Thomas Jefferson's Influence On American Culture

Long before Thomas Jefferson was the third President of the United States of America, the Virginian developed a unique passion for food and wine. Upon his arrival to the soon-to-be United States he found dull colonial cuisine, unappetizing . The common fare was far from elegant and rather boring. Even high society was not accustomed to the elegant meals from accomplished and worldly chefs. Meals typically consisted of boiled, roasted, baked, or stewed meats, served with poorly cooked, overly salted vegetables, a side of bread and a highly sweetened dessert. Much of American eighteenth-century food was lacking texture and often described as mushy. Cooks didn’t lavish a lot of attention on the food nor try to experiment. Food was a means to an
When it came to alcohol, port, madeira, ale, and hard cider were popular. The sweeter the better. During the war, French allies brought troops as well as local French cooks. Introducing the young Virginian to French cuisine. However, on a whole the cuisine had little lasting effect on the country until the mid-19 and early 20-century when it was popularized by the world regarding French cooking as the epitome of fine dining. Jefferson an adventurous eater sampled many dishes of French troops and was intrigued by the foreign fare and urning to sample the cuisine. In 1784, Jefferson was appointed minister plenipotentiary in Paris. On the same day he accepted his position he called on a long loyal slave James Hemings for a specific task. Jefferson writes, “I propose for a particular purpose to carry my servant Jame with me… If you conclude to join me I would wish you to order Jame to join and attend you without a moment’s delay. If you decline
Hemings, now accustomed to living as a free man insured that he would later receive wages and would be granted his freedom after he trained a replacement. The Jefferson’s with James and his sister returned to Monticello on December 23, 1789. Through 1790 Jefferson and James remained mostly in New York, Philadelphia and Boston with James Madison. While on the East Coast James Hemings served as the kitchen manager, cooking all meals, but also as a butler, and personal attendant. Although there was no binding contract between Hemings and Jefferson upon their arrival to the states, Hemings began to train his younger brother in the art of preparing French meals. This training took over two years but on February 5, 1796, Jefferson signed a deed of manumission for James Hemings, he was thirty-one years old. The freed slave left and inventory of utensils and a beautiful book of recipes and scripts. Of the original one hundred and fifty recipes only eight survived. What Hemings did after he was granted his freedom is a bit of a mystery. He traveled for more than five years in search for a purpose or adventure. The relationship between Jefferson and Hemings was not over though. Upon Jefferson’s Presidential Election of 1801 he asked James to return to Washington and become the chef de cuisine at the