The favorite dishes of 10 US presidents
George Washington
George Washington was the first President of the United States of America and was well known for hosting events for friends and other political figures. Historical records show that the favorite food of the first president of the United States was hoecakes. Hoecakes are pancakes made out of cornmeal and are usually eaten for breakfast.
Abraham Lincoln
By all historical accounts, Abraham Lincoln was the ultimate family man. In the book The Lincoln: Portrait of a Marriage, it was revealed that President Lincoln’s favorite meal was corn cakes, which he first came across during his courting days with his future wife Mary Todd.
Franklin Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt took charge of the United States in one of the most critical moments in world history. But despite being Commander in Chief during the Second World War, FDR took his time to also enjoy his favorite food, grilled cheese sandwiches. He is the longest-serving US President ever and the only one to have served more than two terms.
Richard Nixon
When Richard Nixon took office, every breath the President took was recorded for historical archives. This is exactly what led to Nixon’s downfall in the Watergate scandal, but these tedious records of President Nixon’s time in office also allow us a glimpse into the eating habits of the 37th President of the United States.
Nixon’s favorite food was cottage cheese. H.R. Haldeman, the chief of Nixon’s staff, revealed in his diary that the former President had a habit of eating his favorite meal with pineapple.
Ronald Reagan
If you thought Nixon’s favorite food was a bit odd, wait until you hear about that of Reagan. The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library reveals that while the former US President was attempting to give up tobacco, he began eating jelly beans, and they eventually became his favorite food.
In fact, in his 1981 inauguration, he treated his guests to three-and-a-half tons of jelly beans. His favorite flavor was licorice.
Bill Clinton
Former US President Bill Clinton has revealed that he loved going to fast food joints such as McDonald’s. According to a fact sheet released by his administration in the ’90s, which you can find here, the former US President’s favorite meal is chicken enchiladas, alongside bananas, apples, and vegetable beef soup.
George W. Bush
George W. Bush was much more of a homemade meal kind of guy than was his predecessor, Bill Clinton. In an interview with the British tabloid, The Sun, the chef of the White House during his administration revealed that former US President Bush’s favorite food was cheeseburger pizza.
This dish is essentially a Margherita pizza with toppings of ground beef, bacon, fried onions, ketchup, pickles, and ungodly amounts of cheese. It was revealed that this dish had a calorie total of more than 2,300.
Barack Obama
President Obama was reportedly the first US President ever to be a foodie. He used to go to a variety of restaurants in Washington. But in an interview with the North Coast Journal, Obama revealed that he still uses his favorite recipe for chili, which is the same one he used during his days in college.
He is also painted on the wall of a Washington restaurant called Ben’s Chili Bowl, which he visited in 2009.
Donald Trump
During his presidency, Donald Trump revealed that he was very fond of fast food. In a 2016 interview with CNN, he said “I’m a very clean person. I like cleanliness and I think you’re better off going there than maybe someplace where you have no idea where the food is coming from.”
He would go on to reveal that his favorite food is McDonald’s with his go-to order being the Filet-O-Fish. In fact, as part of a campaign act for the 2024 election, he actually put in a shift at McDonald’s, working the drive-through at a particular franchise.
Joe Biden
Joe Biden famously introduced himself in a campaign act for the 2016 presidency saying, “My name is Joe Biden, and I love ice cream.” He had multiple campaign stops at one of his favorite ice cream parlors in Columbus, Ohio at a place called Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream, and the White House is often stocked with Häagen-Dazs and vanilla chocolate chip ice cream.
