Croque-monsieur
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| Origin | |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | France |
| Details | |
| Type | Sandwich |
| Serving temperature | Hot |
| Main ingredient(s) | Bread, ham, cheese (typically Emmental or Gruyère) |
| Variations | Croque-madame |
A croque-monsieur (French pronunciation: [kʁɔk məsˈjøː]) is a grilled ham and cheese sandwich. It originated in French cafés and bars as a quick snack. Typically, Emmental or Gruyère cheese is used.
The name is based on the verb croquer ("to crunch") and the word monsieur ("mister"). The sandwich's first recorded appearance on a Parisian café menu was in 1910.[1] Its earliest mention in literature appears to be in volume two of Proust's In Search of Lost Time in 1918.[2]
Variations [edit]
A croque-monsieur served with a fried egg or poached egg on top is known as a croque-madame[3] (or in parts of Normandy a croque-à-cheval). The noted French chef Jacques Pepin also makes a version using chicken instead of ham,[4] which he demonstrated in the "Our Favorite Sandwiches"[5] episode on the PBS series (and its coordinating cookbook of the same title) Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home in which he worked with Julia Child. Many dictionaries[who?] 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.[6] A ham and cheese sandwich snack, very similar to the croque-monsieur, is called a tosti in the Netherlands, and toast (pronounced "tost") in Italy. A version of this sandwich in Spain replaces the ham with sobrassada, a soft sausage from the Balearic Islands that can be easily spread. In Catalonia it is known as a bikini.[7]
Versions of the sandwich with substitutions or additional ingredients are given names modelled on the original croque-monsieur, for example:
- croque provençal (with tomato)[8]
- croque auvergnat (with bleu d'Auvergne cheese)[9]
- croque gagnet (with Gouda cheese and andouille sausage)
- croque norvégien (with smoked salmon instead of ham)[10]
- croque tartiflette (with sliced potatoes and Reblochon cheese)[11]
- croque bolognese / croque Boum-Boum (with Bolognese sauce)
- croque señor (with tomato salsa)
- croque Hawaiian (with a slice of pineapple)
- the "Croque McDo" sandwich at McDonald's locations in France[12]
See also [edit]
- Welsh rarebit
- Grilled cheese sandwich
- Ham and cheese sandwich
- Francesinha
- Monte Cristo sandwich
- Strammer Max
- List of sandwiches
References [edit]
- ^ Montagné, Prosper; Charlotte Snyder Turgeon and Nina Froud (1961). Larousse Gastronomique. New York City: Crown Publishing Group. ISBN 0-517-50333-6. OCLC 413918.[page needed]
- ^ (French) Entry in the on-line Trésor de la langue française.
- ^ Dictionnaire général pour la maîtrise de la langue française, la culture classique et contemporaine. Paris: Larousse. 1993. p. 405. ISBN 2-03-320300-X. OCLC 29916226.
- ^ Pepin, Jacques; Julia Child, David Nussbaum (September 1999). "Jacques's Croque Madame Recipe". Epicurious. Retrieved 1 October 2010.
- ^ "104: Our Favorite Sandwiches". Julia and Jacques: Cooking at Home: The Episodes. Retrieved 1 October 2010.
- ^ Recette Croque Mademoiselle
- ^ http://www.iberianature.com/spainblog/a-guide-to-food-in-spain-b/bikini/
- ^ http://frenchfood.about.com/od/toprecipes/a/croquelist.htm
- ^ Downie, David (23 July 2000). "Bread Winner". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ http://judicialpeach.com/2009/05/31/croque-norvegien/
- ^ http://frenchfood.about.com/od/toprecipes/a/croquelist.htm
- ^ Time. 1 November 2010 http://newsfeed.time.com/2010/11/02/ready-for-the-mcrib-our-ten-favorite-mcfoods/croque/
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