President Andrew Jackson Through the Lens of Food
Andrew Jackson, Courtesy of The New York Public Library
A Southern Barbecue, a wood engraving from a sketch by Horace Bradley, published in Harper's Weekly, July 1887.
As part of our series on presidents and food we turn to President Andrew Jackson (1767-1845). Jackson served as president from 1829 to 1837. If you look at images of US presidents, you would see Jackson is the most petite of them all, yet the guy had grit! His contemporaries said Jackson didn’t have a big appetite but he loved to host large dinner parties. For example, as a part of his inauguration festivities, he hosted a segregated presidential barbecue which included alcohol and it was free and open to his supporters. Can you imagine what the shopping list must’ve been like for that event! And what about the experience of area stray dogs. I hope the White House kitchen staff received overtime pay and permission to take home leftovers. For more, see my colleague Adrian Miller’s excellent book on White House Chefs.