Do You Know the Olympic Muffin Man?
Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen is so, so, so obsessed with the chocolate muffins being served in the Paris Olympic Village.
Quinn Rooney/Getty Images
Henrik Christiansen has represented Norway in three Olympic games, but swimming isn’t currently his biggest claim to fame. This summer, the 27-year-old athlete has become better known for his love affair with the chocolate muffins from the Olympic Village cafeteria in Paris.
These are no ordinary muffins. They boast a gooey dark chocolate center, dark and milk chocolate chunks and a dark chocolate topping, according to Sodexo Live!, the company behind the Olympic Village menu. Since Sodexo Live! is sourcing 80 percent of the Village’s food supply from France, the muffins have a unique local flavor as well.
Christiansen is sharing his passion for these muffins with his fellow Olympians — and the world. He first featured them on TikTok on July 25, one day before the Opening Ceremony. Christiansen rated different foods from the cafeteria and gave the muffins an “11/10.”
“They are the single greatest thing about the olympics so far,” Christiansen wrote in a comment on the video. (To be fair, the Olympics technically hadn’t started yet.)
@henrikchristians1 Olympic Village food review! A little surprise at the end too! Smash like and subscribe for part 2✌🏻 #fyp #olympics #paris2024 #olympictiktok #olympicvillage #foodreview @Olympics @paris2024 @Mr.Nicho ♬ original sound - Z7duckx_Music
Soon, Christiansen was cranking out multiple muffin TikTok videos per week. He often shows himself devouring muffins in his room or wandering around the Olympic Village with muffins in hand. The clips have racked up tens of millions of views, and he doesn’t show signs of stopping yet. He’s started calling himself the “Olympic Muffin Man,” and it’s catching on. One spectator even joked at a race that they spotted him “actually swimming.”
@eurosport Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen has become rather obsessed with the chocolate muffins at the Olympic village 😂 #paris2024 #olympics #muffins ♬ original sound - Eurosport
Naturally, other Olympians wanted to know what all the fuss was about, so they tried the treats for themselves. Many of them quickly started singing the muffins’ praises, too.
Team U.S.A. rugby player Ari Ramsey gave the muffins a “ten out of ten” in her own TikTok — and she doesn’t even like chocolate!
“It’s literally so moist and soft and delicious and sweet,” Ramsey says.
Team Singapore swimmer Quah Jing Wen says she understands “the hype.” Team U.S.A. gymnasts Asher Hong, Brody Malone and Stephen Nedoroscik — yes, the pommel horse guy — are on board as well. Team U.S.A. track and field athlete Gabby Thomas even snuck a muffin out of the Village for her mom to try. (Her mom said, “This is not a muffin, this is cake!” which Thomas took as a positive review.)
@itsgabbythomas I think she really likes it #olympics #paris2024 #chocolatemuffins #fyp ♬ original sound - Gabby Thomas
So there you have it: the dessert that’s taken Paris and TikTok by storm, bringing Olympians together through chocolate.
Craving one yet? While we can’t replicate the French terroir, and this recipe admittedly lacks a lava filling, you can bake a batch of our test kitchen’s Double Chocolate Chip Muffins right now to get in on the fun. It’s the perfect recipe to make while you continue watching the games — and the antics behind the scenes.
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