Paris has even made a ham sandwich chic

A butter, ham, cheese and pickles baguette sandwich at the counter of Le Petit Vendome cafe bistrot in Paris on September 16, 2025. — Photo: Ludovic MARIN/ AFP

From bistro counters to luxury hotels, the humble Parisian ham sandwich or "jambon beurre" has undergone a dramatic luxury makeover.

Once the no-frills lunch of hurried, cash-strapped workers, the humble ham and butter baguette has in recent years become a gourmet classic.