Jeffersonian Dinners
From Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia
Dinners [1] were one of the highlights of the day for Jefferson and his guests. Guests to Monticello noted that the first dinner bell customarily rang at three o'clock, and the second called them to the table at four. When they arrived in the Dining Room, they quite likely found Thomas Jefferson reading. Having a self-described "canine appetite for reading" and hating to waste even a moment waiting for others to gather, he kept books on the fireplace mantel.
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President's House
Dinner was the largest of the two meals of the day, though tea was often served later. While no visitors recorded menus of dinners at Monticello, we do have descriptions of meals served at the President's House (now the White House) during Jefferson's terms. Jefferson's presidency was marked by lavish hospitality; in the words of one guest, "Never before had such dinners been given in the President's House."
Another guest describes a relatively "inelegant" meal: "Dined at the P.'s [President's] -- . . . Dinner not as elegant as when we dined before. Rice soup, round of beef, turkey, mutton, ham, loin of veal, cutlets of mutton or veal, fried eggs, fried beef, a pie called macaroni . . . . Ice cream very good . . .; a dish somewhat like pudding . . . covered with cream sauce -- very fine. Many other jimcracks [nuts, sweetmeats, and fruit], a great variety of fruit, plenty of wines, and good." Aside from the food, guests at the President's House during Jefferson's tenure were often surprised (and occasionally offended) by his practice of seating guests in the "pell-mell," or somewhat random, style, rather than according to rank.
Half-Virginian, Half-French Style
Jefferson's culinary preferences were in part formed during his years as Minister to France. Even before his time abroad, Jefferson had arranged for a French chef in Annapolis, Maryland, to train one of his slaves. On learning of his diplomatic appointment, Jefferson decided to bring his slave James Hemings with him to study "the art of cookery."
Family recipes that have survived -- eight in Jefferson's own hand -- include boeuf à la mode (a beef stew), blanc mange (almond cream), and nouilly à maccaroni (a pasta dough). Outside of France, Jefferson enjoyed delicacies such as waffles in Holland. On his return to America, many such dishes, including ice cream, were considered novelties. He also imported a variety of foods, such as Italian olive oil and French mustard.
The French influence endured at Jefferson's table for the rest of his life: in 1824, Daniel Webster noted that dinners at Monticello were "served in half Virginian, half French style, in good taste and abundance."
Vines and Wines
While in France Jefferson cultivated his love of the fine wines of Europe and began a life-long habit of collecting wines -- and vines -- for America. Known throughout the States as a wine connoisseur, Jefferson advised presidents Washington, Adams, Madison, and Monroe on the best wines for executive functions. His cellar contained bottles from France, Portugal, Spain, Hungary, Germany, and Italy, and he served wine after dinner daily in the belief that it was good for the health.
Dinner at Monticello was an occasion for lively, lingering conversation, and Jefferson did not want talk to be hindered by the presence of house slaves, who might either interrupt or eavesdrop. Consequently, Jefferson and his guests served themselves with the help of a collection of dumbwaiters, two of which were hidden in the fireplace and were used to bring wine up from the cellar.
Creating Your Own Meals
No menus of dinners at Monticello have survived. Visitors to the President's House from 1801 to 1809 did provide some information on specific dishes. These, plus appropriate recipes from the Cook Book, can be used to plan your own menu. A good source to round out the menu is Mary Randolph's Virginia Housewife (1824; reprinted in 1984), which has a helpful glossary.
Only eight recipes in Jefferson's own hand have survived; Mrs. Kimball includes these (altered for modern cooks), plus his list of appropriate entrees, on pages 29-38. It should be noted that Mrs. Kimball has altered the wording of most of the recipes to accommodate them to twentieth-century practices.
On pages 41-117 are a number of recipes taken from a manuscript cookbook in the hand of Jefferson's granddaughter, Virginia Randolph Trist (1801-1882). No original Monticello cookbook survives, but some of Jefferson's granddaughters apparently copied from a lost original. Virginia's manuscript is the most complete to survive, but it too seems to be missing some of its parts, as certain food types -- like vegetables and breads -- are underrepresented.
Mrs. Kimball has included many post-Jefferson recipes from the Trist manuscript along with those of the Monticello period. If historical accuracy is desired, ONLY the recipes with the following attributions should be used:
Monticello
Martha J. Randolph. Jefferson's daughter, active in running the Monticello household from 1790 to 1826
Mary Randolph. Martha's sister-in-law and author of a cookbook, The Virginia Housewife (1824). There was much contact between the Monticello family and Mrs. Randolph (in Richmond) in the ten years before Jefferson's death
Adrien Petit. Jefferson's butler from 1786 to 1794
James Hemings. A Monticello slave, trained in French cuisine in Paris and Jefferson's chef from 1787 to 1796
Honoré Julien. Jefferson's chef at the President's House, 1801-1809
Etienne Lemaire. Jefferson's butler at the President's House, 1801-1809
Comte de Volney. French visitor to Monticello in 1796
Footnotes
- ↑ This article is based on Lucia C. Stanton, Monticello Research Report, July 1989, revised August 1994.
See Also
Further Sources
- The most up-to-date source for the preparation of a Jeffersonian dinner is Damon Lee Fowler, Dining at Monticello Charlottesville, VA: Thomas Jefferson Foundation, 2005. This book includes numerous newly revised and updated versions of Jefferson-related recipes and 10 essays by Monticello staff and prominent culinary historians. The book is available from the Monticello Online Shops.
- A podcast entitled A Culinary Independence: Jefferson for July 4th presents a look at the culinary legacy created at Monticello by Jefferson and his enslaved cooks.
- Another useful published source for the preparation of a Jeffersonian dinner is Marie Kimball, Thomas Jefferson's Cook Book. Charlottesville: 1976; reprinted 2003. Two introductory essays -- by Mrs. Kimball and Helen Duprey Bullock -- provide good background information about Jefferson's interest in French cuisine, his relish for vegetables, and other aspects of his culinary tastes.
- For an interesting and amusing anecdote on Jefferson's use of pell mell seating, see Podcast on The Merry Affair by Monticello Research Historian Gaye Wilson.
