Pain au chocolat
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| Alternative names | Chocolatine, chocolate croissant, couque au chocolat, petit pain |
|---|---|
| Type | Viennoiserie |
| Place of origin | France |
| Serving temperature | Hot or cold |
| Main ingredients | Yeast-leavened dough, chocolate[1] |
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Pain au chocolat (French: [pɛ̃ o ʃɔkɔla] ⓘ, lit. 'chocolate bread'), also known as chocolatine (French: [ʃɔkɔlatin] ⓘ) in the south-west part of France and in French speaking parts of Canada, couque au chocolat in Belgium, or chocolate croissant in the United States, is a type of Viennoiserie consisting of a cuboid-shaped piece of yeast-leavened laminated dough, similar in texture to a puff pastry, with one or two pieces of dark chocolate in the center.[2] The chocolate usually has a slight bite to the texture.
Pain au chocolat is made of the same layered doughs as a croissant. Often sold still hot or warm from the oven, they are commonly sold alongside croissants in French bakeries and supermarkets.
Name
[edit]In France, the name of the pain au chocolat varies by region:
- In the Hauts-de-France and in Alsace, the words petit pain au chocolat or petit pain are used.
- In central France, in southern France and in Paris, pain au chocolat is used.
- In southwestern France (Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Occitanie) and in Quebec, the word chocolatine is used.
- In many francophone areas in Canada outside of Quebec, croissant au chocolat is used.
In Belgium, the words couque au chocolat are also used.[3]
They are often sold in packages at supermarkets and convenience stores, or made fresh in pastry shops.
- In Algeria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Lebanon, Morocco, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, and the United Kingdom, they are sold in most bakeries, supermarkets and cafés.[citation needed]
- In Germany, they are sold less frequently than chocolate croissants, but both are referred to as Schokocroissant or Schokobrötchen interchangeably.
- In the United States and sometimes in English Canada, they are commonly known as "chocolate croissants" or "pain au chocolat".[4]
- In the Netherlands, they are sold at most cafés, supermarkets and bakeries and are commonly known as a chocoladebroodje.
- In Belgium's Flanders region, they are sold in most bakeries, and referred to as chocoladekoek or chocoladebroodje/chocobroodje.
- In Portugal and Spain, they are sold in bakeries and supermarkets, as napolitanas (i.e., "Neapolitans").
- In Mexico, they are also most commonly found in bakeries and supermarkets, and are known as chocolatines.
- In El Salvador and Brazil, they are referred to croissant de chocolate.
- In Australia and New Zealand, they are commonly referred to as "chocolate croissants", and are sold freshly baked in most bakeries and supermarkets.[citation needed]
- In Colombia, they are commonly referred to as cruasan de chocolate.
Origins and history
[edit]Legend has it that Marie-Antoinette introduced the croissant to France, but croissants and chocolatines are a relatively modern invention.[5] The word croissant, which refers to a viennoiserie shaped like a half-moon or "crescent", made its entry in the French dictionary in 1863.[6] The type of dough, called viennoiserie was introduced to France in the early 19th century, when August Zang, an Austrian officer, and Ernest Schwarzer, an Austrian aristocrat, founded a Viennese bakery in Paris located at 92, rue de Richelieu.[7]
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ Torres, Jacques. "Croissants, Pain au Chocolat, Pain Raisin and Danish". Food Network. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
- ^ Alan L. Kelly, Christophe Lavelle, Herve This, Roisin Burke (2021). Handbook of Molecular Gastronomy.Scientific Foundations, Educational Practices, and Culinary Applications. CRC Press. p. 50-51. ISBN 9781466594791.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Prof. (Dr.) Jai Paul Dudeja (2025). A Guidebook on Healthy and Unhealthy Foods and Diets. With Description of Over 80 Foods, Diets and Cuisines in the World. Notion Press. ISBN 9798899063442.
- ^ Tuesday's Tasting - Trader Joe's Chocolate Croissants
- ^ "History of the Croissant". 1-800-Bakery.com. 16 April 2013. Archived from the original on 8 July 2016. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
- ^ "D'ou viennent les sacrosaints Croissants et Pains au Chocolat?" (in French). Club Doctissimo. Archived from the original on 8 June 2017. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
- ^ "Viennoiserie Histoire". www.entrepreneursboulangerie.org (in French). Retrieved 2025-05-29.
