Are Croissants Really French?

A new and glorious month has dawned upon us all. Those with more downmarket tendencies might like to instead say 'Hello August' with a glittery graphic on Instagram. 

Still, I hope you have a lot of exciting plans in the next coming weeks.

The croissant chronicles

In my latest etiquette video I showed you how to eat a croissant, but the history is much more interesting. Should you be visiting a Parisian bakery any time soon, this may be a wonderful three minutes worth of chat.

Contrary to common belief that croissants are the epitome of French patisserie, which they may be now, their true origin is placed elsewhere.

Leaning on the legend

The croissant supposedly succeeded the Austrian kipfel (or 'kipferl') that was born out of a triumphant victory by the Austrians against the Ottomans in Vienna circa 1683.

The tale recounts how a baker, who was awake early to prepare bread, alerted the city to the danger when he heard the Turks tunnelling underground, preventing the city from being captured thus leaving the Austrians victorious.

The kipfel’s crescent shape is said to symbolise the crescent moon on the Ottoman flag, serving as a poetic homage to the city's resilience against a formidable enemy. 

From myth to mouth

Despite some very early mentions of croissants in poems stretching back to 1227, it was not until the mid 19th century when an Austrian artillery officer, August Zang, gave the world what would become the most loved pastry.

August Zang (2 August 1807 – 4 March 1888)

Moist magic

Zang relocated to Paris to introduce Viennese-style baked goods, despite having no prior experience in baking. He brought the technique of steam baking to the city, where steam is introduced into the oven during baking. This method slows the formation of the crust, resulting in a flakier and thinner exterior.

For croissants, it created an exceptionally thin crust with a moist interior. Vital, needless to say.

In 1839, Zang opened a bakery called "Boulangerie Viennoise" sparking a popular style to emulate among all French bakers

Croissant etiquette

Ignore the oversized croissant and mandatory croissant dipping videos on Instagram. We don't want to see croissant dipped or dunked in anything. It's buttery and moist enough.

Put any cutlery down and simply break bite-sized pieces off and eat hand-to-mouth. It's that simple.

Yours gracefully,

William Hanson