What is it with Italian croissants, brioche, cornetti or whatever you want to call them? Every time I order one it always sucks, completely. I try to wrap my brain around the fact that it’s the one thing that’s not made well in Italy.
Croissants date waaaay back, so why are the French croissants still far superior? Is the trick lots of butter or something?
So far, the only thing I like about Italian croissants is the cappuccino! Now if only they would start making cronuts, then I wouldn’t mind as much.
Please help me out. I’m dying to know if I’m the only one who feels this way.
Do the flaky looking pastries let you down too?
*photo by emilialiveslife
24 comments
Dutch croissants > Italian croissants. Come visit and I will prove this to you.
I will have to try that. Other pastries are amazing here, but I like plain croissants for their simplicity when I don’t want tons of cream, chocolate or jam. Unfortunately, I will have to wait until I’m back in the States for a good one, or Amsterdam or France!
Boh, go south. Eons better than any brioche or cornetto you’ll find in Florence or north.
I will totally try one next time I’m south of Rome.
Tell me about it. I live in Asia. Quality baked goods just doesn’t really exist!
Oh my! Are breakfast items good or decent there? I do love their soups, even though I have never been to Asia.
Breakfast in Asia isn’t much different from any other meal.. rice, noodles. I usually just get some oats and fruit. They really do know how to do soups though!
I would be piling on some dumplings! 😮
To say quality baked goods don’t exist in Asia would be unfair to an entire continent with many countries and varied cuisines. More so, I’d say you simply don’t personally like the baked goods to the countries in Asia which you have visited. I personally do enjoy baked goods from some Asian countries, because they tend to be more nuanced in flavor, instead of packing them with sugar, butter, and salt as western countries may do.
I like a great integrale croissant with honey but I only know two bars that do a decent one in Florence.
Yes, the integrali are better than regular cornetti. Hopefully for you, the decent ones are by your house. I think the best way to get a great one may be to bake it at home… with lots of butter!
Georgette: you write your addresses, I’ll write mine(s)!
It’s just that the brioche (cornetto, whatever) is a completely different animal from the french croissant, simple as that — and yes, you’re right in that there are no decent french croissants to be found this side of the Alps, sadly. Once you have that in mind it’s a matter of taste exclusively!
And generally the pastry offer in most pasticcerie goes well beyond the pale brioche, which is not -to be honest- Florence’s piece de resistance: go for sfoglia, either with apple or custard filling, ‘budini di riso’, ‘semolino’ or abandon all guilt and sink into a fresh made bombolone 🙂
So right Dario! This is why I steer clear from cornetti and always opt for a sfoglia, those are my favorite. I am a big lover of budini di riso, I think we have similar tastes 🙂 My dream is to work in a bakery for a few months and learn how to make the traditional ones from scratch. I’m not sure if waking up at 4am would be fun though.
You just haven’t found a good bakery. They are wonderful if made correctly and served fresh and hot.
Yes sometimes, even great bakeries have disappointed. Have no fear, I have not given up the hunt!
I just studied abroad in Florence Italy and two of my favorite coffee houses had the BEST croissants ever! I only miss the croissants and cappuccino’s in Italy.
Were you in an American student coffee shop? Where are these so-called-croissants? They sound like the real deal.
I just visited Camp Arena in Herat Province, Afghanistan, which is an Italian base. The cornetti there were fabulous. So much so that I never ate breakfast in the dining facility.
Lucky you for getting delicious ones…and for not eating in the dining facility, at least for breakfast!!
i eat 50 italian croissants a day with a bucket of marmalade–french? wee wee pee pee
Steve Daraio
They have good Italian croissants in Miami!? Lucky man. Please say hi to Jacqui and Freddie for me! 😉
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