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Gen. George Washington is shown during the American Revolutionary War at the Battle of Princeton leading the Continental Army to victory over the British forces. The battle took place in Princeton, New Jersey on January 3, 1777.
George Washington, a founding father and the first President of the United States, is arguably one of if not the most famous American of all time. He was probably the most pivotal figure in freeing America from British rule and tyranny and launching what would become the greatest civilization of the past 250 years.
George Washington also ate like a complete and total psychopath. We know this because there are plenty of historical records of his daily life and habits. And in a recent Cookin’ With Congress video, Bennett Rea ate like General Washington for a full day to see what it was like.
Could You Eat President George Washington’s Diet For 24 Hours?
First things first, President Washington was considered extremely wealthy by contemporary measures. Adjusted for inflation, he is believed to have amassed and possessed a personal fortune somewhere in the realm of $525-$580 million.
Suffice it to say he was not cooking his own meals! Instead, President Washington had slave labor cooks both in Philadelphia and at Mount Vernon (never the White House) doing all of the cooking for him.
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, right? Surely a man as influential as George Washington would start his day off with something special… That entirely depends on your definition of ‘special’ I suppose.
For breakfast, George Washington would eat: tongue toast, hoecakes, rice waffles, drink coffee, and have tea. If you are not familiar with ‘tongue toast’ then you are not alone. It is not a dish you find on many menus these days.
Tongue toast for President George Washington was sliced cold cow’s tongue served atop buttered bread. Bennett Rea says he actually enjoyed the tongue toast in the style of George Washington, calling it “quite tender and flavorful.”
George Washington’s ‘Hoecakes’ were an everyday staple in is diet as they ranked amongst his favorite foods. Mount Vernon has a full recipe for them on their website here. This actually seems like a fantastic way to start the day, just not every day. Maybe once a month.
President Washington would drown his Hoecakes in honey, maple syrup, cinnamon, and caraway seeds. The combination came to be known as ‘Fairy Farm Sauce’ named in honor of Ferry Farm where George Washington’s mother lived for much of her life.
What’s Next???
Washington is noticeably light on protein going into lunch… Which he skips entirely. Weird choice but to each their own.
Instead, George would opt for a 3 PM supper accompanied by a beer and five glasses of wine. An average supper menu for Washington might include a dozen dishes. For the video above the supper starts with fried tripe which begins with boiling cow stomach for 2 hours. Bennett said this is the first time he’s ever been “truly turned off” by cooking meat.
Along with the fried tripe, Washington would eat creamed cabbage, broiled bass, and glazed onions. The glazed onions were glazed with honey and cooked at 450F for 45-50 minutes. He actually preferred bream over bass, or cod and red herring. Washington was also a huge lover of sliced ham and cold corned beef as well as broiled lamb and mutton.
Because President George Washington famously wore dentures made from a mixture of animal teeth and human teeth, as well as gold and lead, he preferred to only eat softened foods and not lose his teeth. Having lead inside your mouth was probably not a great idea, huh?
Onto the drink… Washington was one of the original home brewers in America. He would make his own porters and session-style ales. Drinking 5 or so at a meal was common. On top of that, President George Washington would put down 5 glasses of Madeira at Supper, a 19% ABV sweet wine similar to Port.
Dessert?
Nope. George Washington wasn’t into dessert despite having a dog named ‘Sweet Lips’ which is one heck of a name for a dog. Instead he would eat nuts. Hazelnuts and pecans were his go-to choices and he would eat A LOT of them at a time. Then he would finish it all off with a cup of tea because surely he hadn’t drank enough liquid throughout the day…
Washington would eat a full bowl of the nuts before bed. Guests there or not. Every night. Totally normal behavior.
So what do you think, could you eat like George Washington for a day?