The history of the croissant

Omnipresent in breakfasts at the bar (or night snacks) around the world, the croissant is a pleasure for the palate, made of puff pastry, which carries within itself not only a story, but also a legend.

The legend

According to popular stories, which are handed down even today, the origin and form of the croissant would be linked to the celebration of the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in the siege of Vienna in 1683 or in that of Budapest in 1686.

It seems that the Turks (Ottomans), for two long months, have besieged the Hapsburg Empire, without being able to overtake the defenses. So they decided to try to reach the goal by digging underground tunnels to travel during the night, to create a surprise effect, Trojan horse style, to the sentinels, which would have been easier to break down.

What the Ottomans did not take into account, it is said, however, is that the bakers work right at night, and then sell their products early in the morning.

For this reason, it was precisely these tireless culinary artisans who warned the sentinels, effectively saving the city and, probably, the entire West, from the Turkish hegemony. In particular, we talk about a pastry chef named Vendler, who received, thanks to this heroic act, the exclusive right to produce something special, at the pastry level, to commemorate the event; thus the croissants would have been born, with that crescent shape that symbolized, in fact, the Turkish logo par excellence.

As we said, however, it is a legend and there are no original sources that confirm any of this.

History

Regarding the official and accredited history, the origins of the croissant are to be found in the Austrian kipferl, a sweet or savory crescent-shaped specialty prepared with flour, butter, eggs, water and sugar and egg yolks on the surface (sounds familiar, no?). This dish is widely documented and, certainly, at least until the thirteenth century.

We made a leap forward, between 1838 and 1839. The Austrian artillery officer August Zang, on leave, founded the Boulangerie Viennoise (“Viennese Confectionery”), whose headquarters were built in street de Richelieu 92 in Paris. The date is extrapolated from an image of 1909 of the pastry shop (which we show below), but it seems that its existence is even older and previously documented.

The intent of the venue was to sell Viennese specialties including, in fact, the kipferl; this was how the viennoiserie was born, distinct from simple pastries because, in the latter, they are sold baked goods, but filled with creams (a distinction that does not exist in Italy, as bakers are traditionally authorized to produce breads and dry baked desserts).

The success was almost immediate, so that the small craft business began to be imitated by the French, giving rise to “alternative” versions of the desserts, coming to the new name of the kipferl who was baptized, precisely, croissants for its crescent shape. In fact, this word literally means “growing”, alluding to the crescent moon and the shape of the typical sweet.

However, it seems that, officially, the first reference to the term “croissants” is found in the book, dated 1853, Des substances alimentaires, and it was included for the first time in the Dictionnaire de la langue franà§aise in 1863.

To get the first recipe, however, we had to wait until 1906, with the Nouvelle Encyclopédie culinaire.

And which one do you prefer, the legendary or historical version?
Let us know by tasting one of our fragrant croissants at the Gambrinus … ops, croissants!