Ulysses S. Grant was many things. He was a native-born Clermonter, a general of the first order, the 18th president of the United States, a civil rights activist and an accomplished author. But, he was certainly not a gourmand.

Grant’s simple food tastes were shaped by his Southwestern Ohio upbringing and refined by years of army food. He no doubt had his share of earthwork beans, hardtack and strong black coffee. (Grant became a very good bread baker during the Mexican War) His favorite pre- White House breakfast consisted of a cucumber soaked overnight in vinegar and coffee.

Gary Knepp, honorary county historian.

The general brought an army cook with him to the White House. He, in typical army fashion, emphasized quantity over quality; including turkey with every formal dinner. Grant’s wife Julia, who was raised in more genteel surroundings and had a more refined palette than her husband, sent the cook back to the mess hall.

Julia hired an Italian Chef named Valentino Melah. Melah immediately began to upgrade the bill de fare for formal White House dinners by adding North American and European delicacies and wine. Washington food critic Emily Briggs wrote about one of these formal dinners. The dinner started with a French vegetable soup that she described as “ambrosial”. This was followed by a “French Croquet of Meat”. The third course featured “a fillet of beef flanked by potatoes the size of a walnut, with plenty of mushrooms to keep them company.” This twenty-nine course meal cost $2000 – $37,000 in 2021 dollars- or $1,000 for each of the thirty-six guests.

Eighteen seventy-four was a big year on the White House’s social calendar. The Grants’ daughter, Nellie, married an European noble. The wedding breakfast featured Woodcock and Snipe on Toast, Soft Crab on Toast, Chicken Croquettes with Fresh Peas, and Aspic of Beef Tongue. In December, the Grant’s hosted the first ever state dinner for King David of Hawaii. The guests were treated with leg of partridge.

Despite this public display of haute cuisine, the president still favored plain foods for his private table. He expanded his breakfast menu, along with his waistline, beyond the pickles and coffee of his soldier days. A frequent breakfast included: broiled Spanish mackerel, steak, bacon and fried apples, flannel or buckwheat cakes, and of course, hot, black coffee.

Family meals were always important for the president. They gave him an opportunity to unwind and spend time with his two younger children, Nellie and Jesse. He often pulled apart his wheat rolls, shaped them into “musket balls” and flicked the “ammunition” at the laughing children.

The president loved rice pudding with a passion that some described as a “mania”. Despite Melah’s best efforts to tempt Grant with more exotic desert concoctions, the old general held firm-just as he did at Petersburg during the Civil War- to the old standard.

Here’s a recipe that the president probably enjoyed.

Rice, Milk, Butter, Eggs, Sugar, Almonds, Cinnamon and Nutmeg

Measure 3/4 cup long-grain rice into a sauce pan. Add 1 1/2 quarts milk and simmer very slowly until the rice is soft. Add 3 tablespoons butter, remove from heat, and cool. Beat 5 eggs and stir them into the rice mixture. Add 1/2 cup sugar and mix carefully. Pour the mixture into a large greased baking pan and add 1/2 cup slivered almonds, mixing them into the pan. Bake in an oven at 325 degrees until the pudding sets. Remove from the oven. Sprinkle a mixture of cinnamon and nutmeg over the top and serve either warm or chilled. Serves 8.

Gary Knepp is Clermont County’s honorary historian and is the author of eight books about Clermont’s history. Knepp’s website is www.garyknepp.com.