''Cornetto'' (; meaning 'little horn') is historically the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

name of a product similar to the Austrian ''

kipferl Kipferl, kifli, kiflice, or kifle is a traditional yeast bread roll that is rolled and formed into a crescent before baking. It is a common type of bread roll throughout much of central Europe and nearby countries, where it is called by differe ...

'', although today it is an interchangeable name for the French

croissant A croissant (, ) is a French cuisine, French pastry in a crescent shape made from a laminated yeast dough similar to puff pastry. It is a buttery, flaky, ''viennoiserie'' pastry inspired by the shape of the Austrian cuisine, Austrian ''Kifli, ...

. The main ingredients of a ''cornetto'' are pastry dough, eggs, butter, water, and sugar. Egg yolk is brushed on the surface of the ''cornetto'' to obtain a golden color during baking. The ''cornetto vuoto'' () is commonly accompanied by various fillings, including ''crema pasticciera'' (

custard Custard is a variety of culinary preparations based on sweetened milk, cheese, or cream cooked with Eggs as food, egg or egg yolk to thicken it, and sometimes also flour, corn starch, or gelatin. Depending on the recipe, custard may vary in con ...

), apricot jam or chocolate cream, and covered with powdered sugar or ground nuts. A ''cornetto'' with an

espresso Espresso (, ) is a concentrated form of coffee produced by forcing hot water under high pressure through finely ground coffee beans. Originating in Italy, espresso has become one of the most popular coffee-brewing methods worldwide. It is cha ...

cappuccino Cappuccino (, ; from German ) is an espresso-based coffee drink traditionally prepared with steamed milk, including a layer of milk foam. Variations of the drink involve the use of cream instead of milk, using non-dairy milk substitutes ...

at a coffee bar is considered to be the most common breakfast in Italy. The name ''cornetto'' is common in southern and central Italy, while it is called "brioche" in the

north North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

History

The recipe of ''kipferl'' became popular in Italy, and more specifically in

Veneto Veneto, officially the Region of Veneto, is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the Northeast Italy, north-east of the country. It is the fourth most populous region in Italy, with a population of 4,851,851 as of 2025. Venice is t ...

, after 1683, thanks to the intense commercial relations between the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice, officially the Most Serene Republic of Venice and traditionally known as La Serenissima, was a sovereign state and Maritime republics, maritime republic with its capital in Venice. Founded, according to tradition, in 697 ...

and

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

. In France, it was not until the 1770 marriage between the Austrian

Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette (; ; Maria Antonia Josefa Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last List of French royal consorts, queen of France before the French Revolution and the establishment of the French First Republic. She was the ...

and the future

King Louis XVI Louis XVI (Louis-Auguste; ; 23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793) was the last king of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. The son of Louis, Dauphin of France (son and heir-apparent of King Louis XV), and Mari ...

that the pastry gained popularity there. Its recipe was modified by the pastry chefs, who replaced the brioche dough for a leavened puff pastry and called it "croissant". French chef Sylvain Claudius Goy records a yeast-leavened laminated croissant in his 1915 book ''La Cuisine Anglo-Americaine''. The croissant became popular in France mainly in the 20th century.

References

{{Pastries Italian desserts Italian pastries Italian words and phrases

History

See also

References