Soda-flavored jelly. Animal-saturated soups. Pickled fish fillets. Hot sauce-covered chips.
There's clearly no lack of creativity when it comes to our presidents' favorite White
House snacks. We're here to show you some of the weird foods Presidents have requested
to eat in the White House.
Food and Wine reported that Our second president, John Adams, took his love for liquor to the
next level by drinking a quarter of a pint of hard cider for breakfast every morning.
Apparently, everyone in the mid-1700s loved a hearty helping of morning hard cider. In
fact, according to War on the Rocks, the average American at the time drank about 35 gallons
of the stuff every year. Even children drank it.
But hard cider was more than just a satisfying beverage for Adams and his fellow colonists.
During his time as president, currency was hard to come by. Mental Floss wrote that many
colonists used cider to purchase goods and even used this alcoholic beverage to pay their
bills.
The New York Times reported that Adams attributed his love for the hard stuff to his college
days, saying:
"I shall never forget, how refreshing and salubrious we found it, hard as it often was".
Before you picture Andrew Jackson gnawing on animal hide underwear, "leather britches"
was actually the name given to the seventh president's favorite dish of dried green beans
cooked with water and bacon, according to SC Times. Before the invention of canned goods,
people preserved their beans, air-drying the legumes until they shriveled up into "leather
britches." No fancy equipment or electricity was needed for this process. Folks simply
picked and hung the green beans to dry in the sun, which helped preserve them through
harsh winters.
It was rather common to see leather britches hanging from back porches, pantries, rafters,
and even attics while strolling down any 19th-century American neighborhood. Once the beans were
dried and ready to eat, they were cooked with water and served hot with any meat, but typically
bacon. This plate was a rather elementary meal to make and found its way to many tables
during the Jackson era.
Apparently, squirrels make more than cute neighborhood critters. The Food Timeline wrote
that despite access to an abundance of meat-based protein, both William Henry Harrison and James
A. Garfield were celebrators of squirrel stew while in the White House.
"It's only a squirrel!"
In colonial times, settlers cooked up whatever they could find, which of course included
squirrels, according to The Daily Beast. We can imagine some grew an affinity for squirrels
out of the meat's sheer availability. President Garfield, for his part, insisted on these
furry tree-lovers. In fact, the 20th president experienced frequent digestive issues while
in the White House, for which doctors encouraged the president to indulge more heavily in his
favorite squirrel-saturated dish.
Not all of our nation's leaders were keen on proper culinary practices, but Chester
A. Arthur may have been one of the most notorious cuisine-conscious presidents to take up residence
in the White House. Upon his arrival, the 21st president celebrated his inauguration
with a classy dinner prepared by a renowned French chef he brought with him to Washington,
according to The Food Timeline.
Arthur loved fishing and loved eating fish even more. He took every opportunity to enjoy
a fresh batch of seafood, particularly Rhode Island eel. Revered as a delicacy during Arthur's
time in the White House, the native New England eel may have been enjoyed a little too much
since then, as these saltwater snakes were eventually, quote, "pushed to the brink of
extinction" in modern times, according to The Providence Journal.
Although he may now be one of the United States' lesser-known presidents, Arthur will always
be remembered for his impeccable penchant for fine dining and a rather posh palate.
If you've ever tried to pickle something, you know the process involves soaking food
for weeks in vinegar, sugar, and salt. But have you ever thought to slip a saltwater
fish into your next batch? As The Food Timeline relates, our 22nd president, Grover Cleveland,
often had his seasoned tastebuds set on one highly-sought-after European dish: pickled
herring.
A delicacy in Europe, herring is a 15-inch fish native to the North Pacific and North
Atlantic oceans. The Swedish Spoon reported that after it gained popularity in Sweden
as an essential household dish, herring quickly became a coveted good in the European trade
business. This fish became so popular that countries both near and far, including the
United States, begged for more. Apparently, folks were so eager to eat this Scandinavian
delicacy that they consumed the fish straight from the jar, pickle juice and all.
President Cleveland never expressed much interest in other fine European dining and expressed
a particular distaste for French cuisine. Delish reports that he once wrote:
"I must go to dinner. I wish it was to eat a pickled herring, Swiss cheese and a chop
at Louis' instead of the French stuff I shall find."
America's earliest presidents played pivotal roles in leading colonists through uncharted
territory and worked rigorously to unite the nation, particularly through communal meals.
Food and supplies were often limited but, luckily for the first settlers, green snapping
turtles thrived in the new colonies. According to History, turtle meat and eggs quickly became
a household staple. By the late 1700s, turtle soup's popularity had skyrocketed and eventually
grew to such a high demand that mock turtle soup recipes gained equal fame.
"Awesome!”
As per The Food Timeline, presidents from John Adams and James Buchanan to Theodore
Roosevelt and William Howard Taft regularly requested turtle soup at their tables, including
on Roosevelt's 42nd birthday dinner and routinely at Taft's luncheons. Turtle soup eventually
made its way from the presidents' personal kitchen to everyone's pantries. By 1920, says
History, Americans had access to this presidential favorite right in their neighborhood grocery
store, though it's since all but disappeared.
Prunes, egg whites, and chopped nuts may not sound like much, but it's these simple ingredients
that made a beloved nosh for President Dwight D. Eisenhower, according to The Dallas Observer.
President Eisenhower was actually an accomplished cook and took great pride in preparing food
for family and guests from his personal recipe collection. The Food Timeline reports that
although he enjoyed serving up his own confections, perhaps his most revered White House request
was a prune whip made by chef Francois Rysavy.
Chef Rysavy knew just how President Ike liked his whipped dessert, which was reproduced
in the Healdsburg Tribune in July 1963. Just one cup of prune puree, a dash of lemon juice,
some unflavored gelatin, four egg whites, vanilla cream or whipped cream all blended
to perfection.
