Often called (but incorrectly) brioche, the sweet croissant is really the "king of pastarelle" of breakfast.
While for "brioches" we mean a type of dough from which it is possible to diversify recipes and variable shapes, the croissant is an unmistakable "half-moon" food obtained from a specific leavened puff pastry, or "pâte à croissant".
The term "croissant" is read for the first time in a French dictionary of 1863, the Littré. Here, the croissant is defined as: "Small bread or small crescent-shaped cake." Pierre Larousse, in the Great Universal Dictionary of the nineteenth century, fifth book, describes it as: "Small bread whose shape is that of a crescent; it is produced with top quality flour processed with liquid and beaten eggs ”.
The first recipe was published in 1891, but it was different from the contemporary one. For the characteristic "sfogliatura" it was instead necessary to wait until 1905 (in France), even if the food became popular only in 1920. It appeared in the "Larousse Gastronomique" only in 1938.
In truth, the ancestor of the croissant is even older and does not appear to have originated in France, but in Eastern Europe (Austria). Called "Kipferl", the croissant began its evolutionary journey as early as the 13th century, although it is not well known whether it was a sweet or savory food.
In Paris, the first croissants were sold at 92 Rue Richelieu, between 1837 and 1839, when the Austrians August Zang and Ernest Schwarzer opened the "Boulangerie viennoise". Their versions of Kipferl (in the shape of a croissant) and "Kaisersemmel" (Kaiser bread or emperor's loaf) quickly inspired a vast array of imitators, which is why the food was mentioned as early as 1850 as a "habitual bread ".
However, historians of gastronomy and French cuisine claim that the current croissant recipe did not become famous before the 20th century.
In light of the findings, it is possible to state that the other hypothetical origins attributed to the croissant are to be considered myths or legends.
Since 1950, the croissant has become a traditional element of French breakfast.
