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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 verb ''croquer'' ("to crunch" or "to bite hungrily") and the word ''monsieur'' ("mister")—the reason behind the combination of the two words is unclear—and is colloquially shortened to ''croque''. Its first recorded appearance on a Parisian café menu was in 1910.^[1] Its earliest published use has been traced back to volume 2 of Proust's ''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 Dutch.

Contents

Variations

See also

References

Variations

A croque-monsieur served with a fried egg on top is known as a 'croque-madame'^[3] (or in parts of Normandy a 'croque-cheval'). The "French Fare" episode of ''Paula's Home Cooking'' suggested that the name ''croque-madame'' is motivated by the fact that the fried egg placed atop the sandwich resembles a woman's breast, but 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]
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 pizza (with tomato sauce)

★ croque tartiflette (with sliced potatoes)

★ croque hawaii (with pineapple)

See also

★ Welsh rarebit

★ Grilled cheese sandwich

★ Ham and cheese sandwich

★ Francesinha

References

1. ''Larousse Gastronomique''
2. Entry in the on-line ''Trésor de la langue française''.
3. Dictionaire Général pour la maîtrise de la langue française la culrute classique et contemporaine, p. 405, Larousse (1993)
4. See for example [1] and [2].