When you're the leader of the free world, life isn't easy. But, there is one "yuuuggee" perk of sitting in the Oval Office: having a private chef. These unsung heroes have been the spatula behind the pen for over two centuries, serving up a wide range of comfort foods to those who deserve it the most. Here is a rundown of 227 years of presidential appetites, so you can figure out if your stomach is White House-worthy.
1. George Washington
Our first president had very simple tastes and a hearty appetite. He loved fish, nuts, and, fruits. Cherries were among his favorite things to eat, despite the longstanding myth that Washington cut down his father's cherry tree. Channel our first president with this easy cherry pie.
2. John Adams
For President Adams, pickles were a must in his day-to-day diet. Learn how to make them yourself and impress all your friends.
3. Thomas Jefferson
President Jefferson was enamored by macaroni and cheese, which he discovered on a trip to France. Jefferson is actually credited with increasing macaroni's popularity in the United States after he served it at a State dinner in 1802. I wonder if he'd be a fan of Kraft Easy Mac. Probably, right?
4. James Madison
Dolley Madison was famous for her cakes, cookies, and other treats, but her husband was a very picky eater. However, one thing he enjoyed was ice cream. I have a feeling Madison will be one of the most popular food soulmates...
5. James Monroe
As a native Virginian, President Monroe liked to eat one of the local favorite dishes: Spoon Bread.
6. John Quincy Adams
President John Quincy Adams kept it simple and healthy, eating fresh fruit on a regular basis during his time in the White House. I wonder if he made his cabinet take this course in case they did their job poorly.
7. Andrew Jackson
Despite being born in a log cabin on the frontier, Old Hickory loved French cuisine. His favorite food was the classic floating islands dessert. A food soulmate to admire.
8. Martin Van Buren
President van Buren would eat oysters by the boat full (maybe not literally, but you get the picture).
9. William Henry Harrison
Before his death on his 32nd day in office, President Harrison loved to indulge himself on squirrel stew. Don't think you can keep down squirrel stew? Try this warm winter chicken stew instead.
10. John Tyler
President Tyler was more of a Commander in Sweet than anything else. He loved desserts, especially pudding. One of his favorite dishes was Indian Pudding.
11. James K. Polk
President Polk took his Southern palate to the White House during his four year term in the 1840s. One of his favorite foods was corn pone. The difference between corn pone and cornbread lies in the ingredients and in the history of the two dishes.
12. Zachary Taylor
President Taylor loved anything Southern. He particularly loved Creole food. His go-to food was a treat called calas, which are essentially beignets made from rice.
13. Millard Fillmore
President Fillmore loved soup. Clearly, he was a foodie at heart.
14. Franklin Pierce
Born and raised in New Hampshire, President Pierce loved the foods of his youth. This includes fried clams, clam chowder, and apple pandowdy.
15. James Buchanan
jetheriot on Flickr
Like many of our nation's Founding Fathers, President Buchanan loved to eat French cuisine and other gourmet foods of his day. However, cabbage tops his list of go-to foods while in the White House.
16. Abraham Lincoln
President Lincoln liked to keep the Christmas spirit alive all year long. His favorite snack was gingerbread cookies, especially his mother's homemade treats. Unfortunately, her recipe has been lost to posterity.
17. Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson's presidency was one of the most dramatic in US history, surviving impeachment by only one vote. Comfort food was a must in his administration. His favorite food was a Southern dish called Hoppin' John, which is made with black-eyed peas, rice, chopped onion, sliced bacon, and seasoned with salt.
18. Ulysses S. Grant
The leader of the Union Army and the 18th President of the United States loved rice pudding. For Grant, lemon-flavored rice pudding was one of the most important things in combating his Civil War nerves.
19. Rutherford B. Hayes
President Hayes was a breakfast kind of President. His go-to meal was cornmeal pancakes with syrup.
20. James A. Garfield
Squirrel Stew...again. What's with these guys?
21. Chester A. Arthur
President Arthur's stomach might have been too easily influenced by the facial hair trends of the day. His favorite meal resembles his beard style: mutton chops.
22 and 24. Grover Cleveland
Besides being the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms, Grover Cleveland is also ranked as one of the country's least healthy presidents. Clearly the health benefits of pickled herring did not actually help President Cleveland.
