat/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sales of the snack to skyrocket</a> while he was on the campaign trail and identified them as his favorite, particularly when they were topped with Tabasco. </p> </div> <div class="slide">Bill Clinton: Cheeseburgers <p class="copyright">Joe Sohm/Visions of America/UIG via Getty Images, Lane Turner/The Boston Globe via Getty Images</p> <p>Clinton chased his <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1992/12/23/garden/bill-clinton-and-food-jack-sprat-he-s-not.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">favorite fast foods</a> including <span>jalapeno cheeseburgers, chicken enchiladas, barbecue, cinnamon rolls, and pies on the presidential campaign trail, years before he would <a href="https://www.aarp.org/health/healthy-living/info-08-2013/bill-clinton-vegan.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">experiment with veganism</a> for his health. </span></p> </div> <div class="slide">George W. Bush: Cheeseburger pizza <p class="copyright">Al Behrman/AP, Wendy Maeda/The Boston Globe via Getty Images</p> <p>Former White House Chef <span>Cristeta Comerford told reporters after the president left office that Bush loved what staff called "home-made 'cheeseburger pizzas' because every ingredient of a cheeseburger is on top of a margherita pizza."</span></p> </div> <div class="slide">Barack Obama: Nachos <p class="copyright">Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP, Leonard Ortiz/Digital First Media/Orange County Register via Getty Images</p> <p>The former president <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2015/12/31/politics/barack-obama-jerry-seinfeld-comedians-in-cars-getting-coffee/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told comedian Jerry Seinfeld</a> that nachos were one of his greatest vices.</p> <p>"That's one of those where I have to have it taken away," Obama said. "I'll have guacamole coming out of my eyeballs."</p> </div> <div class="slide">Donald Trump: Fast food <p class="copyright">Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images, Cate Gillon/Getty Images</p> <p>Trump has a well-documented affection for fast food. From <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-serves-baylor-womens-basketball-fast-food-white-house-2019-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">serving it in the White House</a> to getting it delivered to his private plane, the president has said Burger King and McDonald's are among his favorites because they promise a <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2016/02/mind-boggling-reason-donald-trump-loves-mcdonalds" target="_blank" rel="noopener">standard of cleanliness</a> that's hard to verify at other restaurants. </p> </div> <div class="slide">Joe Biden: Ice CreamBiden loves ice cream. <p class="copyright">Samuel Corum/Getty Images/ Matt Cardy/Getty Images</p> <p>It's no secret that <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6j-0DONbMI">Joe Biden loves ice cream</a>.  He has been spotted in ice cream shops around the country, including <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RCinyDd30k">grabbing a cone in Washington, DC</a>, earlier this year.</p> <p>"My name is Joe Biden, and I love ice cream,"<a href="https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/280408-vice-president-my-name-is-joe-biden-and-i-love-ice-cream/">said Biden at Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream in 2016</a> during his vice presidency.</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> </div> </div> <div class="read-original">Read the original article on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/presidents-favorite-food-dishes-white-house-2019-5">Business Insider</a></div><!-- /wp:html -->

US President Joe Biden carries an ice cream cone as he leaves Jeni’s Ice Cream in Washington, DC, on January 25, 2022.

Presidents of the United States have had some eccentric choices for favorite foods.
From squirrel stew to cheeseburger pizza, these commanders-in-chief didn’t let their time in office change their tastes.  
Here are the favorite foods of all 46 presidents. 

Presidents have hundreds of staff members to cater to their every whim during their time in the White House. 

Though the Executive Mansion hosts some of the country’s most exclusive and upscale dinners, each president has different tastes for everyday fuel. 

The recorded favorites of each president seem to stem from choices made by first ladies, food trends at the time, and comfort food to stay consistent through a rocky administration. 

From squirrel stew to cheeseburger pizza, here are all 46 presidents’ favorite treats: 

George Washington: Hoecakes

The first president loved hoecakes topped with honey, an early version of an American breakfast classic that originated as a Native American recipe. 

