Thomas Jefferson: Third President and First Foodie
Study Grant Proposal
Brooke Brantley, Professor of Culinary ArtsWhen I first began teaching about the influence of American presidents on cuisine and culture, I knew that Thomas Jefferson was an expert in many fields, but did not realize how many of his ideas on food and wine are still widely respected today. I would like to research our third president, not as a politician, but as an epicurean - to more fully understand his impact on agriculture, the infant viticultural industry and haute cuisine of the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Jefferson’s interests and accomplishments were so far-reaching that he is sometimes referred to as the American Leonardo da Vinci. He was relentless in his pursuit of knowledge relating to architecture, farming, botany and engineering, but wine and food were also two life-long passions. Not only are his love of good food and dining well-documented in his account books, letters and other records, but his interests went far beyond food and wine consumption. He was curious about new varieties of vegetables, new recipes, new plants and herbs, and the pedigrees of wines and their viticulture.
Jefferson was famous for setting a grand table: one of his employees from Monticello noted that at the White House "He had a very long dining-room, and his table was chock-full every one of the sixteen days I was there. There were congressmen, foreigners, and all sorts of people to dine with him. He dined at four o'clock, and they generally sat and talked until night." One Federalist Senator named Cutler noted that visitors were greeted at the President's house with menus that included "rice, soup, round of beef, turkey, mutton, ham, loin of veal, cutlets of mutton, fried eggs, fried beef, a pie called macaroni . . . and a great variety of fruit and plenty of wines".
I have recently learned that Jefferson documented grape growing in the finest vineyards of Europe while ambassador to France and experimented with growing them in his Paris garden on the Champs-Elysees. He also counseled Presidents Washington, Madison and Monroe on matters of wine and brought cuttings back to his gardens at Monticello.
Importers of wine from France, Italy, Portugal and Spain have Jefferson to thank for opening channels into the U.S. To encourage this industry, he effectively lobbied for a reduction in U.S. taxes while serving as Secretary of State, as President, and later in retirement. Jefferson was the most knowledgeable wine connoisseur of his age and his tastes in wine covered the world: France, Germany, Italy, Cyprus, Hungary, Madeira, Portugal, Spain and, of course, America.
I am now familiar with this background information, but would like to spend time on in-depth reading and research.
Study Plan Rationale
The basis for the study plan is to examine Thomas Jefferson’s far-reaching influence upon the culinary trends of the time, as well as the long-lasting impact of ideas and ingredients that he brought back from Europe. My aim is to not only expand my awareness of these things, but to also learn how he introduced them into Washington society and early American culture. I knew that Jefferson had trained Meriwether Lewis to harvest new plant specimens and document new animal species while exploring the Louisiana Purchase, but did not realize that he carried the French idea of using locally-grown produce along with him on trips to the market stalls in Georgetown. Accompanying his French White House overseer, shopping for lettuce, asparagus, peas, tomatoes, squash, eggplant, shad, sturgeon, oysters, wild game, venison, duck, pigeon, squirrel, poultry, and a variety of fruits, including local currants, strawberries and watermelons, was one of his frequent pastimes. Only in the last 10 years, have American chefs begun to take this practice of using locally-grown ingredients to heart – and are now capable of asking farmers to plant new varieties of fruits and vegetables to help them create new dishes.
Exploration and Significance
I would like to explore the specific food items that Jefferson was exposed to in Europe and whether he chose to return with some things and not others. Which things had the greatest impact on the culture and which were “hard sells” to a new nation and its people? I know that Jefferson was keen to offer tomatoes at his table, at a time when most Europeans still believed them to be poisonous. My inquiries will include researching bread, cheeses, fruits, protein items, sauces, starches, vegetables and wine.
When Jefferson took office in 1801, he chose to make the White House into the most interesting social center of the new capital. His staff included Chef Honore Julien – a 42-year-old Frenchman – setting a precedent that remained until 1992, when the Clintons employed the first American chef.
The texts selected will offer a view of Jefferson while in Europe; his travels to discover wine and how to bring it home to Virginia; Virginia and Washington society at the turn of the 18th century; his impact on the agriculture of the day; recipes and notations on daily life as it pertained to food at Monticello; the gardens at Monticello; details on the workings of America’s first gourmet restaurant in Philadelphia (still operating today); and the legacy of Jefferson’s interests.
I also plan to study Jefferson’s early days as a farmer to determine where he developed his keen interest in food and wine and how this interest was heightened while in Paris.
Affect on Teaching and Sharing Findings
I believe the findings of this study will greatly increase my knowledge of the cuisine of the Mid-Atlantic region, colonial and early American dining, food customs of the era and Jefferson’s philosophy regarding food, drink and society. This will allow me to supplement textbook material and share more in-depth historical background with my students.
In addition, I believe other groups could benefit not only intellectually, but also gastronomically, from this research: dozens of Jefferson’s recipes survive today, and one aspect of a presentation of this material might include preparing and serving a dish for the attendees. One of the most popular dishes served at Monticello was vanilla ice cream, which Jefferson brought back from France, and his personal recipe is on file in the American Treasures archive at the Library of Congress. I think serving a taste of history might help solidify Jefferson’s contributions to cuisine, culture and the newly formed democracy.
In summary, I believe this study would increase my knowledge of a subject in which I have a high degree of interest, and allow me to pass more meaningful and insightful information along to my students.
Reading List
The selected texts were chosen based on content as well as editorial praise for the material – several of the books were written by Jefferson himself.
Primary Research
Background:
Understanding Thomas Jefferson by E. M. Halliday
Thomas Jefferson: A Biography in His Own Words by Thomas Jefferson
Jefferson the Virginian - Volume I (Jefferson and His Time, Vol 1) by Dumas Malone
Jeffersonian Legacies by Peter S. OnufParis:
The Paris Years of Thomas Jefferson by William Howard Adams
Passions: The Wines and Travels of Thomas Jefferson by James M. Gabler
Jefferson Abroad (Modern Library) by Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson's Paris by Howard C. Rice, Jr.
Thomas Jefferson’s Travels in Europe by George Green ShacklefordThe White House Years:
The First 40 Years of Washington Society in the Family Letters of Margaret Bayard
Smith by Margaret Smith
Real Life at the White House: 200 Years of Daily Life at America's Most Famous
Residence by John WhitcombMonticello:
Thomas Jefferson's Garden Book by Edwin Morris Betts
Thomas Jefferson's Monticello by William L. Beiswanger
Thomas Jefferson, Farmer by Barbara McEwan
The Domestic Life of Thomas Jefferson by Sarah Nicholas RandolphSecondary Research
The Garden and Farm Books of Thomas Jefferson by Robert C. Baron
Jefferson and Agriculture: A Sourcebook (World Food Supply Series) by Everett E. Edwards
Colonial Virginia's Cooking Dynasty by Katharine E. Harbury
Thomas Jefferson's Cook Book by Marie Kimball
Jefferson's Garden by H. Peter Loewer
Thomas Jefferson (DVD Recording), PBS Home Video
City Tavern Cookbook: 200 Years of Classic Recipes from America's First Gourmet Restaurant by Walter Staib
www.monticello.org, maintained by the non-profit Thomas Jefferson Foundation