Abraham Lincoln – Recipes and Reflections

The truth is no one knows what Abraham Lincoln really enjoyed eating. In the White House he often had just an apple and a glass of milk for lunch. During his Indiana boyhood, Abe read under a tree munching corn bread "dodgers." We know Mary owned a copy of Miss Leslie's Complete Cookbook. We don't know too much more. Yet years of researching foods of the 1800s coupled with even more years of just plain cooking do bring an avenue to considering the foods Lincoln might have enjoyed. 

    This blog presents authentic recipes from Lincoln's life and times over the next ten weeks, between the celebration of his February 12, 1809 birthday and the anniversary of his death on April 14, 1865. They reflect economic conditions and social settings of Lincoln's pioneer days and the changes in his midwestern region as settlements grew into towns while Lincoln grew from inquisitive child to an accomplished man. These recipes are adapted for modern kitchens. Recreating them is a lesson in cooking and the past. But be warned: Eating these delicious foods may increase an appetite for history.