George Washington and his Salty Lip - A Historical Porkmoustache Interlude

While it is common knowledge that GW sported a powdered wig and dentures, few Americans are aware of their first president's proclivity for the pork moustache. Indeed, the tree-chopping fable in which GW declared "I cannot tell a lie" stems from his fondness for the savoury-sweet flavor of cherry wood-smoked bacon. Although Martha Custis Washington burned their correspondence after GW's death, in accounts of family lore their courtship was fraught with bacon; George, as a young suitor, wooed Martha by donning a salty slab above his upper lip. As a Revolutionary War General, Washington sported an elaborately trimmed pork-stache and demanded that his officers present themselves similarly accoutered. In his presidential years, GW thought it fitting to wear a crispier 'stache.