The pope made modest choices, living in a simple apartment and cooking his own meals.
How Pope Francis’s Love for ‘Alfajores’ Reflects His Life and Legacy
Published on Apr. 25, 2025
Pope Francis was known for many things throughout his tenure as spiritual head of the Catholic Church. In remembering his life, I’d like to share something I find touching: his appreciation of food.
The pope was not interested in lavish banquets. He enjoyed simple meals, especially empanadas and warm bread. In his eyes, food and faith went hand in hand. He believed food was a basic human right and a way to foster community.
He frequently denounced food waste. “Throwing away food is like stealing from the table of the poor and the hungry,” he said in a 2022 speech from the Vatican. He was also known for hosting annual meals at the Vatican for unhoused people.
Pope Francis’s embrace of humility in all aspects of his life is striking. And while he loved pizza—his home base was in Italy, after all—there is a sweet item from his childhood in Argentina that always held a special place in his heart.
What was Pope Francis’s favorite Argentine dessert?
Pope Francis was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He reminisced frequently about learning how to cook empanadas from his grandmother. Another dish he made as a child was a treat called alfajores.
Alfajores are sweet sandwich cookies. They’re usually made with two biscuits and a layer of dulce de leche in between. Depending on the region of Latin America where they’re made, they can be dusted with powdered sugar, shredded coconut or chocolate.
The biscuits are made with either flour or cornstarch, butter, sugar and eggs. The Argentine version usually uses more cornstarch for a softer, more crumbly cookie texture that melts into the rich dulce de leche filling.
Pope Francis kept a love of this childhood treat alive throughout his life. In The Vatican Cookbook, Swiss chef David Geisser shared an anecdote about the pope’s love of alfajores: “He smiled as he handed me the sweet gift and said he hoped it would ‘make the day a little better.’”
Whether you want to buy some or try to make your own, alfajores are a perfect way to commemorate the life of Pope Francis. And if you want to honor his legacy, I suggest that you share them.
