Most people know that Abraham Lincoln grew up with modest means, moving around with his family from his birthplace of Kentucky to the wilderness of Indiana, and on to Illinois (per Biography). Even after bucking all the odds to go on to be America’s 16th President with a fully staffed kitchen, his taste in food was simple and humble. In her 2014 book, “Abraham Lincoln in the Kitchen: A Culinary View of Lincoln’s Life and Times,” Rae Katherine Eighmey explains that Lincoln learned to cook for himself and his family at a young age because his mother died when he was just 9 years old, and someone had to do it (per NPR). Eighmey said he continued being helpful in the kitchen after he was grown and married, tying on a blue apron after a day of working in the law office and helping his wife cook dinner.

President Lincoln’s Cottage tells us that he also loved foods such as oysters, baked beans, and gingerbread cookies. But as time went on, and Lincoln’s responsibilities grew to include being the head of a country split by the Civil War, his appetite lessened, his weight dropped, and very few victuals could tempt him away from his work. Breakfast was just an egg, toast, and milk or coffee, and lunch was even more austere, often just an apple or biscuit with milk.

Practicality meets hospitality

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Chicken, Flour, Spices, Gravy

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