President Teddy Roosevelt's Favorite Breakfast Was Exceptionally Simple

In the annals of presidential breakfast history, the award for most unusual — although perhaps also healthiest — goes to Richard M. Nixon, who enjoyed an offbeat combination of cottage cheese and ketchup. Dishonorable mention in the day drinking category goes to Harry S. Truman, who paired a shot of bourbon with his bacon and eggs. Theodore Roosevelt's go-to breakfast, however, wasn't anywhere near as colorful. Instead, Mr. Talk Softly and Carry a Big Stick began his day with boiled eggs. They were never soft or medium-boiled, though; he was very particular about this preference. He liked them hard-boiled only.

Eggs weren't the only thing Teddy Roosevelt would eat during his morning meal. He'd accompany them with rolls and what was said to be a bathtub-sized cup of heavily-sugared coffee. Every once in a while, however, he'd switch things up and have liver and bacon, or else he'd eat hominy with salt, pepper, and butter. Sometimes he would even add sugar if he was feeling frisky. Hominy is similar, or in some cases, identical to grits. The latter was a favorite breakfast food of Jimmy Carter, a man who took his place in the Oval Office 68 years after Teddy Roosevelt had his last morning meal in the White House.

Boiled eggs and bread rolls aren't the most indulgent of breakfasts, and Teddy Roosevelt often lunched pretty lightly, as well. Sometimes he'd have nothing more than crackers and milk (or maybe just milk), although when dining with the family, he'd typically have cold meat, bread, fruit, and tea. The evenings, however, were when he'd really let loose.

One of Roosevelt's favorite dinners was fried chicken with white gravy, and he was known to be able to consume an entire chicken at one sitting. He enjoyed steak, oysters, and sausages, while he was also very fond of wild game. On one occasion, he's said to have eaten spit-roasted elephant heart, presumably after shooting the animal on safari. For dessert, he might have ice cream, Indian pudding, sugar wafers, or sand tarts (think Keebler Pecan Sandies, only homemade).

One thing the Hero of San Juan Hill didn't overindulge in was alcohol. He would sometimes drink spritzers made from white wine and sparkling water, while other times he'd sip on mint juleps or May wine (a sweet white wine punch flavored with strawberries and woodruff). His favorite beverage, however, seems to have been tea. He was especially fond of imported varieties such as hu-kwa, a smoky lapsang souchong variety from Taiwan, and Russian caravan, a blend of lapsang souchong and another black tea like keemun. He didn't seem to drink it for breakfast, however, but would save it for later in the day.