August Zang and the French Croissant (2nd edition): How Viennoiserie Came to France - Paperback

by Jim Chevallier (Author)

NOTE: A THIRD edition has now SUPERSEDED this second edition of this work - see the January 3, 2025 version of "August Zang and the French Croissant", which is more accurate and up-to-date.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.

Author Biography

Jim Chevallier's essay on the French eighteenth century breakfast is included in "Consuming Culture in the Long Nineteenth Century". His historical cookbooks include "How to Cook a Peacock" (a translation of Taillevent's medieval "Viandier") and two volumes in the "Apres Moi Le Dessert' series (both collections of French eighteenth century recipes).