The All-American Dessert President Calvin Coolidge Topped With Pork

Although the President of the United States is often viewed as a person of stature and power, the truth is they are still human beings, and love something tasty to eat. There's a well-documented list of restaurants frequented by U.S. Presidents; some historians have even gone as far as to document some of the cocktails that presidents loved most. These fun facts have served as both a fascinating and sometimes odd aspect of American history.

One of Calvin Coolidge's favorite desserts tends to fall in the latter category. Known simply as "pork apple pie," the dessert is quite literal to its name; it is a standard apple pie with pork added, specifically salted pork. Evidently it was a childhood favorite of his, as the former president was quoted saying he "never ate anything as good as his mother's pork apple pie" in "The Presidents' Cookbook" by Poppy Cannon and Patricia Brooks.

Coolidge might have loved the pie, but some are on the fence about his specific recipe. Some that tried his recipe said that while the apple pie itself was amazing, the addition of the pork needed tweaking and that perhaps candied bacon would be better than salted pork. Nonetheless, Coolidge's love of the pie was so strong and well-known that it has gone down as one of the all-time favorite desserts loved by U.S. Presidents.

Now, just because Calvin Coolidge's particular pork apple pie recipe has left some taste testers divided doesn't necessarily mean the entire concept of pork apple pie is bad. Although the exact date of origin of pork apple pie isn't known, there's quite a few recipes out there that add pork to apple pie filling, and it would seem the idea still holds public interest today. Those who enjoy pork apple pie refer to it as a comfort food; it also seems to be consumed more often as an entree than a dessert by most.

Regardless of if you choose to eat this as a meal or a dessert, the recipes share similarities. You need apples that are peeled, cored, and chopped into pieces, either a homemade or store-bought pie crust, and pork of some kind. Recipes vary about what kind of pork to use; some opt for ground pork, others use a combination of bacon and boneless pork.

From there, you can really get creative. Coolidge's original recipe calls for maple sugar, while some call for light brown sugar and others have no sugar present at all. Some recipes choose to add a layer of mashed potatoes as well, not unlike that of a shepherd's pie.