If we are what we eat, then some of the most lauded men and women of history might surprise us in terms of what fuels them. Who would ever have thought that one of England's best loved novelists, Jane Austen, relished the simple delight of a cheese toastie - or that the quintessential American writer, Ernest 'Papa' Hemingway, crafted the best burgers in town? Whether it's Honest Abe's apple obsession or Mark Twain's love for oysters, here are a (sometimes unexpected) selection of historical personalities and their favourite foods.
Julius Caesar: asparagus
Asparagus has a rep of being an aphrodisiac, so either it's for the birds or the Roman general Julius Caesar enjoyed one more spear or two for dessert after a big feast on spears for no reason other than they are asparagus and how can anything be greater than anything else of anything. He actually had a list of his bitch that they got ready wrong; they also made the spear with myrrh to Julius's displeasure. Then again, even the first Emperor, Augustus Caesar loved the spears so much that he established what is now known as a spears boat group.
Andy Warhol: cake
The Pop Art king dreamed up a collection of drawings called Love Is a Pink Cake, and by the looks of it, that was no figure of speech. He just truly, truly adored cake. Or anything that was sweet for that matter: “All I ever really want is sugar.” But if the guy decorated and actually made himself a cake, it’d be to a ‘recipe’ that no bake sale or fancy occasion wedding could ever justify. Pop artist and art writer Bob Nickas says that in Warhol's world, making cake simply involved slapping a chocolate bar between two slices of bread.
Frank Sinatra: stuffed artichokes
Ol' Blue Eyes loved Italian Food - All types - all the way from Spaghetti with little necks all the way up to Veal Milanese - and while his pal, the Scognamillo family down at the historic Patsy's Italian Restaurant in NYC, served many of my personal favorite dishes - no dish on top when I sat at Sinatra's bar, no dish was a more popular one with the singer, crooner and actor than Stuffed Artichokes with black olives, capers, chili peppers and Italian seasoning - not too much garlic because I'm always so sensitive to that in my dishes!
Gene Kelly: coq au vin
The legendary screen icon, who was as renowned for musicals like Singing in the Rain as for anything else, looks as though he could have made the jump to the stove as easily as he made his jump on the dancefloor. Indeed, one of the Hollywood A-lister's recipe cards includes a particularly ambitious coq au vin (we bet he wasn't one for a 'chuck it in and hope' sort of approach to dinner), declaring it is his 'favourite' on the grounds of 'the extra steps' it required to 'make it so good'. We can see how, with extra stages including browning the meat and veg and flambaying and then completing in about half of the sauce to 'intensify' the flavour.
Henry VIII: fruit preserves
Nobody has perhaps embodied an image of an eating king more than Henry VIII in Britain, with descriptions of some Hampton Court Palace banquets readily supporting that legend of a man consumed with appetite. Tables laden with roasts of all manner of creatures as well as steak pies, venison and swan were the order of the day though the king may have particularly loved all kinds of fruits in the form of raw jam preserves, the Historic Royal Palaces report.
He alone was able to feast using his very own fork as back then these items were generally for the purpose of cutting carving not the king himself devouring delicacies, for example jam that the Historic Royal Palaces detail he’d use his own for.
Alfred Hitchcock: quiche Lorraine
Although named after France’s Alsace-Lorraine, the more common place to see a Quiche Lorraine is in a cafe and in a buffet line for lunch but Mr. Hitch seemingly favored the rather rich pie to munch on at breakfast time. Hitch himself confessed that he was so ‘frightened of eggs’, one can imagine that his very good (according to him) chef of a wife, screenplay writer Alma Reville, must’ve cooked and put them into the whole wheat crust with ham, onions, salt, nutmeg, a pinch of cayenne, and cream.
George Washington: ice cream
America’s First President held office from 1789 to 1797 when he stepped down from his presidential duties, and accounts from The Washingtons’ Mt Vernon Plantation reveal a number of items on their food agenda, not least of which include ice-cream preferences. A fan of the frozen dairy, both George and First Lady Martha’s Mt Vernon had multiple ice-cream pots for making chilled dishes, “cream machines for ice,” spoons and all the paraphernalia required to serve it. In fact, the Washingtons offered ‘iced creams’ as one of several desserts alongside a selection of fruits, jellies and “Apple Pie” at their frequent supper gatherings.
FAQ's
1. What was Abraham Lincoln’s favorite quick meal?
Pecan Pie and Apples. While known for eating sparingly, Lincoln had a major soft spot for pecans and fresh apples. During his presidential campaign, Mary Todd Lincoln often baked him pecan pie to keep his energy up.
2. Did Charles Darwin really eat the animals he studied?
Yes, including Giant Tortoises and Owls. Darwin was a member of Cambridge's "Glutton Club," dedicated to eating strange meats. During his voyages, he ate armadillos, rheas, and giant tortoises—which he reported tasted like rich beef.
3. What weird food habit did Albert Einstein have?
He was obsessed with Fried Eggs and Mushrooms. Einstein was notorious for simple eating habits, often cooking eggs fried in butter alongside fresh mushrooms daily, long before adopting a predominantly vegetarian diet late in life.
4. What was Queen Victoria’s guilty pleasure?
Bone Marrow on Toast. Despite access to the finest royal banquets, the Queen loved rich, simple delicacies. Her daily high tea frequently featured freshly roasted marrow spread generously over hot toast.
5. Why did Winston Churchill insist on soup every day?
He was obsessed with Consommé. Churchill demanded a bowl of clear meat broth (consommé) at almost every lunch and dinner—and often requested a thermos of it kept by his bedside for late-night late-war strategizing.
.
.webp)
