This Is Barack Obama's Favorite Recipe
Mandatory precursor: Former president Barack Obama is no culinary amateur. He's toasted Anthony Bourdain over beers and Bun Cha in Hanoi, Vietnam. Unlike the Queen of England, Obama hasn't come out with his own gin, but he was the first President to home-brew beer in the White House (with the help of honey from the White House's very own beehive). In the Oval Office, Obama always had a bowl of apples, because, you know, an apple a day and all that. (You can get a replica of the bowl for $450.00 if you want.) Michelle and Barack even doled out homemade cookies to trick-or-treaters at Halloween (via People). Trust us when we say that the former president knows his food.
Barack Obama definitely loves chili. If you're in Obama's home state, Hawaii, stop by Obama-approved Zippy's and order up a chili on rice or spaghetti (via Mercury News). When in Cincinnati, head to Skyline Chili to do like Barack Obama did, per the Cincinnati Business Courier, and order up a 4-way bean and two cheese coneys. In DC? According to DCist, the Obamas have been known to frequent The Coupe and to feast on the restaurant's chili bowls. If, on the other hand, the Obamas invite you over to their place for dinner, you can possibly expect to chow down on Barack Obama's own chili recipe. The former president once told North Coast Journal that the recipe has been a favorite of his "since college" and that he "would bring it to any potluck."
Here's what's special about President Obama's chili recipe
Former First Lady Michelle Obama likes Barack's chili so much that she claimed the recipe for the family. As she once told Parade, "When we lived in Chicago, we loved to invite our family and friends over to our house, make a batch of chili, and enjoy the evening together." It is now, says Michelle, called "the President's Chili Recipe."
Which brings us to flavor. Serious Eats calls the Obama chili "solidly Midwestern." Midwestern, maybe — but don't be too quick to box it in. Cook up a batch of Barack Obama's chili and it may surprise you. For one, the Obamas, says PBS, like to serve their chili over white or brown rice. Rumor has it that Midwesterners, on the other hand, eat their chili with cinnamon buns, and more scandalously still, peanut butter sandwiches (via The Takeout).
Pop Sugar recently made Obama's chili and called it "incredibly fast and simple." When The American Moms made it, they noted that the end result "isn't as soupy as standard chili recipes," and further pointed to unusual additions of fresh tomatoes (instead of canned), turmeric, and flavor-enhancing red wine vinegar (it calls for three whopping tablespoons). "If you make it right," Obama told North Coast Journal, "it's just got the right amount of bite, the right amount of oomph in it and it will clear your sinuses." Barack Obama, if you're reading this, we're eagerly waiting for our dinner invite.
Other Obama food favorites
Back in 2008, Obama's body man Reggie Love wrote a piece for The New York Times about the former president's food preferences. On the like list: Planters Trail Mix: Nuts, Seeds & Raisins; roasted almonds; pistachios; chocolate roasted peanut protein bars; and "vegetables, especially broccoli and spinach." Among his dislikes: salt and vinegar potato chips, asparagus, and mayonnaise. "Salt and vinegar chips? Mayonnaise?" you ask, stunned. The former president is nothing if not opinionated, and opinions are exactly what Barack Obama has when it comes to guacamole.
You might not remember when The New York Times tweeted about a guacamole recipe that incorporated peas, but Obama certainly does. The Guardian called the Twitter outrage that resulted, "The great guac-off of 2015." Barack Obama eagerly fanned the flames when he tweeted out his preferred guacamole additions, "respect the nyt, but not buying peas in guac. onions, garlic, hot peppers. classic." The former president wasn't joking around. About a year before "the great guac-off," during the Kids' State Dinner, Obama admitted that "basically, if there is a bowl of good chips and guacamole... I lose my mind, I lose my mind" (via Grub Street). And when Today's Savannah Guthrie asked Obama to chose between "chicken wings or chips and guacamole?," Obama replied: "Now that's tough. I'm going to go with chips and guac. I'm a fanatic about guac." So, how does Obama's guacamole recipe hold up? You should make it and see for yourself, as according to Mother Jones, it's "perfect."