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 different names. It is thought to be the inspiration 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, ...
, which has a very similar shape but is made with a different type of dough.
Stale kipfel are used to make a sweet bread pudding called Kipfelkoch.
Names
The roll or pastry is called:
*''Kipferl'' in
Austrian German
Austrian German (), Austrian Standard German (ASG), Standard Austrian German (), Austrian High German (), or simply just Austrian (), is the variety of Standard German written and spoken in Austria and South Tyrol. It has the highest prestige ( ...
**''küpfel'' or a Meidlinger roll in
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. ...
*''kipfl'' in
German speaking
South Tyrol
South Tyrol ( , ; ; ), officially the Autonomous Province of Bolzano – South Tyrol, is an autonomous administrative division, autonomous provinces of Italy, province in northern Italy. Together with Trentino, South Tyrol forms the autonomo ...
Italy
*''kifli'' in
Hungarian
*''Gipfeli'' in
Swiss German
Swiss German (Standard German: , ,Because of the many different dialects, and because there is no #Conventions, defined orthography for any of them, many different spellings can be found. and others; ) is any of the Alemannic German, Alemannic ...
*''kifla'' / кифла (pl. ''kifle'' / кифле or ''kiflice'' / кифлице) in
Bosnian,
Croatian, and
Serbian
*кифла
'kifla''in
Bulgarian
*кифла
'kifla''in
Macedonian
*''kifle'' in
Albanian
*''giffel'' in
Danish and
Swedish
*''rogal'' or ''rogalik'' (little horn) in
Polish
*''rohlík'' in
Czech
Czech may refer to:
* Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe
** Czech language
** Czechs, the people of the area
** Czech culture
** Czech cuisine
* One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus
*Czech (surnam ...
*''rožok'' in
Slovak
*рогалик
'rogalik''in
Russian
*рогалик
'rohalyk''in
Ukrainian
*''rogljiček'' or kifelc in
Slovene
*''corn'' in
Romanian
*''horn'' (horn) in
Norwegian
*''Hörnchen'' (little horn) in
German
In
Old High German
Old High German (OHG; ) is the earliest stage of the German language, conventionally identified as the period from around 500/750 to 1050. Rather than representing a single supra-regional form of German, Old High German encompasses the numerous ...
, ''Kipfa'' mean "carriage stanchion" and referred to the stanchions or "horns" of a cart.
In the 13th century, that usage referred to a bread shape of pagan origin.
The Czech, Slovak, Polish, Slovenian, Ukrainian and Russian names derive as diminutives from the Slavic word ''rogal'' or ''rohel'' ("horned") which in turn derives from "rog/roh" ("horn/protrusion").
[Jiří Rejzek: ''Český etymologický slovník'', LEDA, Voznice, 2001, „rohlík“, „roh“] Some other languages use a simple translation ("horn", "cornulet").
The similarity of the words "rohalyk" or "rohlík" with the English word "roll" is coincidental, the words are not related by origin. The Slavic root "rog" can be hypothetically related with the German verb "ragen" ("to protrude").
Background
Kipferl are a traditional yeasted bread rolled into a crescent shape. The Austrian is a small wheat roll with pointed ends.
The 17th-century Austrian monk
Abraham a Sancta Clara described the roll as crescent shaped, writing "the moon in the first quarter shines like a kipfl", and noted there were Kipferl in various forms: "vil lange, kurze, krumpe und gerade kipfel" ("many long, short, crooked and straight kipfel").
Breads or pastries in the shape of a crescent moon are believed to have been served in ancient times as offerings to the goddess of the moon,
Selene
In ancient Greek mythology and Ancient Greek religion, religion, Selene (; , meaning "Moon")''A Greek–English Lexicon's.v. σελήνη is the goddess and personification of the Moon. Also known as Mene (), she is traditionally the daughter ...
.
The shape is also reminiscent of horns; both are associated with ancient symbolism and considered the oldest surviving pastry shape.
A moon shaped pastry creates itself naturally by hand-rolling a ball of dough into a cylinder form.
A list of foods eaten in a 10th-century convent include ''panis lunatis'', described as a small crescent-shaped roll often eaten during fasts.
The Kipferl has been documented in Austria to at least 1227 when they were recorded in
Babenberg-ruled Vienna as chipfen:
In Austria, the Kipferl is formally recognized by the government as a
traditional food
Traditional foods are foods and Dish (food), dishes that are passed on through generations or which have been consumed for many generations. Traditional foods and dishes are traditional in nature, and may have a historic precedent in a national ...
