The pastrymaker’s revenge
Sir: Charles Moore notes (The Spectator’s Notes, 19 July) that croissants were invented to celebrate Jan Sobieski’s defeat of the Turks outside the walls of Vienna in 1683. In view of this, he wonders ‘how much longer will European society be permitted to serve this daily humiliation to Muslims with their continental breakfast?’ The art of baking kruvasan, as they are known in Turkey, is alive and well in Istanbul. The newspaper Aksam recently reported that French tourists make a beeline for one particular bakery near Taksim Square. Having breakfasted there daily throughout their stay, they then take some back to France to show their local patisserie how superior the croissants of Turkey are. Revenge, in this case, is a dish best eaten warm.
Osman Streater
London NW3
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