Is the Croissant French?

January 30 is National Croissant Day in the United States, so I thought I would look into the origins of this tasty treat. Much to my surprise, I discovered the croissant is originally an Austrian specialty bread known as kipferls.

According to legend, the croissant was invented in Vienna when the city was under siege by the Ottoman Empire in 1683. The Ottomans were digging tunnels in the wee hours of the morning to prepare for an attack. Bakers were up early and heard the noise. They alerted the citizenry of the impending attack and prevented the capture of Vienna. To celebrate this victory, they made a pastry in the shape of a crescent – the national emblem of Turkey.

In the 1830s, two Austrian bakers, August Zang and Ernest Schwarzer, opened La Boulangerie Viennoise on rue de Richelieu in Paris. They sold kipferls (aka, croissants) and an assortment of other specialty breads that became wildly popular. Thus, the term Viennoiserie.

The croissant was adapted to the French culture and, around 1920, baker began using puff pastry dough. There are two versions – the croissant ordinaire, which is crescent-shaped and made from margarine, and the croissant au beurre, which is straight (like those in the photo above) and made from real butter. I always specify croissant au beurre – it’s quite literally buttery soft and oh so delicious.

It may also be helpful for you to know there are three categories baked goods shops:

A Boulangerie sells classic French breads, such as baguettes, pain de campagne, or pain de mie.

A Pâtisserie is more of a confectionary that sells macarons, tartes, or petit fours.

A Viennoiserie is considered a bridge between the two, selling sweeter breads such as croissant, pain raisins or pain au chocolat.

But, you need not worry – many shops sell an assortment of items falling into each of the three categories.