Lady Gaga Loves These 2 European Sandwiches

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Lady Gaga is a beloved pop star and actress, but it turns out the 39-year-old celebrity knows her way around the kitchen, too. Her love of food shone through clearly in a recent interview she had with Stephen Colbert. In a recorded Q&A that the late-night host calls "The Colbert Questionert," he asked Gaga, "What is the best sandwich?" She revealed her two favorites: an Italian sub and a French-style ham and cheese with butter on a baguette.

She's an Italian-American New Yorker, so the former doesn't surprise us. It's an East Coast staple that typically includes a mélange of Italian cold cuts, like soppressata, salami, capicola, and mortadella, as well as quality provolone cheese. Usually crowned with lettuce, raw onion, tomatoes, oil, and vinegar, the handheld is savory, salty, and balanced.

As for the French sandwich, which Gaga eloquently calls "un sandwich au jambon et fromage," it speaks to the country's penchant for simple dishes made with top-tier ingredients. In France, a fresh baguette is remarkably easy to find. Traditional jambon de Paris is famously delicate, succulent, and fatty with a mild flavor. The butter is often European-style, meaning it's higher in fat and more flavorful than U.S. butter. The cheese is usually quality Comté, Emmental, or Gruyère, each of which contains more flavor and nuance than American cheese. With these top-notch components, it's infinitely tastier than a standard ham and cheese on white bread.

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If you've ever wondered what Lady Gaga eats, you're in luck. Her love of food is well-known to her fans. For instance, she's a major chopped cheese fan, another New York-famous sub of ground beef, onions, cheese, and all the fixings. (It's like a chopped cheeseburger, served on a long roll like a Philly cheesesteak.) Chef Jumoké Jackson prepared it for her often on The Monster Ball Tour.

According to Bo O'Connor, childhood friend and personal chef, Gaga is "an adventurous eater." (via Women's Health) When she's not eating sammies, she opts for whole-grain foods (like granola or rice crisps), eggs, nuts, and fresh veggies (she's a regular salad eater). She also drinks a lot of green juice and coconut water. When she's feeling indulgent, French toast is on the menu.

The star also likes to cook. Lady Gaga's Bolognese recipe (which she daringly adds rosé to in place of a traditional white or modern red wine) racked up 1.5 million likes when she posted about it on Instagram in 2020. According to O'Connor, Gaga adores red sauce, but she often substitutes regular pasta with a gluten-free alternative, like one made from quinoa. While she usually has pasta with lots of produce and grilled shrimp to make it more filling, she has a carnivorous streak too, as she shared a photo of her chopping steak for a similar Bolognese in 2015. Gaga's family owns an Italian restaurant after all, so she likely makes a mean gravy.