Everything about Croque Monsieur totally explained
A
croque-monsieur is a hot
ham and
cheese (typically
gruyère)
grilled (
broiled)
sandwich. It originated in
France as a fast-food snack served in
cafés and
bars. More elaborate versions come coated in a
Mornay or
Béchamel sauce.
The name is based on the adjective
croque ("crispy") and the word
monsieur ("mister")—the reason behind the combination of the two words is unclear—and is colloquially shortened to
croque. While the origins of the Croque-monsieur are unknown, there are many speculations on how it was first originated. One such story is that a long time ago there were French workers who would bring their sandwiches to work with them. Some would bring ham and cheese, and since they didn't have coolers or refrigerators, they'd leave their lunches by the radiators, and the cheese would melt. The Croque-monsieur's first recorded appearance on a
Parisian café
menu was in
1910. Its earliest published use has been traced back to volume 2 of Proust's
À la recherche du temps perdu (1918).
A ham and cheese sandwich snack, very similar to the Croque-monsieur, is called a Tosti in
the Netherlands.
Variations
A croque-monsieur served with a
fried egg on top is known as a
croque-madame (or in parts of
Normandy a
croque-cheval). Many dictionaries attribute the name to the egg resembling an old fashioned woman's hat. According to the
Petit Robert dictionary, the name dates to around 1960. The name
croque-mademoiselle is associated with many different sandwiches, from diet recipes to desserts.
Versions of the sandwich with substitutions or additional ingredients are given names modelled on the original
croque-monsieur, for example:
- croque provençal (with tomato)
- croque auvergnat (with bleu d'Auvergne cheese)
- croque norvégien (with smoked salmon instead of ham)
- croque tartiflette (with sliced potatoes)
Further Information
Get more info on 'Croque Monsieur'.
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