The Classic Croissant
The crescent-shaped pastry although commonly associated with French cuisine, is believed to have originated in the 17th century in Vienna, to celebrate the defeat of the Ottoman Empire during the Siege of Vienna in 1683.
Legend has it that bakers in Vienna, inspired by the shape of the Ottoman flags, created a pastry resembling the crescent moon as a symbol of victory.
Originally called ‘kipferl’ in the 13th century, meaning crescent or half-moon in German, the pastries were made with a rich, buttery dough similar to that used in modern croissants. In the early 19th century, Austrian baker August Zang introduced the croissant to France. Zang opened a Viennese bakery in Paris in 1838, where he sold kipferl, which were soon adapted and renamed ‘croissants’ by the French.
