Barack Obama may be wrangling with health reform, job creation and an up-coming election but the most pivotal political issue of the day is the ingredients in his favourite chili recipe.

The dish appears on his latest social networking sign-up, Pinterest — an online scrapbook and image-sharing site that is fast becoming the hottest place to be "seen" for the online community.On the page, which already has nearly 9,000 followers, pictures of Obama-themed cupcakes, Bo the Obamas' dog and voter-friendly infographic fact sheets have been posted by the President's campaign team.

However it's the Obamas' cooking habits that are proving most controversial.

The chili recipe contains all the usual ingredients: onions, garlic, ground beef, tomatoes and red kidney beans, but it's the addition of red wine vinegar that is creating a stir.

One commentator, Dina Fraioli, writes: "this is SO NOT how you make chili. It's not even chili! There's hardly any chili spice in it! I want a super hot, hot, hot chili. I expect more President Obama!"

However, Mary Johanna defends the President with: "There are probably a thousand different ways to make a chilli, so why don't you whiners all chill out."

While PorterfieldsFineArt says: "I like Obama's whole page. But I'm more interested in what Michelle might pin."

As well as cooking, the page taps into the nation's love of animals. On the pet lovers' page, supporters browse photos of the President enjoying some downtime with the family's Portuguese water dog Bo.

Barack Obama already has a powerful presence on social networking sites, such as Tumblr, Facebook and Foursquare, and Pinterest is the latest in his campaign arsenal.