McMuffin is a family of
breakfast sandwiches sold by the international
fast food
Fast food is a type of Mass production, mass-produced food designed for commercial resale, with a strong priority placed on speed of service. ''Fast food'' is a commercial term, limited to food sold in a restaurant or store with frozen, preheat ...
restaurant chain
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese ch ...
. The Egg McMuffin is the signature sandwich, which was invented in 1972 by
Herb Peterson to resemble
eggs benedict, a traditional American breakfast dish with
English muffins, ham, eggs and
hollandaise sauce.
Product description
In the US and Canada the standard McMuffin consists of a slice of
Canadian bacon, a
griddle-fried egg, and a slice of
American cheese on a toasted and buttered
English muffin. The round shape of the egg is made by cooking it in a white plastic ring surrounded by an outer metal structure.
[, p. 174]
Versions with
sausage
A sausage is a type of meat product usually made from ground meat—often pork, beef, or poultry—along with salt, spices and other flavourings. Other ingredients, such as grains or breadcrumbs, may be included as fillers or extenders.
...
and chicken instead of Canadian bacon and egg, named respectively Sausage McMuffin and Chicken McMuffin, were released alongside the original. The Sausage and Egg McMuffin, a version of the Sausage McMuffin with an egg, is considered to be more popular than its bacon counterpart. The
McGriddles are a variant of the McMuffin with a
scrambled egg flap and
American cheese between two
maple-flavored
griddle pancakes
A pancake, also known as a hotcake, griddlecake, or flapjack, is a flat type of batter bread like cake, often thin and round, prepared from a starch-based Batter (cooking), batter that may contain eggs, milk, and butter, and then cooked on a ...
, with the same variants as the McMuffin.
There is also a vegetarian version named "McMuffin Egg & Cheese", in countries like France and Germany. Since 2019, it is available all day long in France.
History
The sandwich was invented in 1972.
Former McDonald's President
Ray Kroc wrote that
Herb Peterson and his assistant, Donald Greadel, the operator of a McDonald's Santa Barbara franchise in
Goleta, California,
asked Kroc to look at something, without giving details because it was:
One reason the sandwich was served open-faced was that a small tub of strawberry preserves was provided, along with a knife. The sweet and savory approach did not catch on (at least in the US), although a packet of strawberry preserves will still be provided upon request.
The first McDonald's corporate-authorized Egg McMuffin was served at the
Belleville, New Jersey, McDonald's in 1972.
See also
*
Croissan'wich
*
List of sandwiches
References
{{McDonald's
McDonald's foods
American sandwiches
Products introduced in 1972
Breakfast sandwiches