Grover Cleveland's Favorite Food Was An Irish-Jewish Mashup

Being a picky eater can extend beyond childhood; President Grover Cleveland, as one example, certainly had his food preferences. The 24th President of the United States had a culinary staff at his beck and call, including a cook he brought with him from his days as New York governor, but he craved humble, simple foods — particularly one pot corned beef and cabbage.

It is rumored, for instance, that one time when he wasn't enjoying the nature of a multi-course meal, Cleveland was overheard saying he would rather have this dish (which features corned beef, cabbage, onions, and potatoes). But why did he love it? Born in New Jersey, Cleveland was one of nine children. His dad was a Presbyterian minister, and no doubt, his mother needed to cook meals that were both substantive and economical, so corned beef would certainly fit that bill.

Corned beef and cabbage isn't technically Irish in origin, though – it's a product of Irish American immigrants who couldn't find bacon in the New World to create a traditional dish of theirs. So, they instead turned to Jewish corned beef. That said, the Irish had been exporting corned beef long before the days of Cleveland.

The Irish Cattle Acts of the 1660s made it unlawful to export live cows to England; it also made it cheaper in Ireland to create salted beef. (Corned beef's name is an homage to the corn-kernel-sized salt crystals used to cure the meat.) This, coupled with the Irish's ability to import the best salt for a fraction of the price that the English could, made for the perfect storm. The land of James Joyce and shillelaghs soon started crafting the best corned beef around. Yet, while the Irish could make it, they often couldn't afford to eat it.

Fast forward to the 19th century, and the Irish immigrant population started eating a similar dish. However, it wasn't the corned beef that their countrymen had made, but rather Jewish corned beef, which was made with brisket.

This was the dish Grover Cleveland enjoyed, but he wasn't alone in his love for it. Abraham Lincoln's inauguration luncheon at the Willard Hotel fed the dish to invitees, so it clearly had an established following. If you're new to cooking corned beef and cabbage but want to dine like Cleveland when he occupied 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, be sure to check out our list of corned beef and cabbage cooking mistakes to avoid, and bon appétit!