Croissant

                Dish of the Day: Croissant

Salut! As of now the UEFA European Cup is ongoing in France! Soccer (football) is a huge cultural phenomenon and a joy to have when a major tournament comes around. Being a soccer fan and a supporter of Les Bleus, (The French National Team) I will dedicate a post in respect of the beautiful game and out of love for the beautiful nation of France. Speaking of beautiful, today we will talk about a dish as classic and beautiful as French food gets. A food that is crafted so perfectly that it has been praised and sought out for generations. Today on Dish of the Day we will be talking about the perfection known as the French croissant.

The treasure of France, it is almost a mystery why a croissant in France is better than anywhere else in the world!

Breakfast? Eat it. Lunchtime? Eat it. Dinner? Eat it. Snack? Eat it. Partied so hard its 3:30 am and you're hungover? Eat at least two.

Croissant:

Here's a fact, 32 million croissants are consumed in France everyday. That is 736,000,000,000 calories. Yes that is true because this flaky pastry is made of dough and butter. So you may wonder, why are French people so fit? That is actually a question no one can answer called the French Paradox. Regardless of the bread, butter, cheese, and wine consumed by the French, they will somehow always remain fit. I wish I was French. Croissants are European pastries in the category called Viennoiserie which is known for flaky and rolled pastries. These pastries are sweetened and often known as the bridge between bread and pastries. Croissants are a masterpiece that cannot be explained entirely without tasting an authentic French croissants. Yes a real croissant is NOTHING like the ones from grocery stores. It is a perfect way to start your day, and even ending your day.

History:

The origin of the croissant is shrouded in mystery with so many tales linking to this pastry. It can be understood why so many places want to claim this pastry, but it can be concluded that croissants trace their origins to Paris, Austria, or Budapest. One story was Marie Antoinette popularizing this pastry. Since marrying into royalty Antoinette was forced to leave everything she loved back in Austria. She had a hard time in Versailles, and did not partake in many events often thinking of home. One thing she does is have a crescent shaped pastry every morning. This was the only thing that felt like home for her. Through this, she popularized this pastry and was known as croissant. Another popular theory is that August Zang, an Austrian, opened up an Austrian bakery in Paris which specialized in a crescent shaped pastry called kipfel. It was so popular that the locals adapted it into their staple foods and named it after the crescent shape, croissant. Before it was popularized and called a croissant, it was called a kipfel from Austria/Hungary. It is said that kipfels are made during the 17th Century when the Ottoman were trying to invaded Europe. A local baker discovered the secret passage and foiled the plot. To celebrate, the baker made pastries shaped liked the crescents of the Ottoman flag. And then the rest is history!

Kipfels are more crescent shaped and are the first croissant. 

Taste:

Imagine, you are in Paris sitting in a little cafe right by the busy Champs D'Lysee. In front of you is the monumental Arc De Triomphe and in hindsight is the breathtaking Eiffel Tower. The waitress came by with a cup of Cafe Creme and a croissant. "Bon Appetit!" With the croissant in your hand, you take a bite. Light flaky crisp with a soft pillow of buttery dough inside. Your first impression is to take another bite. You take a dip of the crescent pastry into the coffee and Mon Dieu! The taste of a croissant is sweet and even somewhat savory. The best croissant has the perfect ratio of crisp and softness. This pastry melts in your mouth and melts your heart into heaven. This is something I would cross the ocean over and over again to taste. Its so light and fluffy, I can eat a dozen! Enjoy this with a cup of coffee and have yourself a nice Parisian breakfast. When in France, do as the locals do, live life and eat croissants.

Coffee and Croissants, classic, simple, and must have!

Walk into a boulangerie and astound yourself with some of the best sights and smells!

To eat a croissant, many options are possible. Most people like it plain, others like it with coffee, and some like it with condiments. Butter, jam, and nutella are all very good with croissants. There are now savory options of croissants like Croissant Jambon Fromage. Croissant with ham and cheese have been a popular savory variation of croissant.

Croissants are good with anything! Especially butter and jam.

Croissant Jambon Fromage, croissant with ham and cheese.

Influence and Variations:

We all know that croissants are very popular and influential as we associate it immediately with French food, but it really does have a great impact on pastries around the world. There are many nations adopting the croissant and having their own unique variations of it. Since its popularity, croissants do not only take shape as a crescent. There are now so many shapes! Including those that look like horns or ones that are more straight. There are also many variations topped with sugar or stuffed with filling like jam and custard. France itself has a lot of variations of the croissant, like Pain aux Raisins and of course the Pain au Chocolat. Yes, the pain au chocolat is the most popular variation of croissant that is shorter and filled with chocolat! My first meal in France was a pain au chocolat and immediately I fell in love with the country. Imagine the goodness of the croissant with dripping chocolate inside, what's not to like?!

Pain aux Raisins, croissant with raisins.

The best variation, pain au chocolat!

Look at that chocolate in that center... Mon Dieu! Please take me back to France.

Other European nations also have their own twists on the classic croissant. Besides Austria and Hungary, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Portugal, Poland and Italy also have interesting variations. Germans like it glazed or with marzipan, the Swiss likes them a little lighter, Italians have brioche, which is softer and sometimes with fillings, Polish has variations with nuts and almonds, and the Portuguese like it with filling, sugar, and their croissants look quite different. Outside of Europe, the croissant has made itself into the cuisines of other nations like the United States, Argentina, and Japan. Americans love to make the croissant into a sandwich adding cheese, ham, egg, and you name it! The famous Dominique Anseld in New York City has also created a cronut, a fusion of the croissant and the doughnut. Argentinians have it very regularly with breakfast and coffee, and the Japanese have developed their own version of pain au chocolat making it into a horn shaped pastry called a Cornett. So overall, croissants are the pride of France but it has made its way into the kitchen and mouths all around the world.

American sandwich with croissant, bacon, lettuce, and tomato.

Some variations are filled with jam and topped with sugar.

Japan has their own version of the pain au chocolat, the Chocolate Cornett!

Portuguese croissants that look much different than its French counterpart

The Cronut! Innovative and delicious.

Closing thoughts:

I love soccer, I love France, I love croissants. Hoping that the power of the croissants can bring the French team to glory! Croissants are a delicious part of the French cuisine and a perfect way to start your morning. If you have only been accustomed to grocery store mass produced croissants, then you are missing out on something so beautiful it will completely reinvent your mind about French bakery. As always, feel free to contact me with questions, comments, and ideas on the next Dish of the Day! Hopefully you guys learned something today or at least drooled a bit. I'm now gonna take a hike from America to France to taste one of the best pastries in the world. See you guys next time. Au Revoir, Allez Les Bleus!

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Meiweicafe@gmail.com