Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Lincoln's Favorite Meals


What were some of Abraham Lincoln's favorite foods or meals? One of my fellow bloggers asked me this just a week or two ago, and I had no idea. She likes the more personal side of history and so do I. Facts and dates are fine in and of themselves, but they don't tell us what the person or places were really like.

So, I was happy to find this article in the Herald-Leader (Lexington, Kentucky) newspaper which reports that some Lexington-area restaurants are serving up dishes throughout September that Lincoln was known to enjoy. Some of the recipes being presented at these restaurants are lamb shanks, chicken casserole, and scalloped oysters. Since this is a family-oriented blog, I won't speculate about why Lincoln might have enjoyed the oysters.

The Lexington restaurants are taking the recipes from "Lincoln's Table," a collection of Lincoln's favorite dishes and other meals of the era. The book is currently in the second edition and provides interesting tidbits about the meals, some background on the recipes, and an explanation about some of the out-of-date cooking terms. It's currently out of stock at Amazon.com, but may be found at The Abraham Lincoln Bookshop. I've included a photo of the book in this post.

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6 comments:

  1. ChristySeptember 3, 2008 at 12:09 PM

    Oh, now that’s a book I need. I thought I had read somewhere that oysters were a particular favorite of his. :-) I have also read that fricasseed chicken, fruit salad, cheese, nuts and apple pie were preferred foods. One source claimed that Mary fussed at him for feeding the cat at the table with his own dinner fork. Whether those are true or not, I would still like to share a meal with him.

    Thanks for another great post. I enjoy your blog so much.

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  2. Geoff ElliottSeptember 3, 2008 at 12:17 PM

    Thanks for your kind words. I'm happy you enjoy my blog as much as I enjoy yours. :-)

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  3. AnonymousFebruary 11, 2009 at 2:04 PM

    I just happened to think it would be nice to celebrate Lincoln's birthday with a dessert he would have enjoyed. Apple pie is a favorite of my family also. I'll have to look up fricasseed chicken since I don't think I've ever cooked chicken by that style. Thank you for this interesting and useful blog!

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  4. AnonymousFebruary 12, 2009 at 5:05 PM

    Smart food I say, everything our family enjoys...

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  5. AnonymousFebruary 12, 2009 at 5:07 PM

    Smart food I say, foods our family enjoys..

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  6. Sarah BethMarch 28, 2013 at 7:47 AM

    This is amazing and a book I definitely need. Will it be available at the Lincoln National Boyhood Memorial?

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