You’ll Want This Sandwich That Translates to ‘Mister Crunchy’
Behold the croque-monsieur and its variations
When you order your first croque-monsieur in a Parisian bistro, you might be surprised to find that what you just ordered is nothing more than a glorified grilled ham and cheese. What will make you laugh even more is the name croque-monsieur literally translates to “Mister Crunchy,” which sounds much more at home on a neon sign above a diner than at a French bistro.
The backstory
Croque-monsieur was invented in Paris in the early 1900s. It appeared on the first menu in 1910 at the Bel Age, a bistro on the boulevard des Capucins in Paris. The exact origin story will never be known and, quite frankly, who cares. Two quickly researched theories suggest that either a French worker accidentally left his lunch pail near a radiator and it melted his Jambon Beurre, creating the world’s first croque-monsieur.
The other theory is far more elaborate and may involve cannibalism. The story begins with a resourceful brasserie chef…
