The Olympic chocolate muffin obsession heard ‘round the world

Plus, more food moments deserving the gold. [View on web]( Photo illustration by Monica Burton; see site for full credits Some people are watching the Olympics for Simone Biles. Some people watched for Stephen Nedoroscik, with his [highly specialized pommel horse skills](. And now, some people are watching for the chocolate muffin, which has [taken over Olympic Village content on TikTok]( with its large chocolate chips and gooey, melted chocolate center. While many athletes have [shared reviews of the food in the Olympic Village](, it was the Norwegian swimmer [Henrik Christiansen]( who popularized the muffins. Within a week, Christiansen has made 10 TikTok videos about the muffins — [the most popular of which]( has over 10 million views as of this writing. In [an interview]( with the New York Times, Christiansen said the muffins were the first thing he tried in the dining hall. “They’re very rich, and I like that,” he said. Christiansen’s videos, which sometimes feature the swimmer’s face smeared with chocolate, have become a global sensation, with almost all of his muffin videos hitting views in the millions, and [other athletes]( now also making videos about the muffins. Those of us on MuffinTok have since found ourselves haunted by the question: Who makes these muffins, and is there any way to eat one, without being an Olympic athlete? On Wednesday, Kelin Carolyn Zhang shared a series of videos on TikTok in which she tried to track down the source of the muffins. This day-long deep dive was, she notes, a form of procrastination from her work as an independent designer. Zhang first identified the “Decadent Chocolate Chunk Supreme Muffin” from Otis Spunkmeyer as a potential dupe, though commenters noted that they didn’t quite match: The Spunkmeyer muffins have chips, but not ganache topping. The chocolate-hazelnut-filled muffins from Delifrance also seemed close but not quite: They have the chocolate filling but not the chunks, and no athletes seem to have mentioned the muffin having a hazelnut flavor. Zhang finally landed on the muffins from the French producer Coup de Pates. Indeed, a representative for Coup de Pates confirmed to Eater via email that the muffins are the company’s “Maxi Muffin Chocolat Intense.” “We work exclusively with food service professionals, some of whom are partners of the Olympic Village,” they said in an email, adding that the muffins can be found “in many countries around the world thanks to our clients and distributors.” (Interested food service professionals can contact the company’s export department, they noted.) [READ MORE](   [The Yelp home page.]( Photo illustration by Lille Allen; see site for full credits More for the table: - Wondering how the [Olympic Village actually feeds]( the world’s best athletes? Simple. Start with millions of bananas. - A new bombshell snack has entered the villa: Olympic athletes have been importing their favorite foods into the Olympic Village. America is shipping peanut butter, Australia has a barista, and Japan has requested miso. That’s [just the beginning](. - [Houston chef Dawn Burrell]( went from Olympic athlete to culinary force. Here’s how she journeyed from one world stage to another. - While the chocolate muffins are a hit on TikTok, Olympic athletes say the [rest of the Olympic Village’s dining hall food]( is hit-or-miss.   If you like this email, please forward it to a friend. If you aren't signed up for this newsletter, you can [do so right here](.  [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Manage your [email preferences]( or [unsubscribe](param=today). View our [Privacy Notice]( and our [Terms of Service](. Vox Media,1701 Rhode Island Ave NW, Washington, DC 20036. Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved.