The Potus Diet: 17 U.S. Presidents and Their All-Time Favorite Foods
George Washington – Hoecakes
One of the most well-known and longest enduring tales about George Washington is how he chopped down a cherry tree when he was a little boy and admitted his deed to his father, saying the famous line “I Can’t Tell a Lie, Pa,”.
While historians have made it pretty clear that the cherry tree story was just a myth, they did find solid evidence that the first president of the United States enjoyed farm food like no other. Washington liked to eat hoecakes topped with honey, fish, as well as different kinds of nuts, such as hazelnuts, as explained by Poppy Cannon and Patricia Brooks in “The Presidents’ Cookbook”.
John Adams – Apple pandowdy
Washington may have chosen the location and architect for the White House, but it was actually John Adams who first lived, worked and ate there, even before the construction was completely finished. Adams had quite sophisticated and refined tastes, probably acquired during his many diplomatic trips to London and Paris and due to all the traveling that he did as Washington’s vice president.
However, when it came to food, his tastes were very simple. He enjoyed foods that reminded him of his Massachusetts origins, such as codfish cakes, poached salmon with egg sauce, and apple pandowdy.