John Adams: Hard cider

Adams picked up the habit of drinking a morning “gill” of hard cider while attending Harvard and later wrote that he would “… never forget how refreshing and salubrious” he found the beverage in college.

Thomas Jefferson: Mac and cheese

Jefferson discovered macaroni during his European travels and is credited with popularizing the food in the US after he brought a machine for making the pasta back from Naples, Italy. 

James Madison: Ice cream

While it’s hard to pin down one favorite food for Madison, first lady Dolley Madison popularized the frozen treat during her time in the White House and the president was one of its top consumers. 

James Monroe: Spoon bread

Monroe stayed true to his native Virginia by snacking on spoon bread, which is similar to a bread pudding.

John Quincy Adams: Fresh fruit

Adams is credited with a simple and healthy favorite of fresh fruit

Andrew Jackson: Leather britches

Jackson’s favorite dish has nothing to do with sturdy pants but is a term for green beans cooked with bacon

Martin van Buren: Oysters

The half-shell snack was just one of van Buren’s favorite foods, in addition to doughnuts, raisins, figs, and meat. 

William Henry Harrison: Squirrel stew

Harrison’s proclivity for nature might have contributed to his taste for squirrel, which was a common protein at the time in a variety of dishes. 

John Tyler: Indian pudding

This cozy dish with spice and ice cream is similar to popular English desserts flavored with raisins and currants. 

James Polk: Cornbread

Cornbread was a tribute to Polk’s Tennessee roots during his time in the White House, much of which was spent entertaining alongside his wife, Sarah. 

Zachary Taylor: Calas

Taylor’s taste for Southern and Creole food led him to calas, which are similar to the treats consisting of fried dough covered in powdered sugar now known as beignets. 

Millard Fillmore: Soup

Fillmore was a fan of hearty foods, including beef stew, mock turtle soup, fish, ham with macaroni, duck, chicken, pigeon, and larded sweetbreads.

Franklin Pierce: Fried clams

Pierce’s taste in food was true to his New England roots and included fried clams, clam chowder, and apple pie. 

James Buchanan: Cabbage

Buchanan had a taste for finer cuisine, including French dishes that had just arrived in America. However, he also counted cabbage among his consistent favorites. 

Abraham Lincoln: Bacon

Lincoln also cited gingerbread cookies among one of his closely held favorites, but was a reliably hearty eater and fond of bacon

Andrew Johnson: Hoppin’ John

Southerner Johnson’s comfort-food favorite is made with black-eyed peas, rice, chopped onion, sliced bacon, and salt. 

Ulysses S. Grant: Rice pudding

Ulysses S. Grant kept things simple with his favorite — rice pudding.

Rutherford B. Hayes: Cornmeal pancakes

Hayes enjoyed this simple but hearty dish during his presidency and his wife’s recipe for these Civil War-era pancakes has been preserved for diners of today. 

James Garfield: Squirrel soup

Garfield was the second president to count squirrel as one of his favorite meals, which is nearly unheard of today. 

Chester Arthur: Mutton chops

Arthur’s meal of choice matched his facial hair style, as both were known as mutton chops. 

Grover Cleveland: Pickled herring

Cleveland was a bachelor when he entered the White House in 1884 and told a friend he wished he could pass up the luxurious meals for “a pickled herring, a Swiss cheese, and a chop instead of the French stuff.”

Benjamin Harrison: Corn

Harrison’s beginnings in Ohio and Indiana put him in the middle of the country’s main corn production region and shaped his favorite foods for years to come. 

William McKinley: Meat and fishFormer President William McKinley, who was the source of President Donald Trump’s “Tariff Man” moniker.

It was written that McKinley and his wife were simple but hearty eaters, and “liked plain food, in substantial quantities.”

Theodore Roosevelt: Steak and gravy

Roosevelt was an adventurous eater and ate as one would expect a hunter would, counting wild game and steak among his favorites. 

William Taft: Steak and potatoes

Taft, who came to be known as the heaviest US president in history, was a hearty and classic eater, relying on favorite staples of steak and potatoes. 

