Joe Biden's Favorite Pasta Is A Fine Classic

While President Joe Biden is known as a lover of ice cream for a sweet treat, the current president of the United States has a taste for more comforting, Italian-American fare for dinner. The 46th president's favorite pasta dish is a classic: angel hair with red sauce.

In an interview with Parade just before President Biden's inauguration, the current first lady Dr. Jill Biden noted that while her comfort food is french fries, for the former vice president, "It's pasta all the way. He likes angel hair pasta with red sauce."

When it comes to red sauce, President Biden may prefer a pomodoro sauce. Before his bid for the 2020 election, the current president went on a series of speaking engagements and requested for a particular menu at each event: a caprese salad, raspberry sorbet, biscotti, and angel hair pasta pomodoro. Additionally, when he dined out at Cafe Milano in Georgetown, Biden's go-to order was Capellini Ann Hand, an angel hair pasta with a tomato and basil sauce akin to a pomodoro.

A pomodoro sauce is the definition of simplicity

The current president is described as a basic eater — so it's no surprise that his favorite, angel hair pasta with pomodoro sauce, is also simple in terms of technique and pure flavor.

A pomodoro sauce is typically made with tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, basil, and salt. The Italian word pomodoro literally translates to tomato and derives from pomo d'oro or "golden apple" because the sauce was made with yellower tomatoes that looked similar to local apples. It shares similar ingredients and a flavor profile to marinara, but pomodoro has a smoother, thicker texture with a more concentrated flavor because the tomato is cut into smaller pieces and the sauce is cooked for longer.

Though sometimes, the president switches up his pasta order. In February 2023, President Biden and Dr. Biden stirred culinary controversy when they ordered the same entrée at dinner — two bowls of mezzi rigatoni with a fennel sausage ragu from D.C.'s Red Hen.