10 US Presidents Who Had Eccentric Eating Habits
Like most people, American presidents are known for taking sides on issues — political or otherwise. Their opinions differentiate them from one another. But they can also be weaponized. Sometimes, these unpolitical takes are used against them. President William Henry Harrison famously enjoyed hard cider. While campaigning, the opposing party used this fact to argue that Harrison was lazy. They said he would rather relax and have a drink than be the president of the United States. But the tastes of these politicians aren't always maligned. Other preferences make these leaders appear more interesting and human.
No two American presidents are exactly alike, especially when it comes to food preferences. As the role of commander-in-chief has shifted from person to person, White House staffers have come to expect unique requests from each president. Preferred foods can come in the form of snacks, meals, desserts, or beverages. Some of the most fascinating proclivities come from the most iconic former leaders of our country. If you're fascinated by American history, you're going to want this look into their private lives. Here are 10 U.S. presidents who had eccentric eating habits.
Ulysses S. Grant only ate well-done meat
Meat preferences can vary among people in a variety of ways. Some people have their favorite type of meat, others have their favorite cut of steak. These preferences can be found within the White House. President Ulysses S. Grant made somewhat of a particular request when it came to his meals. He asked that any meat served was to be cooked well done and heavily charred if possible.
President Grant has his reasons for liking well-cooked meat. Even though he served as a Union Army general during the Civil War, Grant strongly disliked looking at blood. It makes sense, then, that he wouldn't want to see any of it on his plate.
Grant isn't the only person — let alone the only U.S. president — who feels this way about cooked meat. According to FiveThirtyEight, a survey showed that around 8% of Americans order their steak well done. Former President Donald Trump himself also liked to eat well-done steaks. Sometimes, Trump even ate the crispy steaks with ketchup.
Ronald Reagan loved jelly beans
Bad habits are hard to quit. Sometimes, in the process of trying to quit them, we even end up adopting a different unhealthy habit. The same thing happened to President Ronald Reagan. While quitting pipe smoking, he discovered a new love of jelly beans.
President Reagan's preoccupation with the candies had its perks. While in office and afterward, Reagan received monthly shipments of jelly beans so that he was constantly stocked with the candies. He even distributed them to guests during important government meetings. The former president once said, "You can tell a lot about a fella's character by whether he picks out all of one color or just grabs a handful," according to The New York Times. Reagan even gave some to the Challenger astronauts in 1983.
The former president's fondness for jelly beans even inspired artwork. The artist Peter Rocha used around 10,000 individual candies to create a portrait of Reagan.
James A. Garfield couldn't get enough squirrel stew
While he was not the first U.S. president to show this particular proclivity, President James A. Garfield loved to eat squirrel stew during his time in office. Growing up on a farm, Garfield likely hunted and feasted on local wildlife, including squirrels. Because of this, it's not hard to see where the habit of consuming squirrel stew came from.
Garfield even went so far as to develop his own recipe. This recipe suggests simmering the squirrel meat with vegetables in water, removing the bones by passing it all through a strainer, and then finally finishing the soup with butter and herbs.
These days, eating squirrel stew is not that simple. Many states only allow squirrel hunting in the winter and limit hunting to one particular species. While squirrels are high in protein and certain vitamins, eating them carries the risk of exposure to certain diseases. You should follow local rules and take food safety precautions if you want to make squirrel stew.
William Howard Taft was a fan of turtle soup
Soups and stews seem to be a favorite food type in the White House. But some recipes are more unique than others. For example, President William Howard Taft loved to eat turtle soup. Taft loved this soup so much that he hired a White House chef based on their ability to make the reptile recipe. The most common type of turtle used for this recipe was the snapping turtle. At the time, Taft's tastes wouldn't have been that unusual. The dish was once popular among the American elite.
But the tradition of eating turtle soup goes back even further. The stew was a big part of Caribbean travelers' diets from the 1400s to the 1600s. Nowadays, turtle soup is less common. But in areas like New Orleans, you can still grab a bowl of Louisiana snapping turtle soup. Other than the turtle part, the recipe is made with fairly common soup ingredients such as carrots, celery, garlic, tomato paste, spices, herbs, vegetables, and stock.
Woodrow Wilson put raw eggs in his juice
Sometimes our daily meals are regimens prescribed to us for health reasons — such as eating yogurt to aid with digestion. For President Woodrow Wilson, a somewhat odd dish that was part of his breakfast regimen was a cup of juice with a few raw eggs cracked into it. To the president, eating itself was a chore and something he was disinterested in. The combination of eggs and juice was a meal hack suggested by a White House doctor, to help Wilson put on weight.
