Since the first president of the United States took office in 1789, 45 different individuals have filled the role of Commander-and-Chief.

While each had their strengths (and weaknesses) and dealt with the challenges of the position in their own ways, they did all have something in common:

Erin Hooley, Erin Hooley

They all had their own favorite foods.

Some foods have become tied to presidents, like cherry pie and George Washington or peanuts and Jimmy Carter, but those don’t always coincide with what the presidents themselves liked to eat.

But through documents like White House kitchen records, chef notes, personal letters, memoirs and public interviews, we do have some idea about what the country’s top executives enjoyed most.

Many get Monday’s President’s Day off and may not spend too much time thinking about the presidents themselves. If you’d like to add a little presidential flair to the day, however, here are some foods that they loved that you might enjoy as well:

Hoecakes With Honey (George Washington)

According to MountVernon.org, this simple dish was distinctly American with various iterations. The site says that that “the basic idea of a flat cake made of cornmeal mush spread all throughout the country. Various incarnations of the recipe were consumed in New England, Virginia, the Deep South, and the Southwest.”

Getty Images/Brand X, Brand X

References say that Washington “preferred his hoecakes ‘swimming in butter and honey.’ One guest surmised that having the hoecakes softened with honey and butter made it easier for Washington to chew his breakfast.”

French macaroni and cheese (Thomas Jefferson)

Everyone these days knows the mixture of creamy cheese and delicious macaroni noodles, but it certainly wasn’t something most in America knew in the 18th century.

According to Monticello.org, Jefferson played a big role in bringing the dish across the Atlantic Ocean from Europe.  A post on the site says: “There may not be an exact known inventor of “mac ‘n’ cheese,” but Jefferson’s connections to this ever-popular dish are strong. One of the few surviving recipes in Jefferson’s hand is nouilly á maccaroni. Although the recipe is simply for noodles, a couple of Jefferson’s relatives wrote down recipes for baked macaroni with the now-familiar milk, butter and cheese. Federalist senator Manasseh Cutler described eating “a pie called macaroni” at the President’s House in 1802, and the population hasn’t stopped raving about it since.”

Apples (Abraham Lincoln)

According to Lincoln historian Christian McWhirter on a post on the website for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, the famous 15th president wasn’t someone who liked a lot of fancy foods.

McWhirter said on the site, “Lincoln’s friends recalled that Lincoln liked apples. During his presidency, he may have eaten an apple every day. Stories also say Mary made a white cake that Lincoln really liked.”

Another source, “The Lincolns: Portrait of a Marriage,” said the president once claimed, “I could eat corn cakes as fast as two women can make them.”

Fried chicken (Theodore Roosevelt)

Teddy Roosevelt believed in being active and thus worked up a healthy appetite. It’s not surprising that a man who enjoyed great popularity also loved an enormously popular dish as a favorite.

According to the biography “Theodore Rex” by Edmund Morris, Roosevelt loved fried chicken, particularly if it was made with white gravy as his mother used to make it. Another book, “Released for Publication” by Oscar King Davis, recounted how the president was known for being able to eat an entire chicken at one meal.

Grilled cheese sandwiches (Franklin D. Roosevelt)

In an era of economic difficulty during the Great Depression, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt implemented a frugal approach to food in the White House. According to the FDR Library, Franklin Roosevelt had grown up wealthy but always enjoyed grilled cheese sandwiches, so there was a nostalgia factor in eating them as president.

He was also known for liking hot dogs and famously had them on the menu for a visit from England’s King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in 1939 (although many other delicacies were also served during the historic visit).

New England Fish Chowder (John F. Kennedy)

Valerie Phillips, Special to the Standard-Examiner

The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum said the 35th president was described as a “soup, sandwich and fruit” man for his lunch that he was particularly preferential to New England Fish Chowder.

According to various reports, in March 1961 a handicapped girl named Lynn Jennings wrote to Kennedy asking what he liked to eat. He responded with his recipe for New England Fish Chowder, one of his favorite dishes. If you are interested in trying it yourself, you can find that recipe at many locations online including at BonAppetit.com.

Jelly beans (Ronald Reagan)

When Reagan was running for Governor of California in 1966, according to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum website, he began eating “‘Goelitz Mini Jelly Beans’ as part of his successful attempt to give up pipe smoking.”

During his time both as governor and later as president, Reagan always had jelly beans on hand and with a partnership with the Herman Goelitz Candy Company, he had  an order of 720 bags of jelly beans per month — that’s 306,070 total jelly beans — to be distributed among the White House, Capitol Hill, and other federal buildings. According to the website, his favorite flavor was licorice.

Chicken enchiladas (Bill Clinton)

Clinton has known to enjoy good food, although health concerns altered his diet. According to White House archives and TastingTable.com, when he was “asked to name a favorite dish for posterity … the one Clinton came up with was chicken enchiladas.”

AP, AP

He was also known for loving jalapeño cheeseburgers, bananas, apples, and vegetable beef soup. Clinton would go jogging but made some high-profiles stops at McDonald’s.

The New England-style clam chowder with house-baked sourdough bread is one of chef/owner Jay Tyler’s signature dishes.

President Ronald Reagan, 1981

Jelly beans

Former President Bill Clinton addresses the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., on Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

The two enchiladas plate at Juan Pablos in Harrisville comes with choice of chicken, beef or cheese enchiladas with rice and beans. Photo by Amy Nicholson

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