Richard Nixon personally named two foods he liked: cottage cheese with ketchup and knishes. Other dishes linked to him come from family menus, archival records, holiday accounts, or later culinary recollections—not a verified ranking of his favorites. Here are six foods associated with Nixon, with the evidence for each clearly distinguished.
What did Nixon himself say he liked?
In a 1970 interview published by the Oregon Daily Emerald, Nixon was asked what foods he liked. He answered: “Plain simple, wholesome, American cooking. Like cottage cheese with ketchup on it. Or possibly knishes with” (University of Oregon Libraries archive, May 21, 1970). The indexed newspaper excerpt ends mid-sentence, so the surviving wording does not establish what he meant to say after “with.”
1. Cottage cheese with ketchup — directly stated liking
This is the clearest answer to whether Nixon really liked the combination: he named it himself in the interview. A later reference, The Food Timeline’s Nixon entry, repeats the story but also records a conflicting recollection from someone who said they had never seen him put ketchup on cottage cheese. The interview supports attributing the preference to Nixon; it does not prove how often he ate it.
2. Knishes — directly stated liking
Nixon named knishes in the same answer. That supports saying he liked them, but not that they were a top favorite or a regular part of his diet.
What other foods are associated with Nixon?
The remaining dishes below have a different evidentiary status. They document family meals, particular menus, holiday traditions, or recipes associated with Nixon; they do not add to the two foods he personally named in the 1970 interview.
3. Pat Nixon’s meatloaf — reported family favorite
The Food Timeline describes Nixon as fond of Pat Nixon’s meatloaf and reports that it appeared about once a month on family dinner menus, citing Henry Haller’s The White House Family Cookbook. This makes meatloaf a reported Nixon family favorite, not proof that it was his single favorite dish.
4. Cottage cheese at lunch — documented menu item
Menus in the Richard Nixon Presidential Library’s archival folder for November 1969 list cottage cheese at lunches in Key Biscayne. A menu shows what was offered or planned for a particular meal; it does not establish that Nixon ate it, much less that he preferred it.
5. Ham mousse — recipe associated with his era
In a WBUR interview published February 16, 2026, chef and writer Bennett Rea said, “Nixon ate ham mousse.” The Food Timeline also notes public interest in ham mousses among Nixon-era recipes. These accounts associate the dish with Nixon or his era, but neither establishes it as a personal favorite.
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6. Roast turkey and Thanksgiving sides — documented holiday food
The Richard Nixon Foundation describes a Nixon family Thanksgiving meal featuring roast turkey, sweet potatoes with marshmallows, green beans amandine, and pumpkin pie. Its account of a later Thanksgiving at Camp David lists turkey, Colcannon, peas and onions, cranberry salad, and pumpkin pie (Richard Nixon Foundation, “Presidential Thanksgiving Traditions”). These accounts document holiday meals, not a list of Nixon’s favorite foods.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to read the evidence
- Personal statement: Nixon named cottage cheese with ketchup and knishes when asked what he liked in 1970.
- Family-meal account: The meatloaf report describes a recurring family dinner dish.
- Archival menu: The November 1969 records document cottage cheese on specific Key Biscayne lunch menus.
- Retrospective meal or recipe account: The turkey meals and ham mousse are associated with Nixon, but do not establish personal favorites.
Other foods—including California fruit, fresh salads, steak, Chinese and Mexican food, beef stroganoff, and Beef Wellington—also appear in The Food Timeline’s discussion of Nixon. They are best treated as reported preferences or foods eaten, rather than confirmed entries in a definitive favorites list. The Library of Congress’s presidential food guide offers broader context for studying presidential menus, recipes, and food culture.
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