I want to thank everyone who answered. I still don't know the origin of the phrase, but I haven't tried wordorigins.com yet.

I understand Ted's point of view but I do not think it can possibly be appropriate to use the word delicious in the context of choosing who lives or dies, regardless of the technical accuracy or historical precedence that disassociates the adjective delicious from the nature of the conundrum. What percentage of the population could possibly grasp this subtlety?

The secretary of HHS should have more sensitivity to the level of education and erudition of his audience, myself included apparently.
Now if G.W. Bush had been in the audience, I imagine that he would have chastised Leavitt for talking about flavored prophylactics in public.