From hoe cakes to fast food, US presidents’ tastes and diets varied widely

From haute cuisine to humble home cooking, American presidents — like their fellow citizens — have embraced a wide range of foods and culinary traditions.

Their tastes were shaped by childhood experiences, personal health, the customs of their era and their own individual quirks. Some presidents were true connoisseurs, others were unpretentious eaters, and a few viewed food merely as fuel.

A 19th-century gourmet once wrote, “Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you who you are.”...