Prune whip may have lost some of its luster over the years, but those looking for an easy,
light, and nostalgic dessert addition might want to give Rysavy's recipe a try.
Probably one of the most infamous, and definitely one of the weirdest, presidential recipe requests
come from our 37th president, Richard Nixon. According to MyRecipes, cottage cheese and
ketchup was a daily demand for Nixon. While your stomach may be churning at the very thought
of this snack, Dish reports that Nixon loved to eat it with a side of pineapple.
Nixon had no limit to when he wanted his dairy dish. The former president ate his beloved
cottage cheese and ketchup every day for either breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Vice reported
that the Nixon clan loved cottage cheese so much that when the president requested four
steaks and a bowl of cottage cheese for his inauguration dinner, the White House kitchen
ran out and had to forage around town for more.
President Ronald Reagan loved jelly beans. What started as a substitute for smoking quickly
morphed into an Oval Office requirement. We don't blame him, as stress-eating candy is
at least better than tobacco.
According to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & Museum, Reagan received regular
shipments of jelly beans from the Goelitz Candy Company — later renamed Jelly Belly
— while governor of California. Later, Reagan received three and a half tons of red, white,
and blue Jelly Belly jelly beans at his inaugural celebration. The candy company also made sure
to keep his office stocked with his favorite jelly bean flavors including licorice.
Atlas Obscura reported that Reagan's desk jar of jelly beans became such a staple that
he wrote a letter to Jelly Belly stating:
"They have become such a tradition of this administration that it has gotten to the point
where we can hardly start a meeting or make a decision without passing around a jar of
jelly beans"
Where Reagan had his beloved jelly beans, George H.W. Bush had his own favorite Mexican-born
bacon bits. As per The Daily Meal, the 41st president loved his sweet and salty snacks
like popcorn, beef jerky, and Butterfingers, but he fancied pork rinds coated in Tabasco
the most. In fact, he loved them so much that he declared his affinity for rinds on the
1988 campaign trail. According to Vogue, just the mere mention of pork rinds from the former
president caused sales to jump dramatically. As a thank you for his very public endorsement,
pork-rind makers dubbed Bush "Skin Man of the Year."
Salted pig skin may or may not be a popular snack in your pantry, but during the 1980s,
pork rinds were a hot commodity, and they're making a subtle comeback today. Whether it's
their long-lasting flavor, their low-carb contents or their versatility, pork rinds
have earned a rightful spot in President Bush's office and on snack shelves everywhere.
The 1990s brought us many memorable trends, Game Boys, chain wallets and, of course, inappropriately
flavored snacks. It only makes sense that our most prominent 1990s president also enjoyed
similarly mis-seasoned treats. Bill Clinton had a stellar sweet tooth for both candy and
chocolate desserts, but nothing compares to the taste that he had for the Clinton family
recipe deemed "Coca-Cola salad".
This soda-flavored gelatin dish was a celebrated recipe and a frequently enjoyed dessert in
Clinton's White House kitchen. Deceptively deemed a "salad," this sweet snack is made
solely of Coca-Cola-flavored jelly and served with black glacé cherries. Although, as Cheatsheet
reports, the Clinton's White House chef called the unique jelly concoction, quote "atrocious,"
both Bill and Hillary routinely knocked back spoonfuls of Coca-Cola salad.
Was it the Clinton Coca-Cola recipe that later got Hillary into hot water for her support
of a 2016 soda tax proposal or was that only coincidence? Whether there's a deeper connection
between the soda giant and the former first family or not, one thing is certain; Bill
Clinton loved his salad made with refreshing, Coca-Cola-flavored jelly.
The Bush family sure knew how to do some serious work at the dinner table. Known for his love
of Tex-Mex cuisine, George W. Bush was a fan of substantial dishes like Texas barbecue,
and hearty home-cooked helpings of chicken pot pie and grilled cheese while heading up
the White House, according to The Daily Meal. But one of the most cherished, and possibly
the most filling, requests from our 43rd president was cheeseburger pizza. Yes, you heard that
right. Two junk food icons melded together to make one mouthwatering super meal. The
Daily Meal reported that the legendary cheeseburger pizza consisted of pretty much every cheeseburger
ingredient on top of a Margherita pizza.
It's amazing that the Bush family still had room for dessert after dining on this greasy
dish. According to Bake, the former first family enjoyed helpings of apple cider creme
brulee and other treats in the White House. For us though, just the thought of the tummy-rumbling
cheeseburger pizza recipe has our stomachs feeling full.
"I think they misunderestimated the will and determination of the Commander-in-Chief, too."
We've all had our shameful moments of shoveling fist-sized burgers and mountains of fries
down our gullets so fast that we hardly have time to taste it. But we rarely return for
more once the deed is done. The same can't be said of our 45th president, who required
routine deliveries from his favorite fast food joints while in the White House.
SC Times reported that during his term in office, Donald Trump was a notorious fast
food addict who indulged in his favorite gut-heavy meals daily, regularly ordering dinner from
McDonald's. Trump adored junk food so much that he actually demanded the White House
staff re-create his most cherished McDonald's Quarter Pounder burger and fried apple pie
recipes, according to Thrillist. When his in-house kitchen team failed to meet the chain's
fast food standards, Trump would send his bodyguard to the golden-arched establishment
to get his fix.
As we contemplate the disgusting excess of Trump's fast food indulgences, we can't help
but ponder the truth behind the proverbial saying, "you are what you eat." If he's not
devouring his McDonald's menu favorites, Trump's presidential menu often featured a generous
supply of Diet Coke, cherry-vanilla ice cream, and steak with ketchup.
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