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While the meals of early presidents might seem like relics from a bygone era, surprisingly, many of their favorite dishes still hold up today. After all, don’t forget it was Thomas Jefferson who first helped popularize ice cream in America.
The same is true of Abraham Lincoln, who, although never renowned as a foodie, had a few favorite dishes that have proven their timeless appeal. We know that on special occasions, Honest Abe adored his wife Mary Todd Lincoln’s vanilla-almond cake—a treat he deemed “the best in Kentucky.” But for everyday comfort, he turned to something a little more rustic: corn dodgers.
Abraham Lincoln's Favorite Old-Fashioned Snack
As a young boy growing up on the frontier, Lincoln relied on corn dodgers as a staple snack. According to Eleanor Atkinson’s “The Boyhood of Lincoln,” he would “fill his pants pockets with corn dodgers” before heading out for a long day of labor on the family farm. Around noon, he’d find a shady tree, pull out a book, and snack on the simple, hearty cakes.
As the years went on, he still found pleasure in these charmingly humble treats. Who knows? Maybe he eventually started stashing them in his iconic top hat rather than his work pants. Regardless, like his legacy, this classic snack still endures, and Allrecipes community members continue to call it an “all-time favorite.”
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Why Corn Dodgers Deserve a Comeback
These crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside corn cakes are a rustic Southern staple, known for their reliability during hard times. They’re essentially pan-fried hush puppies made from a simple cornmeal dough—sometimes sweetened with sugar, but often left as basic as possible with just a pinch of salt.
With nothing more than boiling water and a bit of bacon grease, the cornmeal binds together into hand-shaped patties, which are then pan-fried until golden and crisp. Served warm with honey or maple syrup, they bring to mind the kind of humble, comforting breakfast you might have found in the early 1800s.
With just three main ingredients and a quick 15-minute prep, this vintage recipe is as practical today as it was in Lincoln’s time. Although now commonly known as hot water cornbread, the version documented in the University of Illinois’s Lincoln Collection remains strikingly similar to the one cherished by Allrecipes community members—proof that the old-fashioned favorite has stood the test of time.
“Quick, simple, versatile, delicious,” one reviewer raved. “Great sweet or savory. Complements any meal.”
Just like traditional cornbread, these crisp cakes can lean sweet or savory. You can give them a Southern brunch spin—‘chicken and corn cakes’ instead of ‘chicken and waffles’—or serve them alongside savory feasts like pork chops, ribs, or a steaming pot of gumbo. Or, you can snack on them straight from your pocket, just like a young Abe once did.
Cooking these corn cakes keeps a piece of history alive. Honest Abe knew a good thing when he tasted it—and more than a century later, we couldn’t agree more.
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