What is it?
A crescent-shaped pastry of delicate, flaky layers imbued with a rich, buttery flavour. Forget the calories, breakfast never tasted this good.
Where’s it from?
Are you sitting comfortably? This humble pastry has one lengthy history. Its earliest ancestor is thought to be the Austrian kipferl, a crescent-shaped bread that dates back to the 13th century (or perhaps even earlier). Its introduction to France has – erroneously, it turns out – been credited to Marie Antoinette, who is alleged to have brought it with her from her native Austria when she married Louis XVI in 1770. The more likely story is that it arrived in Paris in about 1838 when Austrian August Zang opened his Boulangerie Viennoise, selling Viennese delights such as our old friend the kipferl. The French, always with a keen palate for anything delicious, quickly jumped on board and soon adapted the kipferl to their own tastes, creating a lighter, flakier pastry through lamination (more of which later), which resulted in the croissant we know and love today.
How do you say it?
Kwason.
Any insider tips?
If you want the full buttery experience, be sure to order a croissant au beurre (butter croissant); its stable-mate, the croissant ordinaire is made with other fats, although these ones can be suitable for vegans. And fear not – there’s an easy way to spot the difference. The rule among French pâtissiers is that only croissants baked with real butter can be straight (a contradiction in terms, really, since ‘crescents’ are curved), while curved croissants are made from other fats, such as marg or lard.
Where can I buy one?
It might be easier to ask where you can’t buy one, but buyer beware – not all croissants were (laboriously) created equal. You want to avoid the mass-produced, additive-ridden nasties and make sure you opt for ones which have been handmade on the premises. To help customers spot the real deal, the Confédération Nationale de la Boulangerie-Pâtisserie Française has introduced the Boulanger de France label, which is awarded to bakeries that commit to making their own bread, viennoiseries (croissants, pains au chocolat, brioches etc) and pâtisseries (éclairs, millefeuilles, fruit tarts). Look for the Boulanger de France window sticker to identify these bakeries – although as bakeries have to pay to join the scheme, the lack of a sticker doesn’t necessarily indicate a lack of quality.
Can I make croissants at home?
If you’ve got a day or two to kill, sure. Remember we mentioned lamination? While technically, making the initial dough itself isn’t hard, laminating said dough is a long old job, involving rolling out the dough, dotting it with butter, folding, rolling again, chilling, dotting with butter, folding, rolling, chilling… and so on. It takes hours, but this is what creates that irresistible, flaky texture. And then you have the task of shaping the dough into croissants, leaving them to ferment and, finally, baking them.
Where can I find out more?
Check out YouTube for multiple tutorials, or treat yourself to a hands-on course next time you’re in Paris. There are numerous workshops available, although the one at Maison Fleuret, in the heart of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, comes highly recommended.
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