FOOD NEWS
The Favorite Foods Of Various First Ladies
BY Daniel Rugunya
Martha Washington
First Lady Martha Washington truly loved a hearty crab soup, likely made with fresh Chesapeake Bay blue crabs, found in abundance near Mount Vernon.
Her favorite crab soup would have also likely been a central part of many meals served to diplomats, as well as General Washington's military comrades and their families.
Abigail Adams
"The President's Cookbook" by Poppy Cannon and Patricia Brooks, published in 1968, highlighted how Abigail Adams loved apple pan dowdy.
Hailing from Massachusetts, Adams' love for apple pan dowdy could be explained by the strong preference for apple-based desserts in the New England region.
Mary Todd Lincoln
Mary Todd Lincoln enjoyed a white almond cake, which was a popular dish in the Lincoln household. She even baked it in her courtship to Abraham Lincoln.
According to the Food Timeline, Mary believed sugar contained strong nutritious qualities. Therefore, she put in a lot of time and effort in her desserts.
Eleanor Roosevelt
During Eleanor Roosevelt's time in the White House as the First Lady, one common, if messy, dessert was Hasty pudding, also known as Indian pudding.
Eleanor and Franklin D. Roosevelt also frequently had scrambled eggs, in keeping with their modest food habits. This approach even earned them a reputation for "bad food."
Bess Truman
Bess Truman's favorite meal was the Ozark pudding, and its recipe is archived and publicly available in the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum.
The Ozark pudding gained a special place in American history when she reportedly served it to Winston Churchill after his famous "Iron Curtain" speech.