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| Siege of Vienna, 1683 |
Victory, Triumph - achievements that leaders and various cultures celebrated with great fanfare erecting arches and obelisk. But according to legend, besides monuments, an iconic popular pastry known globally, the croissant, with its flaky and buttery texture expressed a Viennese bakers commemoration of a success in a siege.
A Turkish Siege
Ottoman Turks laid siege to Vienna in 1683 in another attempt to invade Europe. They employed their traditionally effective tactic of using sappers through which engineers dig a tunnel to reach the foundation of enemy walls and blowing it up with explosives. The Viennese must then prevent the Turks from effectively executing this tactic. Defenders of Vienna painstakingly monitored the wall's foundation. They placed buckets of water in these foundations and watch for any ripples that might be a sign of possible Turkish underworks.
One time, a baker on observed a ripple detecting a tunnel work by the
Turks. This allowed the city defenders to successfully thwart an attack on their walls. The Siege finally ended
with the Polish King Jan Sobieski leading his famous Winged-Hussars charging
the Turks. The baker in celebration of Vienna’s victory baked
crescent-shaped bread that came to be known as Kipfel (meaning crescent).
Several reasons explained the shape. One stated that the crescent
mimic the symbol in the Turkish flags. Another reasoned that it emulated the
crescent-shaped trenches of the Turks. Regardless of the inspiration, the
meaning remained clear – a symbolic devouring of the Turks.
The creation of the croissant had variations like all creation stories.
Another placed the setting in Budapest rather than Vienna. Only the Turkish
involvement remained the same giving the inspiration for the poplar bread.
Kipfel grew in popularity in Austria and went beyond its borders. When
Marie Antoinette moved to France to marry the future Louis XVI, she brought
with her a baker August Zang. Zang made Kipfels for the controversial French Queen
who introduced it to the French court. With Marie Antoinette an well-known influencer of her time, the pastry grew in popularity. Soon it developed to a croissant that many
knew.
Summing Up
Celebration of triumph knows no bounds in form. May it be an obelisk or a mere pastry, people will find a way to express jubilation. The mere croissant memorialized a victory as good as a stone monument.
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Very interesting
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