Most people assume presidents eat fancy meals that cost hundreds of dollars. Turns out, John F. Kennedy ate a pretty normal breakfast that you could make in your own kitchen right now. His morning routine wasn’t about caviar or exotic imported foods. Instead, he kept things simple with eggs, bacon, and toast. What makes his breakfast even more interesting is that he didn’t choose this meal just because he liked it. Health problems actually forced him to eat this way, and his wife Jackie had to write down specific instructions for their chef about what he could and couldn’t have on his plate each morning.
The basic breakfast that started every presidential day
JFK’s morning plate looked like something you’d get at a regular diner off the highway. He ate poached or soft-boiled eggs, crispy bacon that was broiled instead of fried, plain toast with orange marmalade, and black coffee. Sometimes he switched things up with fresh orange juice, but that was about as fancy as it got. The whole meal took maybe 15 minutes to prepare, which is less time than most people spend waiting in a drive-through line. Nothing on his plate required special ingredients or cooking skills you’d need culinary school to learn.
Jackie Kennedy actually wrote out these breakfast instructions by hand for their personal chef. She made it super clear that nothing could be fried, which is why the bacon had to be broiled in the oven instead of cooked in a pan with oil. The toast had to be regular white bread, nothing fancy with seeds or whole grains. Even the eggs had specific requirements about how runny or firm they needed to be. This wasn’t because JFK was picky about taste. His body just couldn’t handle anything too rich or greasy first thing in the morning without causing problems throughout his day.
Why health issues controlled what he could eat
JFK dealt with Addison’s disease, which messed with his hormones and made his stomach super sensitive to certain foods. This condition meant his body couldn’t produce enough cortisol and aldosterone, two chemicals that help you digest food properly. When you don’t have enough of these hormones, eating becomes a challenge because almost everything can trigger nausea, stomach pain, or worse. He probably had the hardest time of any president when it came to mealtimes, which is saying something considering some other presidents ate steaks for breakfast without thinking twice about it.
The symptoms of Addison’s disease go way beyond just stomach troubles. People with this condition feel exhausted all the time, get dizzy when standing up too fast, and can have serious digestive episodes that come out of nowhere. JFK had to avoid anything fried, heavily seasoned, or too rich because those foods would set off his symptoms immediately. His chefs couldn’t use much salt, pepper, or any strong spices. Everything had to be as plain as possible, which meant no fancy sauces or butter-heavy dishes that other presidents enjoyed. His breakfast was basically designed to give him energy without making him sick.
The waffle recipe that became a special treat
Even though JFK had to keep things simple most days, he did have one breakfast splurge that made him happy. His special waffle recipe used cake flour instead of regular flour, which made them lighter and easier on his stomach. The recipe started with beating butter and sugar together, then adding egg yolks before mixing in buttermilk and the flour. The secret ingredient was beaten egg whites folded in at the end, which made the waffles super airy and crispy instead of heavy and dense. Four teaspoons of baking powder helped them rise even more.
These waffles are now saved in the National Archives, which seems kind of crazy until you think about how much people care about presidential history. The recipe only needs seven ingredients total, and you probably have most of them in your kitchen already. People who’ve tried making them say they taste buttery without sitting heavy in your stomach afterward. The cake flour makes a huge difference compared to regular all-purpose flour because it’s lighter and doesn’t make the batter dense. When you top them with warm maple syrup and eat them right away, they apparently melt in your mouth. JFK couldn’t have these every day, but when he did get to enjoy them, it was a nice break from his usual plain breakfast.
What Jackie Kennedy ate for her morning meal
While JFK ate his breakfast at the table, Jackie often took hers in bed with an even simpler menu. She usually had just orange juice, coffee, toast, and a soft-boiled egg. No bacon, no marmalade, nothing extra. Her breakfast was basically the bare minimum you could eat and still call it a meal. This wasn’t because she had the same health problems as her husband. She just preferred lighter mornings and didn’t need a big plate of food to start her day. Some people are like that, where they can’t handle a heavy breakfast even if they wanted to eat more.
The difference between their breakfasts shows how even couples living in the White House had their own preferences and routines. Jackie wrote out JFK’s breakfast requirements for the chef, but she kept her own meals super straightforward without much instruction needed. Her soft-boiled egg was probably cooked the same way as his, and the toast was likely the same white bread. The coffee was strong and black, no cream or sugar added. It’s kind of interesting that the First Lady of the United States ate a breakfast that most college students would recognize as their own rushed morning routine before class.
How his last breakfast became part of history
On November 22, 1963, JFK ate his usual breakfast of two soft-boiled eggs, oven-baked bacon, toast with butter and orange marmalade, fresh orange juice, and strong black coffee. Nobody at the table that morning knew it would be his last meal before everything changed later that day. The breakfast was completely normal, exactly what he ate most other mornings. Nothing about it stood out or seemed special at the time. Just eggs, bacon, toast, juice, and coffee like thousands of other people across America were eating at the exact same moment in diners and kitchens everywhere.
