The anti-burger

No trip to Paris is complete without a jambon-beurre, also known as un Parisien. Half a baguette with butter and cooked ham. And it is nothing short of divine.

Cornichons or no cornichons? That is the question when it comes to France’s most iconic sandwich: le jambon-beurre, also known as le Parisien. The French can get into heated arguments over it.

Prince de Paris
Although, in fact, hardly anyone has any major objections to the combination of ham and cornichons itself. At most, they object to the supposed breach of tradition represented by this ‘Prince de Paris’, which originated somewhere around Les Halles (then still ‘the belly of Paris’, the nighttime food market) at the end of the nineteenth century because it was easy to eat on the go. That way, the market workers could simply keep working and eat at the same time.

Real butter and real cooked ham on a real baguette.

Whatever every jambon-beurre contains, the name makes clear: cooked ham and butter. And then real butter, of course (no margarine or low-fat spread). And real ham. On a real baguette de tradition.

Cornichons?
Nothing more and nothing less. Well, those cornichons, possibly. And sometimes fries too. Simply pressed between the two halves of the baguette. But then the whole thing is usually called Américain. Without the ham, it often accompanies the first coffee of the day in cafés, under the name tartine beurré.

And even though the American ‘cuisine’ is gaining ground in France, with roughly 1.2 billion eaten each year, the jambon-beurre is still the most widely eaten sandwich in all of France. After the hamburger.
It is the anti-burger.

You can eat or pick up the best one in Paris at ChezAline, 85 Rue de la Roquette (11th), and at Caractère de Cochon, 42 Rue Carlot (3rd).
Also good: JBC (Jambon Beurre Cornichon) Sandwicherie Artisanale, 2 Rue Drouot (9th).