Original photo by Faruk Tokluoğlu/ Unsplash
Few things are as quintessentially French as croissants, which, in addition to being delicious, provide an opportunity to test your most egregious French accent when you talk about them. As it turns out, however, croissants aren’t originally from Paris or anywhere else in France — they actually originated in Vienna and are known in Austria as kipferl, the German word for “crescent.” (As you may imagine, that’s also what “croissant” means.)
Oops, incorrect!
It's a fibCroissants should always be made with unsalted butter, as salt creates a brittle texture and disrupts the sweet-to-savory ratio.
According to legend (though it’s most likely apocryphal), kipferl were created in celebration of a 1683 military victory against the Ottoman Empire, with their shape mimicking that of the Ottoman crescent moon symbol. Others have traced the pastry’s origins as far back as the 13th century. Croissants are classified as viennoiserie in France, a term referring to breakfast pastries made in the Viennese style, and they became popular in France after an Austrian baker opened a shop in Paris in the 1830s — though they were less flaky and buttery than the croissants we know today, as French bakers began using a laminated dough in the early 20th century.
Croissants share their surprising origins with another pastry that’s usually associated with a different country: Danishes, which, despite their name, aren’t Danish. They also hail from Vienna, hence why they’re known as wienerbrød (“Viennese bread”) in Denmark. Maybe it’s time Austrian bakers were given their well-earned due.
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Before switching to the euro, Austria’s currency was the ______.
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Before switching to the euro, Austria’s currency was the schilling.
The world’s oldest Ferris wheel and zoo are both in Vienna.
Built in 1897 to commemorate Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph’s 50th year on the throne, Vienna’s Giant Ferris Wheel is the oldest attraction of its type still in operation anywhere in the world. The Wiener Riesenrad (“Viennese Giant Wheel”) has been a symbol of the city for more than a century, even featuring in an iconic scene from 1949’s The Third Man starring Orson Welles. It was also the tallest Ferris wheel in the world from 1920 until Japan’s Technocosmos was built in 1985. Even older is Schönbrunn Zoo, which opened in 1752 and is the oldest zoo in the world. As part of the Schönbrunn Palace gardens, it was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.
Michael Nordine is a writer and editor living in Denver. A native Angeleno, he has two cats and wishes he had more.
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