The French Croissant and National Croissant Day in France

Last updated on April 16th, 2024 at 06:42 am

Did you know that January 30, is National Croissant Day?

Yep, I kid you not, we have a day in the national calendar that celebrates the wonderful invention we know as the croissant.

However, there are a few things you probably didn’t know about the flaky butter concoction, such as the croissant didn’t originate in France.

And why some croissants are curved, and some aren’t.

So let’s find out where the croissant came from, who brought it to France and why they’re celebrated.

Listen to the podcast version of this article

Where Did The Croissant Originate From?

Contrary to popular belief, the croissant didn’t originate in France, it actually came from 17th-century Austria.

The legend of the croissant

And what a great story it is. Vienna was at war, and the city had been under siege for two months. The Ottoman Army surrounded the City, and things weren’t looking good. 

Messengers were dispatched asking for help from neighbouring countries but with little success.

The Viennese were ready to throw in the towel and surrender, as they knew they couldn’t hold out much longer. But at the last minute, they received word from the King of Poland that he would send an army. All they had to do was hold out for another couple of days, and help would be there.

Unaware of what was happening, the Ottoman army had come up with another idea for getting into the city. 

They couldn’t get in above ground, so they decided to go below ground and dig a tunnel underneath the city. They’d then use gunpowder to blow the walls up from below.

The bakers to the rescue

This plan was going well until the early hours of the morning. The bakers in the city, who were up early to bake bread, heard a load of banging and digging sounds beneath them.

They reported the suspicious noises to the authorities, who swiftly put pay to the plan. Then, with the help of the Polish army, they defeated the Ottoman army.

The croissant, or kipferl, is born

To celebrate, the bakers created a special crescent-shaped pastry, which represented the symbol on the Ottoman flag. They called it a kipferl, meaning crescent.

This would be a constant reminder of their victory, and eventually, the kipferl would become known as the croissant.

Croissant and coffee for breakfast

The story of the croissant, or kipferl, doesn’t end there. When the Ottoman army invaded, they were planning on staying. So naturally, brought with them many provisions.

Once they were defeated they fled, leaving behind all sorts of goodies, including some bags of dark brown beans. None of the soldiers knew what they were, except one who’d travelled in Turkey.

He was more than happy to have them and opened Vienna’s first coffee house.

However, the Viennese weren’t convinced, and people weren’t flocking to taste the strange brown liquid.

The solider realised he needed to make it more appealing, so he asked one of the local bakers to create something to go with it. 

Of course, the Turkish invasion was still fresh in everyone’s minds, so the baker suggested the kipferl. 

It was a runaway success and thus was born the French breakfast that’s so popular today of coffee and croissants. 

So, how did the croissant arrive in France?

Good question. Remember Marie Antoinette, the Austrian princess who, at the age of 14, came to France to marry the Dauphin, Louis XVI?

Well, she was so homesick that she asked the chefs in the kitchen at the Palace of Versailles, to make her some kipferl, along with some other pastries.

These became known at court as viennoiserie.Perhaps she said “Let them eat croissants” rather than “Let them eat cake”.

The transformation from kipferl to croissant

In the 19th century, the kipferl wasn’t quite the same as the croissant we know today. It was much more doughy in consistency, almost similar to a brioche and quite a bit smaller too.

It wasn’t until two Austrians opened a Vienesse bakery in Paris in the mid-century that it started to become popular outside of the court. It was also at this time that the name changed from kipferl to croissant, the French word for crescent.

And by the end of the 19th century, it started to resemble the buttery, flaky pastry version we’re not familiar with.

Why are some croissants straight and some curved?

If you’ve ever been to France and gone to the boulangerie for your croissants, or even to the supermarket, you’ll notice some croissants are straight, and some are curved.

I’d always wondered what the difference was or if there was any difference. 

Well, I’m pleased to report that I did some research and found the difference, and it’s quite simple. One is made with butter, and the other with margarine.

The invention of margarine croissants

Margarine was invented halfway through the 19th century. It was cheaper and lasted longer than butter, so it started to replace butter.

Many thought margarine would make butter obsolete, but as we know, it didn’t. This being the case, bakers used margarine for the original crescent-shaped croissants, and the butter ones took on the straight form.

So when you’re next buying croissants, take a look at the shape, and you’ll see the straight ones will usually have the word ‘beurre’ (butter) next to them.

FAQS: Croissants in France

Final thoughts on National Croissant Day

There is no particular reason behind why National Croissant Day is on January 30th. But as January is my least favourite month, I’m happy to indulge in something that makes me happy, like a buttery croissant.

It’s the perfect excuse to go to my local boulangerie and buy some of my favourite almond croissants, which are always straight, so full of lots of yummy butter, not margarine.

Another favourite day of mine featuring another French delight is a couple of months later, National Macaron Day on March 20th.