Charlie Chaplin Loved This Steak Dish So Much He Made His Own Recipe

Charlie Chaplin may have been the top comedian of the silver screen of his age, and he also was a glutton for the finer foods in life. The acclaimed silent film actor loved to eat steak and kidney pie, with his own recipe being included in the 1922 menu compilation, "The Stag Cookbook." Chaplin was a big fan of the English main dish, so much so that he gave author C. Mac Sheridan his recipe for the cookbook, which was meant to show men of the 20th century how to cook. Other notable figures who contributed to the cookbook were then-serving United States president Warren G. Harding, actor Douglas Fairbanks, and politician Will Hays.

The British funnyman called steak and kidney pie his favorite food to eat ever since he moved to the United States in 1910 to get more work in show business. "The Great Dictator" filmmaker wasn't the only Old Hollywood star to munch on the steak pie as Dorothy Gale herself, Judy Garland, ate the plate often.

Chaplin's recipe needed only simple ingredients for the pie filling, including two pounds of lean steak, one beef kidney, and an onion. According to the cookbook, the steak and kidney had to be sliced into two inch pieces and placed in a buttered dish that contained a pie crust sheet. The Oscar winner then advised to spread out a section of pastry dough to cover the filled pie and plucking a few holes on top to allow the condensation to exit. He noted that the dish had to cook for about three hours in the oven before consuming.

"The Kid" star also adored another meal during his lifetime, and even often used food as a scene partner in some of his films. Chaplin enjoyed a spicy curry dish from time to time as it was a meal that traced back to his roots in England. The Indian plate consisted of a herb-laced sauce that was full of meat, spices, and vegetables. As for his filmmaking, his popular "shoe-eating" scene in the 1923 flick "Gold Rush" featured his character boiling and swallowing a boot made of licorice.