Top 5 Foods Abraham Lincoln Adored

Abraham Lincoln had a passion for food—and he wasn’t shy about stepping into the kitchen and preparing meals himself. These are some of his most-loved dishes.

Bacon

Colonel William H. Crook, Lincoln’s final bodyguard, noted, “The Lincolns typically had breakfast at nine. Mr. Lincoln had a robust appetite and maintained his fondness for simple, hearty foods. He especially enjoyed bacon, a taste he carried from his days as a farm boy.”

In the mid-19th century, the term bacon carried a broader definition. While today it refers specifically to cured meat from a pig’s side or belly, during that era, any salted and cured pork slice was considered bacon.

Apples

In his book Memories of the White House (1911), Crook mentions, “Mrs. Lincoln ensured a plentiful supply of carefully selected apples.” Lincoln, who valued health, regarded apples as essential. He once remarked, “Apples suit me well … many professionals harm their stomachs through careless eating and drinking, damaging their health and shortening their lives.”

Corn Cakes

While Lincoln favored healthy snacks, he also indulged occasionally. He famously claimed he could eat delicious corn cakes faster than two women could prepare them.

Oysters

Lincoln’s second inaugural address, alongside his Gettysburg speech, stands as one of his most memorable orations. However, the celebration that followed was less than perfect. At the White House ball, Lincoln hosted a feast featuring his beloved oysters, served both stewed and pickled. Sadly, the food ran short, and guests, like elegantly dressed locusts, overwhelmed the buffet, leaving the floor a messy blend of spilled dishes and wasted delicacies. As the Washington Evening Star described, “The supper room floor became a sticky, oily mess of crushed cake and scattered food.” Delightful!

Gingerbread Men

During a debate with Stephen A. Douglas, Lincoln shared a charming childhood tale about his mother’s gingerbread men. He recounted how she once baked three for him. Taking them outside, he encountered a friend from a less fortunate family.

“Abe,” his friend pleaded, “give me one.” Lincoln obliged, but before he could finish his own, the boy exclaimed, “Abe, give me another.” Reluctantly, Lincoln handed it over, joking, “You really seem to enjoy gingerbread men.”

“Abe,” his friend sighed, “I doubt anyone loves gingerbread as much as I do—and gets as little of it as I do ...”

However, the tale wasn’t merely about food. As Rae Katherine Eighmey, a food historian and author of Abraham Lincoln in the Kitchen: A Culinary View of Lincoln's Life and Times, told MPR News, “Lincoln cleverly used the gingerbread man analogy to counter Douglas’s excessive flattery during their debate. He drew a parallel, saying, ‘No one receives as much praise as I do, and I’m unsure how to handle it.’”