Woodrow Wilson: Chicken saladPresident Woodrow Wilson wanted to build a case against the Bolsheviks.

Wilson was a simple eater, and the only stand-out favorite a former housekeeper could recall beyond classic breakfast foods was chicken salad. 

Warren G. Harding: Chicken pot pie

Harding’s rollercoaster presidency might have pushed him toward the comfort-food favorite of a chicken pot pie that points back to his roots in the Midwest. 

Calvin Coolidge: Apple pie

Coolidge was a casual but adventurous eater, counting Vermont country pickles, Mrs. Coolidge’s Chicken Chop Suey, chicken chow mein, and apple pie made with pork among his favorite recipes. 

Herbert Hoover: Sweet potatoes with marshmallows

Hoover’s favorite has stood the test of time, as sweet potatoes topped with marshmallows can still be found on dinner tables across the country come Thanksgiving. 

 

Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Grilled cheese

According to Henrietta Nesbitt, Roosevelt’s White House housekeeper, FDR loved grilled cheese sandwiches in addition to other classic American foods, including scrambled eggs, fish chowder, hot dogs, and fruitcake.

Harry Truman: Well-done steakHarry Truman.

Truman was specific that his steak was to be cooked well-done.

Dwight Eisenhower: The first lady’s Million-Dollar Fudge

Though Eisenhower liked cooking as a stress-reliever, he didn’t mind Mamie’s Million Dollar Fudge made for him with chocolate, marshmallow, and nuts.

John F. Kennedy: Creamy clam chowder

Kennedy ate like a true New Englander, preferring the creamy clam chowder to Manhattan-style tomato based. 

Lyndon B. Johnson: Chicken Fried Steak with mashed potatoes and gravy

In addition to Mexican food, corn bread, and grits, Texan Johnson tucked into hearty chicken-fried steak. 

Richard Nixon: Cottage cheese and ketchup

Nixon’s unusual favorite of cottage cheese and ketchup would raise eyebrows any time of day, but the president especially liked it for breakfast

Gerald Ford: Pot roast

Ford would follow his classic American dinner of choice with butter pecan ice cream.

Jimmy Carter: Grits

Though he was known for his background in farming peanuts, Carter stuck to the Southern favorite, which also served as the family dog’s name

Ronald Reagan: Jelly beans

Reagan was obsessed with the colorful snack, and at one point reportedly ordered more than 300,000 to be placed around the Capitol, White House, and other federal buildings each month. 

George H.W. Bush: Pork rinds

The president reportedly caused sales of the snack to skyrocket while he was on the campaign trail and identified them as his favorite, particularly when they were topped with Tabasco. 

Bill Clinton: Cheeseburgers

Clinton chased his favorite fast foods including jalapeno cheeseburgers, chicken enchiladas, barbecue, cinnamon rolls, and pies on the presidential campaign trail, years before he would experiment with veganism for his health. 

George W. Bush: Cheeseburger pizza

Former White House Chef Cristeta Comerford told reporters after the president left office that Bush loved what staff called “home-made ‘cheeseburger pizzas’ because every ingredient of a cheeseburger is on top of a margherita pizza.”

Barack Obama: Nachos

The former president told comedian Jerry Seinfeld that nachos were one of his greatest vices.

“That’s one of those where I have to have it taken away,” Obama said. “I’ll have guacamole coming out of my eyeballs.”

Donald Trump: Fast food

Trump has a well-documented affection for fast food. From serving it in the White House to getting it delivered to his private plane, the president has said Burger King and McDonald’s are among his favorites because they promise a standard of cleanliness that’s hard to verify at other restaurants. 

Joe Biden: Ice CreamBiden loves ice cream.

It’s no secret that Joe Biden loves ice cream.  He has been spotted in ice cream shops around the country, including grabbing a cone in Washington, DC, earlier this year.

“My name is Joe Biden, and I love ice cream,”said Biden at Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream in 2016 during his vice presidency.

 

 

 

 

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