Yes, an Austrian brought the croissant to France - but it wasn't Marie-Antoinette. In 1839, the Parisian press began to mention a new "Viennese Bakery" and its "exquisite and crisp rolls". Zang, its founder, had been an artillery officer and would become a press magnate. In his short time in Paris, he not only introduced the "kipfel" - the Austrian crescent roll - but techniques which would later make the baguette possible. This is a brief look at his bakery and its influence on French baking and at his later career as "the father of the Austrian daily press". This second edition includes a look at the rue de Richelieu and changes in Paris shops.
NOTE: A THIRD edition has now SUPERSEDED this second edition of this work - see the January 3, 2025 version of "August Zang and the French Croissant", which is more accurate and up-to-date.

Yes, an Austrian brought the croissant to France - but it wasn't Marie-Antoinette. In 1839, the Parisian press began to mention a new "Viennese Bakery" and its "exquisite and crisp rolls". Zang, its founder, had been an artillery officer and would become a press magnate. In his short time in Paris, he not only introduced the "kipfel" - the Austrian crescent roll - but techniques which would later make the baguette possible. This is a brief look at his bakery and its influence on French baking and at his later career as "the father of the Austrian daily press". This second edition includes a look at the rue de Richelieu and changes in Paris shops.