Where does the croissant come from?
Quick answer
The croissant is a famous French pastry, but its roots are Austrian. It descends from the Viennese kipferl, a crescent-shaped bread. French bakers later turned it into the flaky, buttery laminated dough pastry we know today. Croissant means “crescent” in French.
Laminated dough
A croissant’s flaky layers come from lamination:
- A yeast dough is rolled out.
- A thin slab of cold butter is placed on it and enclosed.
- The dough is rolled and folded several times.
- Each fold multiplies the layers of butter and dough, often to dozens of layers.
- In the oven, water in the butter turns to steam, puffing the layers apart.
Puff pastry and Danish pastries use similar techniques; croissant dough is different because it also contains yeast.
From kipferl to croissant
| Period | Development |
|---|---|
| 13th century onward | Kipferl, crescent-shaped breads, eaten in Austria |
| 1839 | August Zang opens a Viennese bakery in Paris; its pastries become fashionable |
| Early 1900s | French bakers create the buttery laminated croissant |
| 1920 | A croissant recipe appears in a French cookbook |
A popular myth
A popular legend says the croissant was invented in Vienna in 1683 to celebrate the defeat of the Ottoman siege, with its crescent shape mocking the Ottoman flag. Food historians say there’s no evidence for this story, which appeared centuries later.
Straight or curved?
In France, bakeries often follow a code: a straight croissant is made with pure butter (croissant au beurre), while a curved one may contain margarine or other fats (croissant ordinaire).
Viennoiserie
The French name for this family of yeast-and-butter pastries is viennoiserie, “things from Vienna,” which honors its Austrian roots. It includes:
- Pain au chocolat (or chocolatine in southwest France)
- Pain aux raisins
- Brioche
- Croissant aux amandes, filled and topped with almond cream; see what marzipan is made of
For the Italian dessert with ladyfingers, see where tiramisu comes from.
Still curious?
Jump to a random question from the archive.