Is this the French way to eat a croissant?
A Berlin-based Instagram influencer has outraged flaky pastry lovers after posting a video of her eating a croissant in a manner that one follower called “blasphemous.”
The video entitled “How to eat a croissant like a Parisian,” shows Lauffenberger dipping a croissant into her cappuccino and proceeding to take a bite of the now coffee-soaked pastry.
Carolin Lauffenberger sent the clip out to her 107,000 followers with the hashtags #howtobeparisian and #parisguru, and the post took off. The video, originally posted Oct. 12, is currently sitting at over 3.5 million views and counting.
Many were shocked by her “horrifying” method of croissant consumption.
Some commenters mocked her for thinking that was the proper Parisian way to eat a croissant.
“You will get arrested,” one wrote. “I’m sure that is an international incident. May be in the Geneva Conventions.”
Another said: “I am French and this is not how we eat a croissant! Not even in Paris!”
A few supported Lauffenberger. “The rules are made up. Do whatever you like,” said one user. Others said they were going to try it for themselves: “I love this with cookies, but never tried with a croissant, will try later today.”
The internet remains divided over Lauffenberger’s way of eating this flaky French delight.
In a 2020 blog post entitled The Art of the Croissant, U.K. bakery chain, Paul, writes, “Another very French habit is to dunk your croissant briefly in your favourite hot drink — we recommend a nice milky coffee — before each bite.” So the idea didn’t originate with Lauffenberger.
An entry by the Etiquette Scholar, a U.s.-based website on Western and international dining habits, states that, “Croissants are eaten with the fingers. When adding jelly, preserves, or the like, carefully tear off small pieces and spoon on the topping.”
While people can’t seem to agree on the proper way to eat a croissant, they do seem to agree on one thing: They are always best baked fresh, no matter the method of eating or toppings. Despite all the debate, it turns out the icon of French cuisine didn’t actually originate in France. It was created in Austria.
How it came to France is a bit of a mystery, but what is commonly agreed upon is that the croissant was developed from the Austrian kipfel, a baked good shaped like a crescent that is made with lots of butter and sometimes topped with sugar and almonds.
According to an interview with the Smithsonian Magazine, Jim Chevallier, an independent scholar and author of a book on croissant history, said that the kipfel became the croissant when it “began to be made with puffed pastry, which is a French innovation. It has fully taken root in its adopted land.”