The French Taco – Parmo Meets Calzone, Maybe Francesina Meets Croque Monsieur

We’re told of the great new street food emanating from France. Apparently they’ve decided to give us something different, something called the French Taco:

[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]The French taco, which bears little resemblance to anything Mexican, is a cross between a grilled panini, wrap and kebab, with everything sealed inside a vast rectangular parcel – fries included. There is often a pile-up of different meats jostling together, such as chicken nuggets and merguez sausage, and several sauces. It was described by one French food writer who couldn’t finish one as a “hymn to junk food”.[/perfectpullquote]

That sounds rather yummy although the thing is doesn’t sound is all that new.

It’s not a million miles from adding a Parmo:

[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]The parmo or Teesside Parmesan[1] is a breaded cutlet dish originating in Middlesbrough and a popular item of take-away food in the North East of England. Similar to a schnitzel, it traditionally consisted of pork in breadcrumbs topped with a white béchamel/Parmesan sauce and, despite the name, usually Cheddar cheese; there are many variations, including non-pork cutlets.[/perfectpullquote]

It’s usually better than that, the chips being over the meat and under the sauce. So, chips, cheese, sauce, meat, we’ve got all of that. Then serve as Calzone:

[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]A calzone (US: /kælˈzoʊneɪ, -ni, -ˈzoʊn/, UK: /kælˈtsoʊni, -neɪ/; Italian: [kalˈtsoːne], “stocking” or “trouser”)[1] is an Italian oven-baked folded pizza[2] that originated in Naples[3] in the 18th century.[4] A typical calzone is made from salted bread dough, baked in an oven and is stuffed with salami, ham or vegetables, mozzarella, ricotta and Parmesan or pecorino cheese, as well as an egg.[3] Different regional variations on a calzone can often include other ingredients that are normally associated with pizza toppings.[/perfectpullquote]

We’re pretty much there. Another way to reach rather the same end is to add chips to a Francesinha:

[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Francesinha (meaning Little Frenchie or simply Frenchie in Portuguese) is a Portuguese sandwich originally from Porto, made with bread, wet-cured ham, linguiça, fresh sausage like chipolata, steak or roast meat, and covered with melted cheese and a hot thick tomato and beer sauce. It is typically served with french fries.[/perfectpullquote]

And to cook it as with a Croque Monsieur:

[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]A croque monsieur (French pronunciation: ​[kʁɔk məsjø]; French for “mister crunch”) is a baked or fried boiled ham and cheese sandwich. The dish originated in French cafés and bars as a quick snack.[/perfectpullquote]

The French Taco sounds good but it’s only a variation, not something entirely new, an innovation rather than invention.