Which sweet treat was abraham lincolns favorite

Honest Abe was born 210 years ago today, so we’ve gathered some menu options for a Lincoln-approved birthday buffet. Enjoy.

According to the 16th president’s last bodyguard, Colonel William H. Crook, “Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln breakfasted at nine. Mr. Lincoln was a hearty eater. He never lost his taste for the things a growing farmer’s boy would like. He was particularly fond of bacon.”

It’s worth noting that in the mid-1800s, bacon had a slightly different meaning. Today, this breakfast food’s defined as “cured meat taken from the side or belly of a pig.” But, back then, any slice of pork that had been salted and cured qualified as proper bacon.

“Mrs. Lincoln always had a sufficiency of this fruit chosen carefully and ready at hand,” Crook writes in Memories of the White House (1911). The health-conscious statesman considered these a dietary staple. “Apples,” he said, “agree with me … a large per cent of professional men abuse their stomachs by imprudence in drinking and eating, and in that way health is injured and life is shortened.”

Much as he liked nutritious snacks, Lincoln wasn’t above the occasional cheat day. Abe often bragged that he could devour tasty corn cakes “as fast as two women could make them.”

Along with his remarks at Gettysburg, Lincoln’s second inaugural address has become one of the man’s most iconic speeches. Yet, the after-party was a bit of a disaster. At his White House’s celebratory ball, Lincoln threw a banquet complete with one of his favorite foods, oysters, in both stew and pickled form. Unfortunately, the guests soon learned that there wasn’t quite enough grub to go around. Like frenzied, well-dressed locusts, hungry visitors started swarming the buffet line, spilling countless entrees en route. As the Washington Evening Star reported, “The floor of the supper room was soon sticky, pasty and oily with wasted confections, mashed cake and debris of foul [sic] and meat.” Yum!

While debating Stephen A. Douglas, Lincoln amused their audience with a childhood story about his mother’s gingerbread men. One day, the senatorial candidate recalled, she’d baked three for him. After carrying the treats outside, he spotted a friend who hailed from a much poorer family.

“Abe,” his young associate said, “gimme a man.” He did so, but before Lincoln could even finish his first, the boy blurted, “Abe, gimme that other’n.” Reluctantly, he handed it over, quipping, “You seem to like gingerbread men.” “Abe,” his pal sighed, “I don’t s’pose anybody on earth likes gingerbread better’n I do—and gets less’n I do ...”

This post originally ran in 2015.

Legend has it that although Abraham Lincoln ate sparsely, he did have a sweet tooth. He was particularly fond of a white cake made by his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, as well as her version of an apple pie that included a dollop of hot rum sauce.

Historians say that famous Lexington, Ky., confectioner Monsieur Giron actually created this white cake recipe on the occasion of Marquis de Lafayette’s visit to the city in 1825. The Todd family received the recipe from Giron when Mary was young. She treasured the recipe and served it on special occasions in Springfield and at the White House. Historians say she often made this cake for the president – even before they were married – and he always commented, “Mary’s white cake is the best I have ever eaten.”

President Lincoln also loved apples, and he enjoyed them served in a dish popular at the time: apple pie with a good coating of hot rum sauce. Use any tart green baking apple from Granny Smith to Virginia Greening, a variety from Lincoln’s day, to cut the sweetness in this delicious dessert.

The Lincolns often had cookies in the cookie jar. When they were hosting a big party, they purchased macaroon pyramids (macaroon cookies stacked in a pyramid and covered with caramelized sugar drizzle) from local confectioners. Mary also served strawberries and cream, probably with cookies.

Oral tradition says that the neighborhood children were guaranteed a cookie or doughnut from Mrs. Lincoln when they played with the Lincoln boys. With Mary’s copious amounts of sugar purchased, she certainly could bake plenty of cookies. During the course of one week in 1849, historians note that Mary purchased 13 pounds of sugar.

The tea cookies are adapted from a recipe in the Lincoln cookbook sold at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield. Visit the library’s website at alplm.org to learn more about the 16th president and his strong ties to Illinois – including his favorite foods.

Recipes:

Mary Todd Lincoln’s White Cake

Green Apple Pie with Hot Rum Sauce

Apricot Tea Cookies

Cinnamon Apple Sponge Cake

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