.
According to the Austrian
Ministry of Agriculture, Regions and Tourism, Kipferl were probably a traditional monastery pastry baked for Easter.
They are described as crescent-shaped rolls made of yeast wheat dough in a variety of shapes and as being popular for coffee breaks and breakfasts, particularly in Vienna.
The Kipferl likely inspired the similarly shaped 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, ...
, which is made from a
laminated pastry dough.
Origin myths
A common culinary myth claims that the Kipferl
was invented in Vienna after or during the
siege
A siege () . is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or by well-prepared assault. Siege warfare (also called siegecrafts or poliorcetics) is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict charact ...
of the city by Ottoman Turks.
This may be in error, and the rumor may have changed over time, from a story that the bakers made Kipferl in honor of the victory which tends to point to a similar story about the victory in
Buda
Buda (, ) is the part of Budapest, the capital city of Hungary, that lies on the western bank of the Danube. Historically, “Buda” referred only to the royal walled city on Castle Hill (), which was constructed by Béla IV between 1247 and ...
.
Another story claims when Christian forces freed
Buda
Buda (, ) is the part of Budapest, the capital city of Hungary, that lies on the western bank of the Danube. Historically, “Buda” referred only to the royal walled city on Castle Hill (), which was constructed by Béla IV between 1247 and ...
from
Ottoman occupation in 1686, the bakers of the town celebrated the victory the next day by selling freshly baked bread rolls made into a crescent shape. This, however, raises the question of why would the bakers make a crescent shape (a Muslim symbol) instead of a Christian one. One possible explanation is the fact that the survivors within Vienna would then have consumed their enemy's symbol.
Preparation
Traditionally, Kipferl are made by cutting sheets of soft yeast dough into triangular wedges, rolling them into crescent shapes and baking them. Unlike the French croissant (crescent), Kipferl is made from a plain, bread-like dough and is more akin to a roll than to pastry. Kipferl is also thinner and longer than the croissant. Kipferl are made in various sizes; some of them weigh as much as small bread loaf.
In commercial preparation, the dough is mixed, cut into small pieces, and fed into a machine that flattens and rolls it.
Varieties
Regular
When they come out of the oven, the rolls can be left plain or brushed with water to make them shiny. They can be given an egg wash and sprinkled with either
poppy seeds
Poppy seed is an oilseed obtained from the poppy plant (''Papaver somniferum''). The tiny, kidney-shaped seeds have been harvested from dried seed pods by various civilizations for thousands of years. It is still widely used in many countries ...
or
caraway seeds mixed with coarse salt. The latter variety is often made into a straight shape rather than a crescent. Kipferl is eaten like bread or rolls; it is usually made into a sandwich, sometimes plain or with butter like a fresh baguette. Often, especially for breakfast, the topping is jam or honey. They may also be used for
dunking.
Fine
This is the same as the regular style but the dough may contain butter or other shortening and milk. It is sweeter than the regular variety and is well-suited to be eaten with jam or honey, and is commonly eaten for breakfast with coffee, hot chocolate or milk. It might also be an accompaniment for drinks like
Doogh and
Kumis
''Kumis'' ( , ), alternatively spelled ''coumis'' or ''kumyz'', also known as ''airag'' ( ), is a traditional Fermented milk products, fermented dairy product made from mare milk. The drink is important to the peoples of the Central and East ...
.
Sweet
There are a couple of
sweet roll
A sweet bread roll, roll or sweet bun refers to any of a number of sweet, baked, Baker's yeast, yeast-Leavening agent, leavened breakfast or dessert foods. They may contain spiced bun, spices, nut roll, nuts, fruit bun, candied fruits, etc., and ...
s named "Kipferl" to describe their shape; they are eaten at the end of a meal or with an afternoon drink; these are not Kipferl, which when used on its own, always means the regular or fine varieties. In German, these are differentiated with a different spelling: ''Kipferl'' compared to ''Kipfel'' for the yeast bread.
