McMuffin is a family of breakfast sandwiches sold by the international fast food restaurant chain McDonald's. 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.[1]
Product description
In the United States and Canada the standard McMuffin consists of a slice of Canadian bacon,[2] a griddle-fried egg, and a slice of American cheese on a toasted and buttered English muffin. The round shape of the egg is achieved by cooking it in a ring mold.[3][1]
Versions with sausage and chicken instead of Canadian bacon and egg, named respectively Sausage McMuffin and Chicken McMuffin, were released alongside the original.[4] The Sausage and Egg McMuffin, a version of the Sausage McMuffin with an egg, is also popular.[5][6] The McGriddles are a variant of the McMuffin with a scrambled egg flap and American cheese between two maple-flavored griddle pancakes, with the same variants as the McMuffin.[7]
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.[8]
History
The sandwich was invented in 1972.[9] 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,[10] asked Kroc to look at something, without giving details because it was:
"... a crazy idea — a breakfast sandwich. It consisted of an egg that had been formed in a Teflon circle with the yolk broken, and was dressed with a slice of cheese and a slice of grilled ham. It was served open-faced on a toasted and buttered English muffin. The advent of the Egg McMuffin opened up a whole new area of potential business for McDonald's, the breakfast trade.[3][1]"
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
- Egg McMuffin inventor Herb Peterson dies at 89 Los Angeles Times, March 26, 2008, retrieved March 27, 2008^
- McMuffin Ingredients^
- , p. 174 Ray Kroc. Grinding It Out: The Making of McDonald's St. Martin's Press, 1992^
- Andrew Greiner. A history of McDonald’s breakfast CNN Business, 2019-02-11, retrieved 2025-03-16^
- Amber Sutherland-Namako. A Sausage Egg and Cheese Is Better Than a Bacon Egg and Cheese and I Will Tell You Why Thrillist, 2020-04-24, retrieved 2025-03-16^
- Maria Scinto. This Is The Best Fast Food Breakfast Sandwich Mashed, 2020-02-04, retrieved 2025-03-16^
- Julia Moskin. The Breakfast Wars The New York Times, 10 January 2007, retrieved 28 April 2016^
- L'oeuf débarque en force chez McDonald's^
- Egg McMuffin Inventor Dies At 89 KCBS-TV, March 27, 2008, retrieved March 28, 2008^
- Greg Lucas. Breakfast-To-Go On a Toasted Bun CA170, retrieved October 30, 2022^