Famous Historical People And Their Favorite Food (part 1 of 2)

 

This week in part 1 of 2, I'm presenting the favorite food of famous historical people who achieved fame and/or notoriety before 1900.

Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln was a man of straight forward tastes, and one dish in particular whetted his appetite—a simple place of baked beans. During the Civil War, it's said Lincoln would often join his personal guard detachment to share their humble meal of beans.

Alexandre Dumas

Best known for The Three Musketeers, French author Alexandre Dumas was something of a gourmet who ate at the fanciest Paris restaurants. One of his works was an encyclopedia of cooking, the Grand Dictionaire de Cuisine. His favorite food was actually an elaborate salad dressing, which included herbs, boiled eggs, anchovies, and gherkins.

Anne Boleyn

Anne Boleyn—one of six women unlucky enough to marry Henry VIII. It didn't end well for her since Henry had her beheaded for alleged infidelity. But before that fateful day, her favorite meal was apparently venison. When Henry was courting her, it's said one way he tried to win her favor was to gift her with deer meat.

Beethoven

Even though he was a famous composer, Ludwig Van Beethoven seldom had much money to spare. It's not surprising that his favorite food would be the economical mac and cheese. But it wasn't really all that inexpensive, as Beethoven insisted the dish had to be made with Parmesan, not the cheapest of cheeses.

Charles Darwin

British naturalist Charles Darwin shot to fame with the publication of his revolutionary book The Origin of Species. Darwin didn't just study the natural world: he also ate it. While he was a student at Cambridge University in England, he was a member of a group called the Glutton's Club. It was dedicated to eating creatures not normally on human menus. So later in life, it was only natural that he would dine on an armadillo. Apparently, it tasted like duck.

George Washington

When George Washington sat down at the meal table, there was one thing that had to be on hand: mushroom ketchup. When we think of ketchup today, tomatoes immediately come to mind. But back in Washington's day, ketchup was tomato-free. It was made with horseradish, anchovies, and mushrooms.

Grover Cleveland

President Grover Cleveland, in office for two separate terms in the 19^th century, was apparently no fan of some of the fancier cuisine served up in the White House. He actually had the misfortune of inheriting a French chef from his predecessor Chester A. Authur, but it seems that what Cleveland really craved was a simple plate of pickled herring.

Henry VIII

In popular belief, Henry VIII ate whole roast chickens with his bare hands, throwing the remains over his shoulder to be tidied up by servants. That's probably a myth. But according to actual history, his favorite food was fruit preserves, otherwise known as jam. And not spread on bread, either. He ate it by itself using a fork.

James Monroe

Founding Father James Monroe, who was also U.S. President from 1817 to 1825, was a native Virginian. Apparently it was in Virginia that his favorite dish originated. Although it's said that Monroe was no stranger to more elaborate French cuisine, he turned to spoon break—similar to break pudding—for comfort. It's commonly thought that this dish tasted best when eaten right from the pan where it was cooked.

Julius Caesar

When he found time between conquering large parts of the known world and running the Roman Empire, there was one dish he craved—asparagus. But it had to be served just right. According to The National Geographic, apparently the Roman emperor was once served asparagus prepared in myrrh. The only way to serve it was with olive oil.

Leonardo da Vinci

Renaissance genius Leonardo da Vinci lived for many years in Tuscany, and it was this Italian region that was responsible for his preferred dish: minestrone soup. Some historians believe the great master was actually a vegetarian in his later years. He seems to have thrived on his favorite minestrone soup since he lived to be 67, a very old age in medieval times.

Mark Twain

Literary giant and accomplished humorist, Mark Twain was in little doubt about his favorite food. At one point, he sat down and made a list of all the foods he missed during his foreign travels. Oysters prepared in various ways appeared no fewer than five times. He was partial to them fried, roasted, stewed, in soup, or simply on the half shell. Obviously, Twain loved oysters.

Mary Shelley

English author Mary Shelley is primarily known for just one of her books, her 1818 work, Frankenstein.  She obviously had a vivid imagination. But when it came to food, she was a bit of a plain Jane. Her heart's desire was simple kale.

Mozart

The 18^th century Austrian composer Wolfgang Mozart produced an astonishing amount of truly beautiful music. But when he wasn't hard at work creating those heavenly melodies, he appetite was more earth bound. His favorite dinner was liver dumplings accompanied by sauerkraut.

Napoleon

Napoleon Bonaparte could presumably have had any dish he wanted from across his extensive empire. But appropriately enough for this military mastermind, the recipe he loved best was actually created on the battlefield. He defeated the Austrians at the Battle of Marengo in 1800. As well as a battlefield victory, the conflict yielded Chicken Marengo. Napoleon's favorite dish. It's a stew with eggs, crawfish, tomatoes, and herbs added to chicken.

Oscar Wilde

Flamboyant British literary figure and legendary wit Oscar Wilde is said to have been a man who enjoyed his meals, and one of his favorite dishes was roast duck. But for Wilde, the duck had to be an actual wild bird, not a farmyard bred fowl. The probably meant he ate mallard ducks, the most popular wild breed eaten in the U.K. to this day.

Queen Elizabeth I

Elizabeth I—on the English throne for 70 years until her death in 1603—is said to have dined on roast cygnet for Christmas dinner. Eating swan was a sign of high status during the Middle Ages, so it was a dish truly fit for a queen. But apparently swans are best eaten as juveniles, when they're called cygnets. According to chef and author Hand Shaw, mature swans taste like "fishy mutton."

Queen Victoria

Presumably, Queen Victoria could have snapped her fingers and ordered any dish available in the sprawling British Empire of the19th century, so her favorite food comes as a genuine surprise: the humble potato. Evidence comes from an anonymously authored 1901 publication, The Private Life of the Queen by a Member of the Royal Household. The writer made the startling claim that, "Her Majesty confesses to a great weakness for potatoes, which are cooked for her in every conceivable way."

Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson is best remembered for his two presidential terms at the beginning of the 19^th century, but he also spent five years as the U.S. Minister to France. And when he returned to America, he brought with him some of his favorite foods. Notable among those was French fried. So, as well as his formidable political achievements, Jefferson can take credit for a dish that has become a central staple of the American diet.

William Henry Harrison

William Henry Harrison served as President of the United States for a mere 32 days in 1841 before he was struck down by a severe case of pneumonia. That made him the shortest term White House occupant in history. We don't know if he was the only president who often dined on squirrel, but the bushy tailed rodent cooked in a stew was his favorite dish.

Zachary Taylor

Zachary Taylor occupied the White House for only 16 months before his premature death in 1850. Although he was a native of Virginia, apparently he was a big fan of Creole cuisine. His favorite snack was calas, a sugary fried-dough treat similar to beignets.

Next week, in part 2, I'll be sharing the favorite food of famous historical people who achieved fame between 1900 and present.