It’s about 8:30 am, and we’re at the café. While in Milan some have breakfast with a cappuccino and brioche, those in Naples are having it with a cappuccino and cornetto... But will they be eating the same breakfast? The answer is yes, both are eating the same thing: calling it brioche is just an improper use of the term, widespread in northern Italy. A real brioche is different from the cornetto, but beware: neither of them is an honest to goodness croissant. The differences between the brioche, the cornetto and the croissant are in the ingredients, their shapes and in their history. Let’s clear things up.
The brioche
A real French brioche is a leavened pastry made with butter, flour, sugar, eggs, yeast, water and lard. It has more butter and sugar than its “colleagues” and is softer and more airy. Its shape is roundish and it often has a ball of dough on the surface, similar to a Sicilian brioche with topknots. The French brioche can be empty or stuffed with creams, chocolate, jams and marmalades, while the Sicilian one is soaked or filled with granita and gelato.
The cornetto
The Italian-style cornetto is based on a typical Viennese dessert: kipfel, a sweet and savory specialty with a crescent shape. It seems that the kipfel came to in Italy in 1683, a period of commercial trade between the Republic of Venice and Vienna. It later became a cornetto thanks to Venetian pastry chefs. In this case, too, the fundamental difference lies in the ingredients. A cornetto is in fact made with flour, milk, eggs, sugar, salt, butter and yeast and can be served empty or filled. There is also a regional variation: the polacca from Ancona, larger in size and filled with a thin layer of marzipan and covered with a glaze made with egg whites and sugar.
The croissant
Although it comes from the same Viennese kipfel, the croissant is not a cornetto. It was in fact invented later, precisely with the opening of the Boulangerie Viennoise in Paris in 1838. The ingredients are the same as the cornetto, except for one: eggs. The absence of eggs in a croissant (although sometimes egg whites are brushed on the surface of the dough to make them more golden) means that the aroma of the butter prevails, resulting in that unmistakable taste and its more layered and light texture compared to the Italian cornetto. In France croissants are not usually filled with creams or chocolate. For that there is the pain au chocolat, prepared with a similar mixture and stuffed with pieces of chocolate. The croissant recipe also calls for less sugar than the cornetto, which makes it more neutral and also suitable for being filled with salami and cheese for a snack or a savory breakfast.
Lastly (even if they are actually the same thing), there is an important difference between the brioches in northern Italy and the cornettos in the central and southern parts: when they are eaten. The brioche is eaten almost exclusively at breakfast, while the cornetto is found everywhere, even at night. In northern Italy it’s quite rare to come across bakeries or cafés that churn out hot cornettos after sunset. Whereas in central and southern Italy it’s common practice to go and enjoy them even at the end of the evening. A sweet night is guaranteed!
FAQs
The Italian croissant or “cornetto” is commonly known in northern Italy as “brioche” even though a true brioche is round and has a different dough. Moreover, the Italian cornetto varies greatly from the French croissant as it's prepared with sour dough to develop a softer consistency.
Do Italians say croissant or cornetto? ›
In southern and central Italy, the pastry is known as a cornetto, meaning “l*ttle horn” in Italian, whereas in the north of Italy, the pastry is referred to as a brioche. The ingredients for a cornetto are flour, eggs, sugar, milk, butter, yeast and salt.
What is the difference between brioche and cornetto in Italy? ›
A cornetto with an espresso or cappuccino at a coffee bar is considered to be the most common breakfast in Italy. The name cornetto is common in southern and central Italy, while it is called "brioche" in the north.
Do Italians eat brioche for breakfast? ›
The brioche is eaten almost exclusively at breakfast, while the cornetto is found everywhere, even at night. In northern Italy it's quite rare to come across bakeries or cafés that churn out hot cornettos after sunset.
What is the typical breakfast in Italy? ›
The most common classic breakfast food in Italy is the “cornetto”, or croissant. A cornetto is often filled with some kind of cream, custard, jam or chocolate spread, and accompanied by a coffee.
What's the difference between a croissant and a brioche? ›
Brioche is more similar to a thick loaf of bread and is not as flaky or buttery as a croissant. Brioche dough does not contain as much butter as croissants, but it has more sugar and contains eggs, which contributes to the denser texture of brioche.
What are croissants called in Italy? ›
Cornetti Are the Stuffed Italian Croissants of Your Pastry Dreams.
What is the difference between a croissant and a cornetto? ›
Typical of the Italian tradition, cornetto involves the use of eggs and tends to be sweet and flavored; on the contrary, the croissant has no eggs and has a fairly neutral taste, except for the characteristic hint of butter.
What pastries do Italians eat for breakfast? ›
Here are some well-known Italian breakfast pastries that people interested in the baking and pastry arts can recreate in their own kitchens:
- Cornetti. While the French have croissants, Italians have cornetti. ...
- Biscotti. ...
- Panino. ...
- Fette biscottate. ...
- Coffee pairings.
As Sicily is a part of Italy (can't stand those who say the opposite only because it's an island!), Sicilian breakfast at home is like the Italian one: strong black coffee, with or without milk, with few biscuits or some sliced bread with butter and jam, possibly homemade.
Eggs in Italian cuisine. Whereas eggs in the United States are primarily a breakfast item it's the opposite in Italy. Italians often have eggs for dinner and in classic lunchtime dishes like pasta carbonara.
What is a typical hotel breakfast in Italy? ›
Fruit is also sometimes included but it is not the norm. Hotel breakfast usually includes a selection of bread options and croissants, cakes (usually ciambellone, crostata or apple cake), plain biscuits, yogurt and cold cuts (ham, cheese). Cooked breakfast is not as typical in Italy.
What is a traditional breakfast in Rome? ›
A typical breakfast for a Roman looks like a quick coffee and a pastry, eaten standing at the bar. A frothy cappuccino and a warm cornetto is the most common combination. Italian cornetti are sweeter than French croissants and come vuoto (plain) or filled with jam, custard or Nutella.
What's the difference between cornetto and croissant? ›
Typical of the Italian tradition, cornetto involves the use of eggs and tends to be sweet and flavored; on the contrary, the croissant has no eggs and has a fairly neutral taste, except for the characteristic hint of butter.
What came first, cornetto or croissant? ›
The cornetto (or kipfel) came to Italy in 1683 whereas the croissant was first created in 1838 in Paris. What is 'croissant'? a French crescent-shaped roll made of sweet flaky yeast dough, eaten for breakfast.
How do you say croissant in Rome? ›
And in Rome, this is called a “cornetto,” which means a little cone. But the rest of Italy generally calls a croissant a “brioche.” This way, you'll at least sound like you've got some regional terms under your belt.
