Abraham Lincoln's Last Meal Was Reportedly Very Posh

America's 16th president didn't have an especially large appetite. Although he stood at 6 feet 4 inches tall, Abraham Lincoln was characterized by a decidedly gaunt frame, not betraying any penchant for food (even though he inspired the name for the Log Cabin maple syrup brand). For a truly good meal, by his standards, Lincoln named humble corn cakes as his all-time favorite food, and was also known to favor simple, Southern home-cooking classics like corned beef and cabbage and chicken fricassee. But when it came to his last meal, the menu was uncharacteristically fancy.

Lincoln was assassinated at Ford's Theatre on the evening of April 14, 1865, during a performance of the comedy "Our American Cousin." He arrived at the theatre around 8:30 p.m. following a Good Friday dinner served in the White House. According to "Their Last Suppers: Legends of History and Their Final Meals" by Andrew Caldwell, the menu comprised mock turtle soup (using oxtail), roast Virginia fowl with chestnut stuffing, baked yams, and cauliflower with cheese sauce. Incidentally, mock turtle soup even appears in Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" (1865) — published the same year as Lincoln's assassination. It's worth noting that the book does not contain a source to verify this menu, making this account of Lincoln's last meal unverifiable. While we do not know for sure if this was, in fact, Lincoln's last meal, it would have been period-appropriate and certainly pretty posh considering Lincoln's personal palate. 

The White House's (reported) choice to use oxtail as the protein element in what would be Lincoln's last bowl of mock turtle soup is an interesting one. The Victorian dish was invented for thrift, as an economical alternative to pricey turtle meat. Yet, rich, tender, bone-marrow-packed oxtail comes with its own infamously high price tag. 

According to John Hay, a private secretary of Lincoln (via History), a regular breakfast was hot coffee and a single egg. Lunch was milk, fruit, and biscuits, and dinner wasn't more than two courses. With this in mind, it's especially interesting that his last meal would comprise not only oxtail "mock turtle" soup, but also fancy chestnut-stuffed Virginia fowl and two rich vegetable dishes. Although, one month prior to his last meal, the menu at Lincoln's second inaugural celebration in March 1865 included such similarly ornamental fare as patê de foie gras and oyster stew. 

Perhaps ironically, "Our American Cousin" is a play about a countryman who clumsily meets his aristocratic English relatives. This motif largely applies to Lincoln's assumption of the esteemed chair of the presidency (and the foods that came with it). Lincoln was born to poor pioneers, and when he passed the bar exam in his twenties, he was almost entirely self-educated. Later, his courtship with Mary Todd Lincoln was considered untraditional due to Todd Lincoln's belonging to a wealthy, well-known family. Call it a full-circle banquet.