This meal has become symbolic of that era of American history, representing a simpler time before everything got complicated. People now look at this breakfast as a snapshot of normalcy right before a huge tragedy. The fact that it was so ordinary makes it even more powerful when you think about what happened just hours later. Food historians and presidential researchers have documented every detail of this meal, down to the specific type of bread and how the eggs were cooked. It’s become one of those frozen moments in time that people remember and talk about, even though it was just a regular Tuesday morning breakfast that happened to be his last one.
Why other presidents ate way fancier meals
Compared to other presidents, JFK’s breakfast was incredibly boring and simple. William Howard Taft ate steaks for breakfast without thinking twice about it, which sounds absolutely wild by today’s standards. Taft would sit down to a full steak, potatoes, and who knows what else before starting his presidential duties. That’s the kind of meal most people save for dinner on a special occasion, not something you eat every single morning. Other presidents ordered elaborate dishes with fancy sauces and multiple courses, treating breakfast like it was a formal dinner party.
JFK’s plain steak orders also showed how limited his options were compared to other presidents. When he did eat steak, he had it completely plain with just peas, carrots, and mashed potatoes on the side. No fancy seasonings, no rich sauces, no butter basted on top. Other presidents ordered their steaks with béarnaise sauce, compound butters, or other additions that would’ve made JFK sick immediately. His health problems meant he had to be the most boring dinner guest at any meal, always ordering the simplest version of whatever was being served. While other presidents enjoyed the perks of having a personal chef who could make anything they wanted, JFK was stuck eating like someone on a strict medical diet.
The soup that helped win an election
JFK loved soup so much that he actually credited beef soup with helping him win a primary election. That might sound dramatic, but when you think about how his stomach problems limited what he could eat, soup makes perfect sense. It’s warm, easy to digest, doesn’t require much chewing, and can give you nutrients without being heavy or greasy. For someone dealing with constant digestive issues, a good bowl of soup probably felt like the safest meal choice available. He could eat it without worrying about triggering his Addison’s disease symptoms or spending the rest of the day feeling sick.
The fact that he made such a big deal about soup shows how important food was to his ability to function as a politician and president. When you’re campaigning and giving speeches all day, you need food that gives you energy without making you feel awful. JFK couldn’t grab a greasy burger or fried chicken like other candidates might do on the campaign trail. He needed meals that were gentle on his system but still filling enough to keep him going through long days of handshaking and public appearances. Soup fit that requirement perfectly, which is probably why he talked about it so positively and connected it to his political success.
Making JFK’s breakfast in your own kitchen
If you want to try making this presidential breakfast yourself, it’s actually pretty easy. Start by getting your eggs boiling in water for soft-boiled results, which usually takes about six to seven minutes depending on how runny you want the yolk. While those cook, put your bacon strips on a baking sheet and stick them in the oven at 400 degrees. Broiled bacon takes about 15 to 20 minutes and comes out way less greasy than pan-fried bacon. Toast your bread, spread some butter on it while it’s hot, then add orange marmalade on top. Make your coffee strong and black, pour some orange juice, and you’re done.
The whole meal takes maybe 20 minutes from start to finish, which is totally doable on a weekday morning if you wake up early enough. The trickiest part is timing everything so it’s all hot and ready at the same time. Some people find soft-boiled eggs intimidating because you have to get the timing just right, but once you do it a few times, it becomes automatic. Using room temperature butter makes it easier to spread on toast without tearing the bread apart. The orange marmalade adds a sweet and slightly bitter taste that works surprisingly well with the salty bacon and rich eggs. It’s a pretty balanced breakfast that actually keeps you full for a while.
Tips for getting the waffle recipe right
When making JFK’s special waffle recipe, a few tricks make a huge difference in how they turn out. First, separate your eggs while they’re still cold from the refrigerator because the yolk and white come apart way easier that way. Then let your butter sit out for 20 to 30 minutes until it’s soft enough to beat easily, or cut it into small pieces to speed up the warming process. Use cake flour instead of all-purpose flour because it’s lighter and makes the waffles less dense. The egg whites need to be beaten until they form stiff peaks, which means when you pull the beater out, the whites stand up straight instead of drooping over.
Make sure you’re using unsalted butter for this recipe because the baking powder and any added salt already provide enough sodium to bring out the taste. When you fold the egg whites into the batter, be gentle and use a spatula with a scooping motion instead of stirring vigorously, which would deflate all those air bubbles you just worked hard to create. Those air bubbles are what make the waffles light and crispy instead of heavy and soggy. Don’t skip the buttermilk either, because regular milk won’t give you the same tangy taste or help with the texture. The four teaspoons of baking powder might seem like a lot, but that’s what gives these waffles their signature lift and crispiness.
So next time you’re wondering what to make for breakfast, maybe try eating like a president for a day. JFK’s simple morning meal proves you don’t need fancy ingredients or complicated recipes to start your day right. His health problems forced him to keep things basic, but that doesn’t mean the food was boring or unsatisfying. Sometimes the most memorable meals are the ones that remind us that good food doesn’t have to be complicated, expensive, or hard to make.
