The Croissant isn’t French

When you bite into a perfectly flaky and sweet croissant, you’re quite a bit more than filling your stomach with calories; you are also paying homage to the Viennese victory over the Turks. It’s true: croissants were dreamed up by a Viennese baker to immortalize a historical event, and not the result of some French chef’s pursuit of culinary excellence. Myths are destroyed but we continue to have an appetite.

One long night in 1683, Viennese pastry chefs heard noises from the Turkish opponents while busy baking and sounded the alarm. Thanks to Polish king Juan III Sobieski, who sent 25.000 soldiers to aid in the front, allowing the Viennese to win over the ottomans. To thank the Pastry chefs for their vigilance, they were given the right to invent a pastry to memorialize the historical event. And so the Hörnchen (which means little horn in German) was born, a pastry shaped in the form of the crescent moon to commemorate the Turkish symbol. So why does everyone think croissants are French? Why do we like croissants so much, and who would have imagined such a storied and historical origin for them?

If there is one thing we can thank the capricious French queen Marie Antoinette for, it is her introduction of the croissant to France in 1770. Butter was not even an ingredient until 1920! Even so, the croissant became a symbol of the French nation, and continues to be until today.

There are other ways to prepare and savour a croissant. In Spain for example, it is common practice to cut it in half cross-ways and fill it as if it were a sandwich. With ham, with cheese, salad or mayonnaise: there are many marvellous ways to enjoy a croissant. Though some dislike the sweet shiny coating they often have, others go wild for fruit filled or chocolate covered variations.

But the best way to enjoy a croissant continues to be a classic: first thing in the morning, accompanied by strong black coffee at breakfast or as a mid-morning snack. And of course, everybody knows that the best are found in Paris, it’s unthinkable that any others could surpass them, even though they were not originally French. Of course, the only thing left to do is reserve apartments in Paris, visit its seemingly endless parade of boulangeries and wake your partner up a to French style breakfast in bed, to give them an unforgettably pleasurable memory.

Tags: history of the croissant, the brioche, The croissant, the french croissant