One of France’s most famous foods isn’t actually French (or is it?)

The dish: Croissants, France

Plate up

There’s something to consider here, straight off the bat: are croissants really French? Or should this world-famous pastry be credited to another country? Hold that thought and decide at the end.

Flaky goodness from Lune, Melbourne. But what is the true origin of the croissant?Credit:

First, let’s talk about the treat itself. A croissant is the epitome of alchemical perfection, a pastry with very few ingredients, just yeast-leavened dough and butter, layered, folded and baked. That’s it. The result should be golden brown and mildly crisp on the outside, with what is known as a “honeycomb crumb” inside: a structure that looks like honeycomb when sliced in half, hundreds of tiny air pockets amid light, flaky dough. Done right, there’s almost nothing better.

First serve

Here’s where it gets interesting: we know that at least the crescent shape of the croissant isn’t original to French bakers. This silhouette was copied from an Austrian breakfast pastry known as a kipferl, a crescent-shaped bread roll that has been around since the 13th century (and, legend has it, was inspired by military victory over the Ottomans and their crescent-adorned flag).

In 1838, an Austrian, August Zang, founded a bakery in Paris called Boulangerie Viennoise and sold kipferl, which quickly became popular in the French capital. At some point, by the early 20th century, French chefs had adapted the kipferl using a long-established, laminated pastry technique, and the croissant was born. In a nod to that original boulangerie, however, French pastries are still collectively known as viennoiserie.

Order there

Perhaps the most famous croissants in Paris can be found at Du Pain et des Idees (dupainetdesidees.com), though Ble Sucre is also excellent (instagram.com/ble_sucre).

Order here

In Melbourne, the choice is clear: Lune Croissanterie has taken the city by storm, and deservedly so (lunecroissanterie.com). There’s also a Lune outlet in Brisbane, and Sydney is due to finally get its own store later this month.

One more thing

So what’s your decision? Is the croissant merely inspired by the Austrian classic, or is it an adaptation so close to the original that credit is still due? The key to a good croissant, of course, is not the shape, but the pastry, which is entirely French – so our vote goes to the tricolour.