*''
Vanillekipferl'' is a small, very short soft
cookie
A cookie is a sweet biscuit with high sugar and fat content. Cookie dough is softer than that used for other types of biscuit, and they are cooked longer at lower temperatures. The dough typically contains flour, sugar, egg, and some type of ...
made from a dough of ground nuts instead of flour. It is originally made with
walnut
A walnut is the edible seed of any tree of the genus '' Juglans'' (family Juglandaceae), particularly the Persian or English walnut, '' Juglans regia''. They are accessory fruit because the outer covering of the fruit is technically an i ...
s but
almond
The almond (''Prunus amygdalus'', Synonym (taxonomy)#Botany, syn. ''Prunus dulcis'') is a species of tree from the genus ''Prunus''. Along with the peach, it is classified in the subgenus ''Amygdalus'', distinguished from the other subgenera ...
s are more often used outside of Hungary. Once baked they are rolled in
vanilla
Vanilla is a spice derived from orchids of the genus ''Vanilla (genus), Vanilla'', primarily obtained from pods of the flat-leaved vanilla (''Vanilla planifolia, V. planifolia'').
''Vanilla'' is not Autogamy, autogamous, so pollination ...
-flavored confectioners' sugar then allowed to cool.
*''Bratislavský rožok/bratislavské rožky'', ''diós kifli'', ''mákos kifli'', also known as Pozsonyi kifli and in German as Preßburger Kipfel, are crescent-shaped, sweet, leavened pastries filled with a sweet walnut or poppy paste. Under the name ''Bratislavský rožok / Pozsonyi kiflia'', they are registered as
Traditional Speciality Guaranteed products in the EU and the UK. They are a variety of
beigli, very similar in flavor but different in shape and size.
* ''Lupáčik''
[�]
lupáčik
��. In: '' Krátky slovník slovenského jazyka''. Red. J. Kačala – M. Pisárčiková – M. Považaj. 4th supplemented and edited edition. Bratislava: Veda 2003. 985 s. (collective of autors: J. Doruľa, J. Kačala, M. Marsinová, I. Masár, Š. Michalus, Š. Peciar, M. Pisárčiková, M. Považaj, V. Slivková, E. Smiešková, E. Tibenská, M. Urbančok) () or ''makovka'' (), incorrectly presented as ''lúpačka'',
() is a sweet pastry made of
fat
In nutrition science, nutrition, biology, and chemistry, fat usually means any ester of fatty acids, or a mixture of such chemical compound, compounds, most commonly those that occur in living beings or in food.
The term often refers specif ...
ty
dough
Dough is a malleable, sometimes elastic paste made from flour (which itself is made from grains or from leguminous or chestnut crops). Dough is typically made by mixing flour with a small amount of water or other liquid and sometimes includes ...
,
often decorated with
poppy
A poppy is a flowering plant in the subfamily Papaveroideae of the family Papaveraceae. Poppies are herbaceous plants, often grown for their colourful flowers. One species of poppy, '' Papaver somniferum'', is the source of the narcotic drug ...
seeds.
Gallery
File:Výroba rohlíku (25).JPG, Rohlík
File:Rogal.jpg, Rogal
File:2018-06-23 Rožok.jpg, Rožok
File:Bratislavsky rozok.JPG, Bratislavsky rožok
File:Pozsonyi kifli.jpg, Pozsonyi kifli
File:Lupacik original.jpg, Lupáčik
File:Hoernchen.jpg, Hörnchen
File:Výroba rohlíku (2).jpg, Loaves of dough before splitting
File:Výroba rohlíku (4).JPG, Small chunks of dough
File:Výroba rohlíku (5).JPG, Dough before insertion into rohlík machine
File:Výroba rohlíku (6).JPG, Inserting dough, machine rolls rohlík automatically
File:Výroba rohlíku (7).JPG, Rolled rohlík before baking
File:Výroba rohlíku (10).JPG, Creative variations
File:Výroba rohlíku (13).JPG, Proofing before baking
File:Výroba rohlíku (20).JPG, Watering a rohlík
File:Výroba rohlíku (21).JPG, Sprinkling with poppy
File:Výroba rohlíku (22).JPG, Salt and caraway seed variation
File:Výroba rohlíku (16).JPG, Rohlík in front of steam furnace
See also
*
List of breads
*
Cornetto, an Italian crescent pastry
*
Rogal świętomarciński, a crescent cake baked in
Poznań
Poznań ( ) is a city on the Warta, River Warta in west Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business center and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John's ...
, Poland, for St. Martin's Day
*
Rugelach, a filled crescent pastry popular in Jewish communities in Poland
References
{{Albanian bread
Pastries with poppy seeds
Austrian pastries
Albanian breads
Bosnia and Herzegovina cuisine
Bulgarian pastries
Croatian pastries
Czech pastries
Hungarian pastries
Macedonian cuisine
Serbian cuisine
Slovak cuisine
German breads
Hungarian breads
Breads of the Czech Republic
Serbian breads
Austrian breads
Easter bread