General Taylor was fond of hominy but did not like it made from musty corn. While stationed in Florida he discovered that his favorite horse, Claybank, had a keen nose for sweet corn, so he would let the sagacious animal loose among the sacks of corn provided for the army until he commenced gnawing a hole in a sack that pleased him.
Taylor would patiently watch until he saw that Claybank had made a choice, then call his servants and have the horse stabled at once.
”But,” he would say, “as the animal has eaten a hole in the bag, take out a quart or so of the corn and make a dish of hominy.”
Note:
Hominy is a food produced from dried maize (corn in the U.S.) kernels that have been treated with an alkali, in a process called nixtamalization. It’s a dish that can be cook variously to make such things as grits, stews, and porridges. It sounds good!
Source:
Boller, Paul F. “Zachary Taylor.” Presidential Anecdotes. New York: Oxford UP, 1981. 107-8. Print.
Original Source Listed:
Montgomery, Taylor, 56-57.
Further Reading:
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