This article is part of The Local France's 2020 virtual advent calendar - every day until Christmas we will be presenting you with a person or object that has a particular significance to life in France.
French figures: The famous bistro sandwich with mysterious origins
The Local France - [email protected]
Published: 11 Dec, 2020 CET.
Updated: Fri 11 Dec 2020 08:00 CET
One of France's most famous sandwiches originated - so the story goes - when a Paris café ran out of baguettes.
Most countries have their own version of a grilled cheese sandwich.
In France, traditional French bistros have served the croque monsieur - which means 'bite Sir' - for decades.
It originated, the saying goes, in a Paris café in early 1910s when the owner ran out of baguettes.
According to the tale, the owner of Bel Âge improvised with what in France is known as pain mie - the bread sold in shops, not boulangeries, sliced and wrapped in plastic.
He smeared butter on the slices of bread, filled them with cheese and ham and popped them into the oven to make it all crusty.
Not gonna happen. No bologna burger. It appears the closest we’ll get is the classic French sandwich: the croque-monsieur and I will tell you, those are fantastic. pic.twitter.com/knVIL9kj6P
— Wally Action (@WallyAction) May 19, 2020
Those who have tasted a croque monsieur will know the result was delicious. When the impressed customers asked what was the secret of the sandwich, the owner answered: "Du monsieur" - "Some Sir".
And so, the story goes, the famous French sandwich was born.
Later the monsieur was accompanied by a madame, the same grilled cheese sandwich topped with a soft egg.
Today there are several variants of the croque, some French families like to fill it with salmon. But the traditional ones sold in most cafés are the monsieur and madame.
Comments
See Also
Most countries have their own version of a grilled cheese sandwich.
In France, traditional French bistros have served the croque monsieur - which means 'bite Sir' - for decades.
It originated, the saying goes, in a Paris café in early 1910s when the owner ran out of baguettes.
According to the tale, the owner of Bel Âge improvised with what in France is known as pain mie - the bread sold in shops, not boulangeries, sliced and wrapped in plastic.
He smeared butter on the slices of bread, filled them with cheese and ham and popped them into the oven to make it all crusty.
Not gonna happen. No bologna burger. It appears the closest we’ll get is the classic French sandwich: the croque-monsieur and I will tell you, those are fantastic. pic.twitter.com/knVIL9kj6P
— Wally Action (@WallyAction) May 19, 2020
Those who have tasted a croque monsieur will know the result was delicious. When the impressed customers asked what was the secret of the sandwich, the owner answered: "Du monsieur" - "Some Sir".
And so, the story goes, the famous French sandwich was born.
Later the monsieur was accompanied by a madame, the same grilled cheese sandwich topped with a soft egg.
Today there are several variants of the croque, some French families like to fill it with salmon. But the traditional ones sold in most cafés are the monsieur and madame.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.