Croissant invented in Poland, so was the Bagel

Who made what first? Both Poland and Russia claim to have invented vodka. There's also debate regarding the origin of the bagel and croissant.

The origin of the bagel seems to be credited to Poland. The first printed mention occurs in Krakow. A list of community regulations in 1610 stipulated that bagels are to be given to pregnant women. No mention of religion or practice thereof was included. We've covered the Bagel issue in a previous post (see link at bottom).

Now we investigate the croissant. Sounds French doesn't it? Well, so does polonaise. There has always been a intercultural thread between France and Poland. After all, the Presidential Palace in Poland is named Belvedere, and famous French author Victor Hugo once exclaimed, "I am Polish because I am French!" We can argue too, about who first made the crepe, but let's try to keep on track.

Many people have heard that the croissant was created in 1686 in Budapest, Hungary by a courageous and watchful baker, at a time when the city was being attacked by the Turks. Working late one night, he heard odd rumbling noises and alerted the city's military leaders. They found that the Turks were trying to get into the city by tunneling under the city's walls. The tunnel was destroyed and the baker was a hero, but a humble hero — all he wanted in reward was the sole right to bake a special pastry commemorating the fight. The pastry was shaped like a crescent, the symbol of Islam, and presumably meant that the Hungarians had eaten the Turks for lunch.

The problem with this story is that it's all made up. It first showed up in the first version of the great French food reference Larousse Gastronmique, in 1938. Later on, the story switched locations to Vienna, during the Turkish siege there in 1863, but that was also a fabrication.

Burt Wolf the famous journalist with a television program on PBS devotes an entire show to the culture and food of Krakow. In episode #509 in addition to an explanation of the croissant's birth in the ancient Polish city, he also lets us find out how the immodest sight of a woman's legs saved the town's Medieval wall.


Burt Wolf is an American journalist, writer and TV producer. He is the host of the PBS series Travels and Traditions [1] He has written or edited more than 60 books, authored a weekly column for The Washington Post[2], and is was columnist at Salon.com. [3]

Although I can't find a schedule listing for broadcast of episode #509 regarding the birth of the croissant in Krakow anytime soon - Burt's program on the Shrine at Czestochowa will broadcast 4 times this month on WBGU-TV, the PBS affiliate in Bowling Green, Ohio.


Burt Wolf: Travels & Traditions : The Shrine at Czestochowa, Poland
Tuesday, March 27, 8:30am
Burt Wolf: Travels & Traditions : The Shrine at Czestochowa, Poland
Tuesday, March 27, 2:30pm
Burt Wolf: Travels & Traditions : The Shrine at Czestochowa, Poland
Tuesday, March 27, 8:30pm
Burt Wolf: Travels & Traditions : The Shrine at Czestochowa, Poland
Wednesday, March 28, 2:30am



[See Post on Bagel invented in Krakow]

[Link to Cusine Polonaise] A French Website