Meet the Chocolate Muffins Olympians Can’t Get Enough Of

It’s the simple pleasures in life.

Paris, the host of the 2024 Summer Olympics, is known for its rich culture, history, fashion, and, of course, its French cuisine. While Paris has shown up and shown out for the Olympics with the first opening ceremony not in a stadium, light shows on the Eiffel Tower, and competition venues in front of breathtaking views. While all of these elements have wowed viewers around the world, for the athletes competing at the Games, it’s more about the simpler pleasures: the Olympic chocolate muffins.

The chocolate muffins gained popularity when Henrik Christiansen, a Norwegian swimmer, made a TikTok rating different foods he tried at the Olympic Village dining hall. On a scale from one to 10, the muffins received an 11. Throughout the Games, Christiansen has continued to make TikToks about the muffins, and he has unofficially dubbed himself the “Olympic Muffin Man.”

Photos and Christiansen’s TikTok videos suggest that a chocolate batter, chocolate chips, and a chocolate ganache topping make up the muffins. In an interview with The New York Times, Christiansen said the muffins also have a chocolate lava center.

Olympic Village Meals

Sodexo Live, a French catering company, is in charge of feeding the athletes at the Olympic Village dining hall. According to the Washington Post, more than 40,000 meals, whose recipes were created by Michelin-star chefs, are prepared each day at the Olympic Village dining hall. The recipes aim to honor French cuisine, but also to be respectful of cultures’ menus.

As for dishes served at the dining hall, reviews are mixed. Many Olympic athletes have taken to social media to share their thoughts on the food. Some might wonder how the other foods served at the Olympic Village compare to the famous chocolate muffin, and according to Olympic athletes, the muffins reign far supreme.

In a TikTok, Christiansen rated the pesto pasta and pork skewer seven out of 10 and chicken gyoza a six out of 10. Raven Saunders, an American shot put and discus athlete, wasn’t so generous in her review. In a TikTok of her eating at the dining hall, Saunders lip-syncs with audio saying, “You disappointed me.”

Similarly, Hezly Rivera, a gymnast competing for the USA, said she didn’t like the food served at the dining hall. “I definitely think French food is good, but what we’re having in there, I don’t think it’s the best, but it gets the job done,” Rivera said in an interview.

Erik Shoji, a USA volleyball player, mentions on TikTok that the breakfast foods taste like “what you might expect it to taste like.” In another video, Shoji tried the viral chocolate muffin and said it was the best food served at the Olympic dining hall.

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