Think croissants are French? Think again.

Croissants originated in Austria, not France.
Few things are as quintessentially French as croissants, which, in addition to being delicious, provide an opportunity to test your most egregious French accent when you talk about them. As it turns out, however, croissants aren’t originally from Paris or anywhere else in France — they actually originated in Vienna and are known in Austria as kipferl, the German word for “crescent.” (As you may imagine, that’s also what “croissant” means.)

According to legend (though it’s most likely apocryphal), kipferl were created in celebration of a 1683 military victory against the Ottoman Empire, with their shape mimicking that of the Ottoman crescent moon symbol. Others have traced the pastry’s origins as far back as the 13th century. Croissants are classified as viennoiserie in France, a term referring to breakfast pastries made in the Viennese style, and they became popular in France after an Austrian baker opened a shop in Paris in the 1830s — though they were less flaky and buttery than the croissants we know today, as French bakers began using a laminated dough in the early 20th century.

Croissants share their surprising origins with another pastry that’s usually associated with a different country: Danishes, which, despite their name, aren’t Danish. They also hail from Vienna, hence why they’re known as wienerbrød (“Viennese bread”) in Denmark. Maybe it’s time Austrian bakers were given their well-earned due.