23. Benjamin Harrison
Luckily, President Benjamin Harrison did not have the same appetite as his grandfather, President William Henry Harrison. Instead, he liked to eat corn with butter and salt. Simple, but delicious.
25. William McKinley
President McKinley wasn't a picky eater, but he liked to keep things basic. Meat and fish topped his list of favorite foods during his White House years.
26. Theodore Roosevelt
Is it any surprise that the man who spent the years after his presidency traveling Africa on an extended hunting trip loved to eat wild game and steak with bread and gravy? I don't think so.
27. William Howard Taft
President Taft set the threshold as the heaviest US President to ever serve (300+ pounds), which may or may not have been the reason he installed a bigger bathtub in the White House residency. One of the reasons for his weight was his obsession with steak and potatoes.
28. Woodrow Wilson
While some presidents like complicated or foreign foods, President Wilson liked to keep it simple and heart healthy. Chicken salad was his favorite comfort food. For some reason, I think a lot of the health-conscious readers will relate to him more than George W. Bush or Bill Clinton.
29. Warren G. Harding
Harding's presidency might have been full of scandals, but his appetite wasn't. During his administration, President Harding found comfort in chicken pot pie.
30. Calvin Coolidge
I think everyone has heard of apple pie, but did you know you could make it with a pork filling? President Coolidge did, and he loved it.
31. Herbert Hoover
President Hoover loved sweet potatoes with toasted marshmallows more than anything else. Clearly, he liked to keep the Thanksgiving vibe around all year long.
32. Franklin D. Roosevelt
During FDR's administration, his favorite go-to snack was really gooey grilled cheese. Now that's a presidential stomach worth voting for.
33. Harry Truman
Truman had an interesting take on steaks. He once said that "only coyotes and predatory animals eat raw beef." So, how'd he take his steak? Very well-done. If you are Truman's food soulmate, maybe don't tell Gordon Ramsay.
34. Dwight D. Eisenhower
Many people don't know that President Eisenhower was actually a very good cook, often whipping up treats for his family and for foreign dignitaries. However, his wife, Mamie, stole the show in the White House with her Million-Dollar Fudge. This fudge soon become one of Ike's go-to snacks.
35. John F. Kennedy
It's no surprise that native-Bostonian John F. Kennedy loved New England fish chowder. In 1961, a little girl by the name of Lynn Jennings wrote a letter to the White House asking what JFK liked to eat. In return, Kennedy's secretary sent Jennings JFK's personal fish chowder recipe.
36. Lyndon B. Johnson
The hard-hitting President from Texas loved to eat tapioca pudding. He also had an unmatched love for Fresca.
37. Richard Nixon
President Nixon loved the odd combination of cottage cheese and ketchup. God only knows how he discovered that unique pairing (I'm not judging if Nixon is your food soulmate...well, maybe I am a little bit).
38. Gerald Ford
As the sitting President, Gerald Ford loved to eat waffles with strawberries and sour cream. Definitely a huge improvement from his predecessor.
39. Jimmy Carter
The peanut farmer turned President loved grits. The southern staple food was commonplace in the Carter Administration.
40. Ronald Reagan
If you love Jelly Beans, then the Gipper is your presidential food soulmate. However, President Reagan may have taken his love for Jelly Beans too far, placing a standard order for 306,070 Jelly Beans per month to be distributed throughout the White House and other federal buildings. But then again, if you have a Reagan-sized love for Jelly Beans, there probably isn't such a thing as too many.
41. George H. W. Bush
RussBowling on Flickr
Bush loved pork rinds with Tabasco so much that pork rind sales actually increased 11 percent during his presidency. That is power of the presidency in a nutshell.
#SpoonTip: If you don't like broccoli, there is a good chance President George H.W. Bush might be your food soulmate as well.
42. Bill Clinton
Before Clinton announced he was going vegan, he would indulge on greasy jalapeño cheeseburgers with mayonnaise, lettuce, pickles, and onions. Maybe he should have seen the heart issues coming...
43. George W. Bush
While in office, Dubya's go-to dinner was cheeseburger pizza (just in cause you're interested). Why? Because, 'Merica.
44. Barack Obama
If you like nachos, then President Obama is your foodie soulmate. In an interview with Jerry Seinfeld, he said nachos are "one of those where I have to have it taken away. I'll have guacamole coming out of my eyeballs." I feel you on that one, Obama, I really do.