Much is known about George Washington's life , from his policies and stances to his wooden teeth. However one question that 's finally coming to light is what did he eat and who fed him. The man responsible for that was Hercules Posey who gave the First president an international diet.
New contributor , chef and novelist Ramin Ganeshram wrote this interesting article in yesterday's New York Times Wednesday Food section. Hercules Posey first can to the Washingtom ;s Mount Vernon plantation when he was twenty. He was the bond fo a forfeit loan and upon arrival was instantly apprenticed to a much older chef. his expertise and reoutation too. he moved with the Washingtons' to the nation's first capital Phliadelphia. there he created and oversaw the president's weekly congressional dinners,executive office entertainments and even Washington's birthday celebrations. Chef Posey was also in charge of Martha Washington's socials given for the ladies of polirical societies. while in Philadelpia Chef Posey also had a sideline business. The president let him sell leftovers which gave him a good yearly slary, double that of the average working man at the time. He bought flamboyant clothes and mingled with freed Blacks. (the city had many thanks to a law that allowed enslaved people freedom to go after six months of enslavement).
Yer some questioned his ability and knowledge to create complex and fancy recipes.Mary V. Thompson, Mount Vernon's historian emerita says otherwise. She has spent the last forty years debunking these myths by piecing together evidience using family and period cook book as well as account books and financial and farm records. These show details about what ingredients, livestock and utensils were used. Washington also wanted his table to show hospitality without opulence. The family did have wealth and power, obvious in what they ate. The washingtons purchased French and Portuguese wines, Italian olive oil and Indian mango pickles. They were no strangers to Suriname coffee and Caribbean coconuts along with pineapples which wre vastly fashionable at the time. Chef Posey also dealt with Philly's Black tradesman, such a sCaribbean pepperpot women, oystermen , bakers fruit sellers and confectioners. Although Washington himself was partial to simple fare like his beloved hoe cakes served with just honey and butter.
Hercules Posey's recipes and life are finally being recognized. He not only fed the president but created the basis for state dinners and White House fare. He was a founding father who changed the way America ate.
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