The Surprising Origins of the Croissant: A Tale of Austria and France
When you think of a fresh, flaky croissant, it’s easy to imagine the romantic streets of Paris—a lazy morning on the Left Bank, a small round table, a copy of Le Journal in hand, and a steamy cup of café au lait beside a warm, buttery croissant. The croissant has become an iconic symbol of French culture, but what if we told you that this beloved pastry isn’t originally French?
In fact, the croissant’s story begins far from the streets of Paris, in the heart of Vienna, Austria. Classified as a viennoiserie pastry, the croissant traces its roots back to a much older Austrian pastry known as the kipferl. Dating back to the 13th century, the kipferl came in various shapes and was often filled with nuts or other sweet fillings. Some historians suggest that the kipferl may even have roots in ancient Egypt, and it’s also considered to be a form of rugelach, a Jewish pastry of Ashkenazic origin. Unlike the airy, flaky croissant we know today, the kipferl was denser and sweeter.
The dough used for the traditional croissant began to evolve around the 17th century, with the first records of croissant-like pastries starting to appear. According to legend, the crescent shape of the kipferl became a symbol of victory for the Viennese bakers after the failed Ottoman siege of Vienna in 1683. The story goes that the bakers, who were working through the night, heard the Turks tunneling beneath the city and alerted the defenders, helping to save the city. In celebration, they created the kipferl in the shape of the crescent moon, which is a prominent symbol on the Turkish flag. The kipferl became a culinary re-enactment of Vienna’s triumph.
The croissant as we know it today began its journey to France in the early 19th century, thanks to an Austrian baker named August Zang. Zang opened the Boulangerie Viennoise in Paris in 1839, where he introduced Parisians to the kipferl and other Viennese pastries. His version of the kipferl was flakier and quickly gained popularity among the French, who began calling it a “croissant” due to its crescent shape.
The transformation of the kipferl into the modern croissant we enjoy today was completed in 1915 by a French baker named Sylvain Claudius Goy. Goy’s recipe perfected the buttery, flaky layers that define the croissant, solidifying its place in French culinary tradition.
So, while the croissant is now a staple of French cuisine and a beloved part of Parisian culture, its true origins lie in Austria. The next time you sit down with a croissant and a cup of coffee, you’ll know that this iconic pastry has traveled a long way from its beginnings in Vienna to become the French delicacy we know and love today.
