Croque-monsieur
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A croque-monsieur is a hot ham and cheese (typically emmental[citation needed] or gruyère) grilled 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 emergence of the Croque-monsieur (and variations) is mirrored by growth in popular fast-foods in other countries.
The name is based on the verb croquer ("to crunch") 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 take their sandwiches to work with them. Some would take ham and cheese, and since they did not have coolers or refrigerators, they would leave their lunches by the radiators, and the cheese would melt.[citation needed] The Croque-monsieur's first recorded appearance on a Parisian café menu was in 1910.[1] Its earliest published use has been traced back to volume two of Proust's Remembrance of Things Past (À la recherche du temps perdu) (1918).[2]
A ham and cheese sandwich snack, very similar to the Croque-monsieur, is called a Tosti in the Netherlands.
[edit] Variations
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-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.[4][5] A version of this sandwich in Spain replaces the ham with sobrassada, a soft sausage from the Balearic Islands that can be easily spread
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 and Reblochon cheese)
- croque Hawaii (with a slice of pineapple)
- croque Bolognese (with Bolognese sauce)
- black croque monsieur. Toasted squid ink bread with buffalo mozzarella [6]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ 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.
- ^ CROQUE MADEMOISELLE 3P
- ^ Recipes : Croque Mademoiselle : Food Network
- ^ Black croque monsieur
