Flour, salt, sugar, butter and milk. The basics of a million different dishes all over the world. Every country, every culture has its share of the same few ingredients that magically transform into some delicious icon that becomes an integral part of that culture. However, a few of them go beyond the human limitations of borders and time. Croissant, for example.
The same few ingredients, add some leavening agent, yeast, in this case, and you have the flaky, buttery bread much loved across the world.
France and croissant have become quite synonymous now. However, as it turns out, the French might have perfected it but it was probably the Austrians who first baked this half moon shaped bread — the Austrian Kipfel might just be the grandfather of our beloved croissant!
So how did it come to France? According to Wikipedia, it was in 1839 (or 1838) when an Austrian artillery office opened ‘Boulangerie Viennoise’ in Paris. The French imitated this crescent shaped bread and probably that’s how the name ‘Croissant’ came into being.
Just how did this flaky, buttery goodness become so popular? Well, I am still looking for the answer but one thing is for sure, the French LOVE their croissants. More often than not, the morning scenes at the local Boulangeries are the same, a coffee on the go and a croissant.
The French definitely don’t mind social distancing to get their daily fix. It might just compete with their addiction to smoking! Coffee, croissant and cigarettes are like the French version of chai and sutta! And Sundays are for the more indulgent Croissant au beurre. The difference is quite lost on me, because you cannot make a croissant without beurre or butter! It is the layers of butter laminated inside the layers of flour that gives it the puff pastry like flakiness.
Croissants have become breakfast staple around the world, but, is that the only time to enjoy a croissant? Definitely not if you are in culinary school and surrounded by bread all day! Petit faim = have a croissant, want to indulge after chasing off pigeons at the park = have a croissant, surviving confinement alone = have a croissant and some wine, too lazy to cook = have a croissant. Croissant is almost like the French maggi. The answer to everything!
Well the French love their bread, so much so that carrying a baguette under your arm might just be the perfect excuse to break confinement and meet friends! But croissants are like the soft warm bed after a long day, comforting and soulful.
Some say there isn’t anything better than a croissant, I disagree! Add some dark chocolate to the same recipe and you have the wonder named Pain au chocolat! But that debate remains for another day, for now, I think I need a little break and have a Diwali-wali croissant!
The author is a chef. Croissant pictures by author.
This article was first published in 2020.
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