The kipferl, ancestor of the croissant, has been documented
in Austria going back at least as far as the 13th century, in various shapes.
The
birth of the croissant itself can be dated to at latest
1839 (some say 1838), when an Austrian artillery officer, August Zang, founded
a Viennese bakery ("Boulangerie Viennoise") at 92, rue de Richelieu
in Paris. The French version of the kipferl was named for its crescent
(croissant) shape and has become an identifiable shape across the world.
A much nicer story, and by many taken as “the true story”, it
is said that the pastry was invented in Vienna to celebrate the end of the
second siege of the city by the Ottoman troops (1683). While the enemy decided
to attack at night to avoid being noticed, the Viennese bakers, up before dawn
gave the alarm. This is to capture the victory that they were allowed to make
the “Hörnchen” (little horn in German) with its shape that resembles the symbol
of the Ottoman flag.
Another version attributes the invention, still in 1683, in
a Vienna cafe, named Kolschitsky, which would have recovered bags of coffee
left by the Turks during their hasty departure, and would have had the idea of
serving this coffee and a pastry crescent-shaped in memory of the departure
of the occupier …
Definitely true: this has led to croissants being banned by some Islamic fundamentalists.
Croissants - the enemy of Islam. A fatwa against a pastry. Who's next? At what point do people wake up, recognise how sill religions are and just walk away from them, shaking their head in disbelief?
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