Presidential inaugurations used to be much more lavish. Today it’s customary to follow the swearing-in ceremony and inaugural address with a luncheon at the U.S. Capitol. With a few exceptions (such as Joe Biden canceling his inauguration luncheon due to the COVID-19 pandemic) this has been the norm since the first inaugural luncheon was held in 1897 to honor incoming President McKinley. Before that inaugural festivities tended to last much longer and rarely went smoothly. Andrew Jackson had to sneak out the back door of the White House to escape his drunken guests. Ulysses S. Grant celebrated in a room so cold the champagne froze and Abraham Lincoln nearly started a food fight.
| Channel | Publish Date | Thumbnail & View Count | Actions |
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 Mashed | 2021-10-23 13:00:18 |  190,187 Views |
This Was the Only Meal Abraham Lincoln Actually Enjoyed
Lincoln’s first inauguration in 1861 went fairly well. The party aptly named the “Union Ball” was held in a temporary building built for the occasion and centered on formal dancing—mostly waltzes and quadrilles. Lincoln’s second inaugural party was a different story. The Civil War was not over yet and the building used for his first inauguration had been converted to house Union soldiers. The festivities were moved to the Patent Office Building in Washington D.C. (now home to the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery) where a lavish buffet was prepared. The only problem was that they hadn’t prepared enough.
Abraham Lincoln’s second inaugural ball on March 6 1865 featured an astonishing array of dishes. There were four beef dishes three veal dishes four kinds of poultry and three kinds of game. There was chicken salad lobster salad smoked ham and the controversial foie gras. The first course was oysters in two forms—pickled and braised—in keeping with the 16th president’s tastes. Oysters were a common menu item at Lincoln’s presidential functions but he only liked them boiled.
The desserts prepared for Lincoln’s second inauguration even surpassed the lavish array of meats. There were no fewer than 12 types of cakes and pies including pound cake almond sponge and macaroon pie. These could be paired with six unique ice creams three types of sorbet and 10 different jellies and creams. On top of all this the menu featured a series of “Ornamental Pyramids” that included coconut-orange macaroon and nougat. This magnificent spread was provided by Washington D.C. pastry chef GA Balzer whose crowning glory was a model of the U.S. Capitol made entirely of sugar.
