Croissant

The Moslem Ottoman (Turkish) army was victoriously advancing from the East and had succeeded in conquering a vast expanse of territory in South East Europe. By 1686 they had reached the outskirts of Budapest. To reach the center of city, the Turks dug underground passages. Bakers, working during the night, heard the noise made by the Turks and gave the alarm. The assailants were repulsed and to highlight its defeat, the bakers’ produced, as a totally novel line, a roll of flaky pastry made of pounded almonds and sugar shaped in the form of a crescent, which is the emblem of Islam. It enabled the rejoicing Budapest citizens literally to devour with relish the very symbol of their enemy.

Though the Turks were forced to retreat, the edible croissant like crescent advanced further west,  and by 1688 it had reached France.

Austrian princess Marie Antoinette introduced the croissant to Paris when she arrived in 1770, to marry Louis-Auguste.

It was an Austrian artillery officer by the name of August Zang who popularized croissants in France. He set up a Viennese bakery in Paris at 92 Rue de Richelieu in the 1830s.

It’s estimated that around 85 percent of croissants sold in French bakeries are actually industrially manufactured.

In France, only Croissants made with 100% butter can be shaped straight – it’s the law.

 National Croissant Day is celebrated on January 30 of every year in the United States.

Source The Local Fr