How to Eat Like George Washington

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By Terria Fleming
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George Washington

George Washington dined well, and entertained and fed all who came to visit him at his Mount Vernon home with great hospitality. Nearly everything served at the Washington table was produced right on the Washington farm lands, which covered around 8000 acres.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

desire to eat like George Washington
kitchen
food

Step 1

Martha Washington

Never eat alone. According to his own household records, there were only two times in the last twenty years of their marriage that George and Martha Washington dined alone. The rest of the time there were guests numbering from two to twenty or more.
Step 2

Start your day with a substantial breakfast. George started his day with hoe cakes, covered with melted butter and honey, and three cups of tea. This seems to have been the breakfast he always had, at least so far as records were kept. Hoe cakes are made from cornmeal and were probably cooked in the fireplace at that time.
Step 3

Eat ice cream whenever you can. George loved ice cream so much that he had installed two "ice-boxes" at his Mount Vernon home so that the Washington's and their guests could eat ice cream often. Ice cream was a real luxury at the time, and this was considered extravagant behavior.
Step 4

Mount Vernon, Washington's Home

Eat fish often. George Washington was also known to have loved fish, and it was reported that he ate fish, in some form, every single day.
Step 5

Have a glass of wine or bear with meals. George Washington's favorite drink was Madeira. Wine, beer, and port were served at most meals.
Step 6

Eat plenty of vegetables fresh from the garden. Vegetables formed a very big part of the foods served at Mount Vernon, with everything grown in the household gardens. Potatoes, squash, carrots, cabbage, lettuce, and many more kinds of vegetables and herbs were grown in the Mount Vernon gardens.

What vegetables weren't served fresh at the dinner table, were preserved or pickled for eating during the winter time.

Condiments at the table were pickles in many forms, and a ketchup made from walnuts or mushrooms instead of tomatoes.
Step 7

Eat a variety of home grown and organic foods everyday. Other foods served at Washington's table were boiled pork, mutton, goose, duck, turkey, roast beef, hominy, fried tripe and onions and smoked ham and bacon. Martha Washington was said to have prepared the smoked meats at Mount Vernon herself, while household slaves did most everything else.

Other foods that George Washington loved were string beans with mushrooms, cream of peanut soup, and mashed sweet potatoes with coconut.

Everything was served with wine and beer, and all the foods on fine china, in the beautiful Mount Vernon dining rooms.
Step 8

Have dessert with your wine. Desserts, besides the ice cream already mentioned, were pies and tarts, mince meat pies, and fruits, nuts, and cheeses. These too were served with wines.

Oh and by the way, that cherry tree story was made up after Washington's death. It never happened. It was invented by a fan of George's who wanted to point up how honest George was.

George did love to eat cherries though, history tells us.