Burgoo

Politicians have always resorted to all sorts of ways of getting votes. One of the more colorful examples was the political barbecue. These vote-getting rallies were at their greatest during the 1840 presidential campaign of William Henry Harrison. The featured dish was burgoo, a hearty concoction of chicken, beef and vegetables, which took all night to prepare. As if to prove the food was more important than the speeches, the rally itself was often called a burgoo.