This post is by no means a slight against the French and their pride of one of the defining staples of French food the croissant. Let me preface this first by saying that I love the French croissant alright? So the pastry has it's origin in the Austrian 'kipferl', and was introduced in France by August Zang, an Austrian artillery officer, who opened a Viennese bakery in Paris.

Many legends exist about the origins of the croissants predecessor, most commonly it involves the defeat of Muslim forces in the middle ages, and the pastry being baked in the shape of the crescents of the Ottoman flags for the occasion. The kipferl is also believed to have originated right down to before the ancient Egyptians even. An interesting back story for an amazingly delicious treat, right?