How a chocolate muffin became the most talked about part of the Olympic Village.

The Paris Olympic Games are well underway, and the athletes deserve all our attention.

But we need to take a minute to talk about something equally important and very serious: the chocolate muffins being consumed in the Olympic Village.

Now, you might be asking yourself: "How did we get to this point? How is a muffin fast becoming one of the most talked about stars of the Olympic games?" 

Well, we have Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen to thank for that.

Last week, the Olympian posted a 46-second video of himself trying various foods from the Olympic Village, including a chocolate muffin. 

Oozing with chunks of chocolate with a lava centre, the muffin looked light and airy, the colour a deep, rich chocolately brown. With a single bite of the muffin, a thumbs up and an 11/10 rating, a star was born.

To be fair, it looks like a pretty tasty muffin. Image: TikTok.

Christiansen has quickly become an even bigger TikTok star than he already was, the app's algorithm running into overdrive for chocolate muffin adjacent content. 

Christiansen then did what all content creators do best and jumped on the bandwagon — posting countless videos with his Olympic Village chocolate muffins for the past week, each video more rogue than the next.

Christiansen has now aptly been dubbed the 'Muffin Man'. 

@henrikchristians1 I don’t think you guys realize how good this stuff is #fyp #zipline #olympics #paris2024 #olympictiktok #olympicvillage #muffins @Mr.Nicho ♬ original sound - I think you should leave shop

Now other athletes are rushing to rate the muffin.  

Ania Węgrzyn, a table tennis player from Poland, rated it a 9/10. "Too much chocolate for a 10/10," she said.

@aniawegrzynn2001 Odpowiadanie użytkownikowi @Yann 🇨🇵 The olympic chocolate muffin 😋 my review: 9/10👍🏻 #paris2024 #olympicvillage #olympicmuffin #olympics2024 #olympics #muffins #review #chocolatemuffins #fyp #foryou #muffinman #paris #teampl #olympictiktok #test #muffin #muffinreview #polishgirl #teampoland #igrzyskaolimpijskie #olympicgames @Henrik Christiansen ♬ dźwięk oryginalny - Ania Węgrzyn

Italian diver Elena Bertocchi simply said "Bellissimo". (That means beautiful in Italian. Fun fact).

American track and field star Gabrielle Thomas gave it 9.8/10.

"This has to be the best chocolate muffin I've ever had," she boldly said. "It tastes like a cupcake, it's so moist."

Now if you want an Aussie perspective on this awfully important matter... we have you covered.

Australian swimmer Jenna Forrester gave the muffin a go herself, but she took it a step further by comparing it to other baked goods and desserts available at the Olympic Village. Surprisingly, the praline tart was Forrester's preferred option, rated 10/10, ahead of the choccy muffin, which she rated 8.5.

@jennaa.forrester Apologies @Henrik Christiansen but the praline tart is better than your muffins #olympicvillage #paris2024 #olympics ♬ original sound - Jenna Forrester 🐒

With millions of views on #muffintok, French catering company Coup de Pates, who are responsible for the baked goods in the Village, has taken full advantage of the publicity.

"We knew our Maxi Muffin with intense chocolate was something special... but we didn't expect it to spark such a chocolate storm! Thank you all for the love," they wrote on Instagram.

In an interview at one of his swim heats, Christiansen spoke about his beloved treat.

"They're very rich, and I like that. Some people might find it too powerful, but they're right up my alley," he said. 

Fellow Norwegian swimmer Nicholas Lia went as far as to describe it as the "sexiest muffin out there".

It is perhaps the best review a humble chocolate muffin has ever received.

Watch the Olympics on Stan Sport, the only place to watch every event ad-free with 4K and international multi-language channels. Go to Stan.com.au/Olympics for more info.

Read more on the Olympics here:

• Hamish and Andy were 'banned for life' from the Olympic Village. Now they've explained why.
• No drinking, no beards and no more intimacy bans: All the rules Olympic athletes must follow.
• How a mistake at the Sydney Olympics 'could've killed' competing gymnasts.
  

Feature Image: TikTok.