Cooked eggs are often touted for their health benefits. Per the American Heart Association, these eggs are high in essential nutrients such as protein. Despite what some people will tell you, consuming raw eggs is not going to necessarily give you a higher concentration of these vitamins and minerals. According to Healthline, the body may have more difficulty absorbing the nutrients in raw eggs, rather than cooked ones. On top of that, there is the risk of contracting diseases like salmonella which comes with consuming raw eggs. Although President Wilson did not need to consume his eggs raw, perhaps it was convenient for him, because it required less effort. But we're not recommending that you do the same.
Lyndon B. Johnson drank a lot of Fresca
Many of these eccentric food tastes are born out of habit or love. For President Lyndon Baines Johnson (also known as LBJ), enjoying his favorite beverage of Fresca was a pleasure and also a recommendation from his doctor.
The grapefruit-flavored soda Fresca has been around since 1958. It does not contain sugar or caffeine. Johnson liked to use Fresca to make his favorite cocktail: the Scotch and Soda. Journalist Barbara Walters witnessed Johnson's Fresca habit first-hand, according to The Intermediate Period. She even wrote about the occurrence in her book, "Audition: A Memoir." During a meeting with Johnson at the White House, the president told Walters that he drank Fresca to help with medical issues. After having his gallbladder removed, Johnson was encouraged to quit smoking. He drank the grapefruit soda to help curb his nicotine cravings, the president said.
Unfortunately, this may not have been the best medical advice for Johnson to receive. According to the Truth Initiative, consuming sugar-heavy drinks or foods can actually trigger a craving to smoke.
Richard Nixon ate cottage cheese with ketchup
President Richard Nixon is associated with many tantalizing facts and historical scandals. But for some, his unique choice of breakfast may be just as jaw-dropping. The president liked to enjoy a bowl of cottage cheese topped with ketchup for his first metal of the day. He ate the dish along with sides like fruit and coffee. He also had yogurt flown to Washington D.C. from California, his home state.
Nixon had a mostly healthy diet. He likely consumed cottage cheese for its reported health benefits. According to Healthline, cottage cheese is filled with essential nutrients including important vitamins and minerals. Each serving contains protein, calcium, and vitamin B12. Some people think eating it may help you lose weight and gain muscle mass. But one thing is for sure, it's not normal practice to eat ketchup on it. Most people eat it with sweet foods such as fruit or spread their cottage cheese onto a piece of toast. You can even create savory hosting dishes with it, like a pesto cottage cheese dip.
John Adams drank hard cider as a tobacco alternative
When America was in its early stages, the way people lived was different. At a young age, John Adams developed a habit that may sound strange today. Every day immediately after he woke up, he would drink a large container of alcoholic apple cider. Adams contained this routine into adulthood. Yes, he even did this while president of the United States. Adams once said in a letter that hard apple cider was one of his favorite things in life, according to the Journal of the American Revolution. "Give me Bacon, and Cyder, and Books and Girl and Friend, and I will frisk it," the political figure wrote.
Adams even passionately promoted the drink as better than others. He went so far as to claim that hard apple cider was better than wine and healthier than tobacco. Today, we have a better understanding of the dangers of drinking alcohol than we did during Adam's lifetime.
Dwight D. Eisenhower enjoyed prune whip for dessert
Prunes were greatly appreciated by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. He enjoyed the fruit in the form of a dessert called prune whip. The dish was sometimes served as a palate cleanser. It contains ingredients like prunes, prune juice, gelatin, lemons, sugar, egg whites, whipped cream, and nuts. Together the ingredients create a chilled dessert recipe that is fairly easy to make, though no longer well-known.
But even if this recipe doesn't contain your favorite foods, you may want to consider it. Prunes are considered healthy by some. These fruits are full of fiber and antioxidants. One clinical study even found that prunes may have the ability to reduce bone loss and fight osteoporosis, according to The Nibble. With such information at our fingertips, perhaps it's time to give prunes a second chance. While we are at it, maybe it's time to attempt Eisenhower's favorite dessert of prune whip.
Bill Clinton loved eating Coca-Cola salad
Similar to the prune whip, gelatin-based desserts seem to have a sort of pull on American presidents. President Bill Clinton, during his term as president, found himself drawn to a Southern favorite: Coca-Cola salad, which is also known as Cherry Coke salad. Clinton asked for this dessert every year at Thanksgiving during his term. In President Clinton's favorite recipe, several different sweet flavors work together to create a harmonious dish. It was made with soda (probably Cherry Coke), Jello (possibly cherry-flavored), cherry pie filling, and whipped cream for the topping. Ingredients are heated and then chilled in the refrigerator to let them set.
While the thought of serving Jello as a main dish at Thanksgiving might seem strange, it wasn't that weird back then. Jello salad has been around for a while. Some of the earliest recipes of a gelatin-based salad can be traced to the start of the 1900s.